English Literature and Spanish Personal Statement Example

I realise the interconnection between English and Spanish, which embodies my philosophy of research with scrutiny, and zeal for cultural and artistic awareness. Thus a joint degree is the only option as they both embrace my cognitive capability.

Exploring critiques of reactionary religions and the partnership of Literature and Science within the Gothic genre developed further my aspiration to study English at university. The psychoanalytic theories revealed in Matthew Lewis' 'The Monk' and Flannery O'Connor's 'The Violent Bear It Away' were enlightening. Through the male protagonists' internal battle with pleasure principles and religious precepts, I encountered the concept of the Id, Ego and Superego, and how man's inability to suppress base instincts is perhaps to blame for the fluctuating authority of the church. Reading Riquelmes' 'Essaying Dark Literature Modernity,' encouraged me to explore Modernism; similar to Gothic, it portrays an indifference to morality and its deconstruction. I applaud Nabokov's 'Lolita' for the beautification of the obscene; consequently, the moral ambiguities of Humbert's fetish for 'nymphets' are overshadowed by romantic language. The aforementioned books indicate my eclectic taste in literature, which I am keen to expand on, thus I will relish the chance to cover a multitude of texts and their sub-topics at university.

The 'Literary Enlightenment' club that I run attests to my capacity to create and communicate critical insights. Debating the thematic use of gender and sex in Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber' nurtures our evaluation skills, as we are encouraged to judge the internal evidence and use external criteria to reveal the limitations in Carter's feminist text.

For relaxation, I have been helping the Ritzy Picturehouse with its 'Argentine Film Festival' as I am a devotee of the Arts and admire how it widens intellectual horizons. My enthusiasm has inspired me to search for the representations of beauty against disillusionment in the Spanish Golden Age. I enjoyed Guillermo Carnero's discussion on the translation of Luis de Gongora's 'Las Soledades', for the poet's ornamental use of culteranismo to critique the nobility. Perhaps this juxtaposition of style and melancholic context represents the superiority of Spain, which veiled its political decline?

The experience of studying Spanish language catalysed my decision to spend last summer with the Don Quixote Language school of Granada. I enjoy learning Spanish and the linguistics in an intense environment; taxing syntax complexity and word variants, compliments my fascination with ambiguity. Additionally I have developed a taste for basic business semantics, and due to Latin America's growing relations with private equity firms, I aspire to progress further in this field given the possible career opportunities that might arise.

I am most proud of completing the Instituto Cervantes DELE A1 exam course, which has helped me mature as a language student. As a result of the teacher interaction being less frequent than in secondary school, I am confident in my ability to study a language independently and have acquired new learning techniques; such as using mnemonics to link words. Furthermore, the autodidactic nature of my studies has developed my organisational skills, resulting in a more methodical approach to language learning.

The relationship that I have with English Literature and Spanish is genuine and enduring. I will bring my logic and reasoning skills, together with linguistic proficiency, to my studies and lectures. Hence I look forward to dedicating the next four to five years at university making them my priority.