I was talking to an associate dean today. I am not sure that she said what I think she did, but this is how I interpreted the conversation.
I told her that I was getting a critical analysis of Gulliver’s Travels published by Ignatius Press.
She said, “Don’t you want to teach composition?”
I said yes.
That was the end of the conversation because someone came along and interrupted us.
But I got the feeling that she meant, “Why are you writing something on literature if you want to teach composition?”
I have a couple of answers.
1. If I am going to teach composition, shouldn’t I be able to prove I can write?
2. Just because I want to teach composition does not mean I have no interests in English outside of rhetoric.
3. Because they accepted my proposal.
Maybe I was taking the question the wrong way. But if I wasn’t, those are my answers.