Thinking for Myself? What?!

I'm so trusting of many things. When I'm told something I rarely ever question if it's presented as fact. Especially when it comes to literature. I'll believe anything an author wants to led be to believe. I have a hard time questioning an author's position, at least the position I get from the first reading of a piece. Maybe this is more of a problem of lacking textual imagination. When others suggest a flip-side it's like I've been awakened to a whole other story and I feel inferior because I wasn't "sharp" enough to think for myself. Than I wonder what kind of English major I'll turn out to be. Can I be a "good" one, or can I be a "great" one, or do I have to settle for a "proficient" one?