Illiterate.

Just this Tuesday i had my first class in the elective that i chose (but am actively trying to escape) which deals with the Canadian identity in Canadian literature. I never really took the initiative to look up what kind of course it was so up until about December I'd just kind of made assumptions about the class based solely on the name. A big mistake of course, because it ended up being completely the opposite of what i was expecting. In general, there is only one requirement in my mind when I am selecting which elective course to go with, and it's that the course is very easy and NOT time consuming.

Much to my dismay in the month of December, after having been enrolled in this course for nearly 3 months, i finally received first word from the course coordinator. "Oh!" i thought to myself. "This is a pleasant surprise, there are very few coordinators who are enthused enough to actually email their students before the course even starts." However this initial contentment disappeared instantly when i read the message. In short, it said that we would have to read a novel for every week of the course and if we could not complete this simple task, then this is not the course for us. Also, in each class, the novel would be discussed in depth and everyone would be expected to give their input and opinion. This struck me as unacceptable in two ways.

ONE: Justin is Nearly Illiterate.

I actually used to read books all the time. Like every night, for hours before i would go to sleep. I was obsessed with reading and back when i was into it, i could never put the book down until i finished whichever chapter i was reading. However, there is one problem. The books that i have read up until now consist of "The Magic Treehouse", "Star Wars: Jedi Academy", "Deltora Quest", and "Harry Potter". Take a look at the books that I just named. The first three have a target audience of 7 - 9 year old boys who have just discovered what fantasy is, and the last is a book with a target audience of 7-9 year old boys, but seems to have magically permeated all age groups nonetheless... These books, i read for their stories. Not for the writing style, not for the in between the line meanings and themes which are addressed in the most inconspicuous ways possible, and with huge words that were probably concocted for the sole purpose of excluding amateur readers like myself. With a literature history like this, i'm sure you can understand why i'm skeptical about my ability to survive in a course like this. Somehow i get the feeling that Harry Potter won't be included on the reading list. Not to mention that i read so darn slow that even if i didn't have other courses to finish, i probably wouldn't be able to finish a novel a week anyways.

TWO: I Don't like the Spotlight... In Class.

I'll admit that i can be an attention whore sometimes. But I assure you that this is not the case in the classroom setting. I make a point of sitting alone in class so that i can pay strict attention to the lecture, and so i don't draw attention to myself by talking with friends. I absolutely hate being called on in class. Even though most of the time when i am called on, i do know the correct answer, somehow i'm incapable of providing it under pressure.

"Justin what is the first axiom of thermodynamics?"

"Uh... sir i have to pee."

"Answer the question first Justin"

*fear*

"Nevermind i don't have to pee anymore..."

The class having a population of 60 and requiring everyone to take part doesn't help my case much. Especially when i'm used to class sizes closer to 200 or 300. I'd probably forget my own opinion if i was asked of it.

So, i'm sorry course coordinator, but i'm going to have to resign from this course (assuming that i made it into Religion and Film, which is sure to be a party...) although i am very interested in the voices that Canadian authors employ in their influential and activist writing styles, i cannot bring myself to open a book that doesn't fill its pages with dragons, magical treehouses, time travel, and Hermione Granger.