Morals and literature.

   I had the worst tutorial ever yesterday. Do you want to know what was worse than the fact that I wasn't feeling well and the pitying looks from my lovely tutorial partner? The fact that I cried even though I tried really hard to hold it all in and my tutor could see that I was crying. And yet, she didn't relent in her attack.

  This weeks essay was on seventeenth century French tragedy, so the likes of Corneille and Racine. My tutor said a lot of things but the main thing that brought on the waterworks was the fact that she implied that my personal morals get in the way of me analysing literature 'correctly'. Ouch. This is probably one of the worst things that a tutor has ever said to me. I cried and I was in a low place for quite a while because my morals are a huge part of who I am. I wouldn't be who I am today without my morals or my beliefs. Am I expected to go against my beliefs and upbringing just to get a 1st of a 2.i?

  Her harsh words made me reflect a lot on exactly why I chose to a degree where literature is a huge component. I love literature. I love reading. I even love writing essays. I love all of these things because unlike with the sciences for example, there isn't one exact answer. Literature and texts can be analysed and read in so many different ways and I find this so exciting, as nerdy as it sounds. I love reading because I love learning more about different times and cultures, empathising with them and seeing what I can learn from them. If this means that I am not reading literature in the right way, then I am not sorry.

  It took me a long time to reach this conclusion. Heck, I was even going to apologise to my tutor for crying in the tutorial. Tough words from my friends made me realise that this was not the right thing to do. It is not okay to attack someone's personal morals. Not okay at all, no matter who you are. You cannot tell someone how to read. Everyone connects with literature in a different way, One should not undermine someone else's interpretation just because it is different from theirs.

  I'm not going to change my morals just to get a first. So, future Kenny, the next time your views are destroyed in a tutorial, don't cry. Defend your views and fight back.

EDIT- The tutor apologised for making me cry in my next tutorial with her.