Appleman-Chapter 7

After reading Appleman's chapter 7 on Poststructuralist, I was quite intrigued by Martha's story. I find it relieving to know that a teacher who at one time was teaching by the book (text-centered), was able to transition her classroom instruction by allowing change. Her change was to welcome literary theory into her classroom. Appleman states, "Theory can be especially powerful for those students who feel the most powerless, students whose performance in school, family background, or other factors put them on the margins of the academic and social life of the school" (125). Based on Appleman's statement here, I believe this can be a significant role literary theory can play in an individual's life. Throughout the chapter, Appleman also makes note of how literary theory can be useful outside of school and into real life.
Another quote Appleman states that I wish I could relate to is, "Literary theory may help students to "read" the factors that contribute to their status in school, may help them reflect on their own investment in learning, and may give them additional interpretive authority" (125). This quote really hit home with me and my experiences in high school. When I first declared my major at Western as English Education I was not prepared for what I was in for. I didn't know anything about literary theory (which I am no professional at now). I felt, compared to my colleagues, that my high school English education was taken from me. I felt steps behind everyone else who apparently had knowledge of theory in their high school classrooms. My point is that teachers need to better prepare their students for college. Using an aspect of literature like literary theory is not only beneficial for those pursuing English education, but also for those going to pursue their education in general. Learning literary theory forces you to think about what you are reading and how to think about literature in different ways and points of view. I wish I had this experience in English, not just because I am an English Ed major, but for the simple fact that I may have been more wiser now having learned it earlier.