Personal Statement:English 20

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English Personal Statement

My greatest interest in life has always been communication. At the age of 13, I was under-16 West Midlands regional debating champion. I was honoured to be elected as Chairperson of my comprehensive school’s national award winning debating society. I also have a keen interest in the theatre. I am an active member of local community drama groups and I regularly attend performances at the RSC. I find this has not only assisted my understanding of the plays but also my aspiration to one day direct Shakespeare on the stage. This extends to a love of film and photography. I have made several experimental films and have my own website where I display my photography.

My studies in History and French have added a greater depth of context and linguistics to my enthusiasm for both English Language and Literature. This is especially true of my study of the works of Lenin as research for my History Coursework. After my exams I decided to take a gap year, this was not only to further my education in History and French but also to gain a little extra money and experience through my part-time jobs as a waitress and shop assistant.

In addition to working, I intend to fill my year with travel. In July I was invited to attend a Global Young leaders conference in Washington DC and New York where I learned skills in international relations and I assisted behind the scenes in the running of a series of debates inside the United Nations. I also hope to stay with friends in France to improve my fluency and take part in work experience on a South African political magazine to improve my research and reporting skills.

My house has always been so full of books that literature is like family to me. The fiction section, located in the downstairs toilet, was always a constant companion. My studies of Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ at AS level fed my love of gothic style especially Peake’s ‘Gormenghast’ Trilogy and Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’. The English translations of Jostein Gaarder and Bellamy’s ‘Looking Backwards’ have greatly inspired me through their portrayal of philosophical concepts.

Another writer who I have grown up with is George Orwell, whose life and work greatly interests me. Reading ‘Animal Farm’ as a child opened my eyes to political allegory and the power of politics in literature and journalism. Recently I have found myself enjoying a rather different sort of novel such as Sacher-Masoch’s ‘Venus in Furs’, Lawrence’s ‘Sons and Lovers’ and the works of JK Huysmans, particularly ‘A Rebours’ (‘Against Nature’). I am interested in the collision of transgression and literature.

I owe my powerful love of English Literature to my former teacher, Mr Graham Finch. He was inspirational in his teaching of Shakespeare and gave me insight into both ‘King Lear’, which we studied at A2 level, and ‘The Tempest’, in which I performed. Despite this, I felt that there was not enough Milton or Chaucer available at A level. The only exposure I had to their work was Milton’s ‘Sonnet XIX: On His Blindness’ and a brief extract from ‘The Canterbury Tales’. I would love to study these two writers at greater depth, and receive sustenance to fuel my hunger for English Literature.

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