Venus Bargouth

My name is Venus Bargouth. I earned my BA, MA and PhD in English literature at the Hebrew University, where I currently teach. I am mostly interested in 18th-century British Romantic literature, with an emphasis on the works of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I love these authors because of their focus on the individual’s subjective experience and their attempt to capture in words the essence of human suffering. Moreover, defining the language of poetry as the language spoken by the lower orders of society, and portraying the lives of the rustic poor, Wordsworth and Coleridge brought literature closer to the cognition of ordinary people like you and me.  

I believe in the power of education and in its ability to eradicate ignorance and thus reform society. Therefore, since the age of 18, I have devoted my time to teaching. I have taught various subjects to various populations and age groups in various places. I have also prepared students for the Tawjihi, Bagrut and Psychometric examinations. However, what I enjoy the most is teaching English language and literature, my fields of specialty. The way I see it, languages manipulate our thoughts, shaping our culture and identity. Literature, which is rendered in language, is a key to understanding how people think and behave. I have chosen to teach these subjects as I believe that once you master English, you master not only the language of academia but also the international language necessary for communication around the world. What I aim at is widening my students’ horizon and facilitating their integration in a newly emerging global community.