Initial Posting by 11:59pm on Thursday, 8/25/2016
There is no need to answer every question from the paragraph above- the questions are there to give you a jumping off point to get ideas to the page. I want you to think of this as a “writing to learn” activity- a safe place to put your experiences without fear of being ‘wrong.’ Focus on being authentic to yourself and rendering some experiences related to your journey of learning and evolving as a literate person. Give detail to show what you experienced; rather than only declaring that Harry Potter inspired you, show how and why Harry Potter inspired you by making connections between your life and the story.
Why am I giving you this prompt? I believe that a journey forward requires some acknowledgement of what made up the past. It is important to note: history is NOT destiny! Understanding how important interactions with wonderful teachers, fascinations with certain texts, frustrations with particular literacy sponsorship situations, and your understanding of what is valuable and important in terms of literacy allows a jumping off point for growth and opportunity. In short, I am interested in getting to know what makes you, you. My job is to help you grow as a writer, and if I can get an understanding of where you are coming from, I can help you to find ways to get to where you need to go. Be true to yourself and your experiences, and have fun.
Please give your posting a title that is reflective of your reported experiences. DO NOT simply title your posting as Week 1 Discussion. We already know this is the first discussion area, and the audience already knows this is week one discussion area. Make your title appropriate for the content of your posting.
Please give your posting a title that is reflective of your reported experiences. DO NOT simply title your posting as Week 1 Discussion. We already know this is the first discussion area, and the audience already knows this is week one discussion area. Make your title appropriate for the content of your posting.
Response Posting to Peer(s) by 11:59pm on Sunday, 8/28/2016
Respond to at least one peer: Through either finding common ground or expressing a connection to a related theme- extend or build on what one of your peers has set up. For example, let’s say that Knightro posted a comment that he loved reading comics as a teenager, but his joy and excitement for comics was never shared by his English teachers. Perhaps you had a similar experience with another genre or form of literacy; perhaps you began using technical manuals to improve your performance in certain video games, and though you read these manuals with a sense of dedication and enthusiasm, when you tried to write a report at school about video game manuals, your teacher denied the legitimacy of this kind of writing.
You might also raise open ended questions to further explore the dimensions of a certain literacy experience. For example, let’s say that Gary Gamer reports that early on (1st through 6th grades), he struggled with literacy in classroom environments because he found the content boring- in fact he found the material so boring that he was often found daydreaming in class and was eventually diagnosed with ADHD, and was labeled as slow. Interestingly, Gary reports that he grew in confidence in 10th grade when he discovered Fanfiction about his favorite video games. Gary Gamer became hyper focused and could spend many hours reading Fanfiction. He even began writing Fanfiction by the end of his 10th grade year. You might help Gary develop his ideas further by asking some open-ended questions like the following: what kinds of literacy experiences, if any, were available in your later schooling (11th and 12th grades) that you became interested in as a result of the Fanfiction you were reading? How did reading and writing Fanfiction help you develop writing skills in other contexts? How might Fanfiction be used in writing classes to help teach certain types of writing skills?
The Peaks and Pits of Reading
ReplyDeleteI have loved reading and writing from a young age and will forever, but there were times in my academic career when I felt like my creativity was stifled. My parents used to read to me nightly before bed, and that is when my love of reading started. I was a nice way for me to spend time with my parents, and it was give me a story to play out in my head as I went to sleep. Once I learned how to read it was difficult to take a book out of my hands. The Harry Potter series is what stands out to me the most as my favorite series from my childhood. Hermione Granger was my favorite character because I could identify with her love of books and feeling like an outsider. She was Muggle-born, which lead to some students to ridicule her. I could always identify with her situation because I had trouble fitting in in grade school. I still re-read the books to this day, and I love to find details I may have missed before. I never struggled with English classes in grade school because most students disliked reading, and my teachers knew I enjoyed it. However, once high school started I found it more difficult to relate to my English teachers. Whenever they would ask for interpretations of literature I noticed that I tended to think outside the box. Whatever the “official” answer to an interpretation was never seemed to match mine. This was very frustrating for me because I would be analyzing the text and trying to be creative with my answers, but my teachers did not allow for that kind of creativity. It was discouraging for me to have my creativity limited and to have my teachers ignore the effort I was putting in. I always wished there was more than one “right” answer when it came to analyzing literature. Almost every work we read was written by deceased authors, so I never understand why there was only one “right” answer and many wrong ones. The authors are no longer alive for us to ask them what they really meant, so it seems like there should be some leeway given to the student’s analysis. Luckily, their attitudes have not shaken my love of reading. My favorite genres are fantasy and biographies. I enjoy reading about magical places that do not exist in the real world. I also love to read about the real lives of my favorite historical figures. I am currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and starting Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton because I love the musical so much. My experience with reading has had its ups and downs, but I will never let anyone discourage me from my love of reading.
Megan Gannon
In my high school English classes I hated participating too because I was always afraid of being wrong. Although my teacher encouraged us to participate, a lot of the time I couldn't understand the material or think creatively.
DeleteGetting started
ReplyDeleteI was always encouraged to read from a young age. I remember my parents constantly giving me books and reading to me before bed. Green Eggs and Ham has been read so many times I’m surprised the spine still holds it together. But somewhere along the way I traded Dr. Seuss for Shakespeare, and there were no more foxes in boxes but stories of forbidden love and revenge. I didn’t always mind assigned reading in high school, books such as The Great Gatsby and The Things They Carried were ones I enjoyed very much. But the more complex stories that were more difficult to understand such as Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet were less enjoyable to me because it felt like reading another language. This left me frustrated because I couldn’t comprehend what I was reading. A novel that sticks out for me is Gone Girl. I remember getting this book and not being able to put it down until I finished it two days later. This book sparked my interest in mystery novels and I now consider them to be my favorites. I don’t always have the time to read but I think it is important and it is something I will continue to enjoy throughout my life.
I know how you feel about not being able to put a book down until you finish them. Though I may not be able to relate to you reading Gone Girl I do know a few books that I have read and just couldn't stop. I would try finding books similar to the ones I read but nothing would suffice until I found another book I couldn't put down. Books like that really do make you appreciate reading.
DeleteI absolutely LOVE Gone Girl! We will have to discuss it. The way it was set up between Amy's point-of-view and Nick's point-of-view made it a real page turner. My parents read to me a lot as a child as well. I never was a big Dr. Seuss fan though. The rhyming drove me crazy, but I understand why some kids love it. I really enjoyed Shakespeare in high school because of the drama and universal themes, but I can understand not enjoying it as well. I did not enjoy American Literature. The Scarlet Letter was a very dry read for me.
DeleteEvery night before I went to bed when I was younger I would force my parents to read me a bedtime story. If they ever told me no I would throw a huge fit until they did. Growing up I loved to read fantasy stories with mythological creatures and such. When I was in middle school all I would read was the Percy Jackson series over and over again and never got sick of them. Eventually I finally branched out and started reading more types of books until high school came. When I began high school I became very involved in sports and my schools showchoir. The showchoir eventually consumed my entire life and barely had any free time. My sophomore year I was diagnosed with a life threatening syndrome that caused me to be only a few days away from death. This conditioned caused me to miss a lot of school, failed two classes, and even resulted in me having a feeding tube down my nose and not being able to eat or drink for 70 days. Unfortunately my junior year it came back again and they decided to do surgery instead of the feeding tube and they had to cut off half of my stomach, bowels, and intestines. Senior year I became very sick once again with mono and was on the verge of liver and kidney failure. Throughout my whole high school career I missed about 150 days of school due to all of my sicknesses. Missing so much school has caused me to fall behind in Language Arts and History. My sophomore language arts teacher gave me a book as a get well present because she knew it was my favorite book that I found in her class. That book was "Some Kind of Ride" by Brian Andreas. This book was full of short paragraphs and various small poems. Some of the passages inside the book really touched my heart and helped me get through everything and to always keep my head up. "feels like some kind of ride but it's turning out just to be life going absolutely perfectly" (Andreas 14).
ReplyDeleteLearning to enjoy it
ReplyDeleteEver since I was little I was never really into reading and writing. I would mostly like to read things that were colorful, short, and had something that appealed to me. I would mostly read with my mom who was really just teaching me how to read. But even then I would still not enjoy it. As I got older, I would pick up a book here and there and start it but never really have the motivation to finish it. I really do think that reading and writing are very important and good ways to learn and relieve stress. I hope that I will start to enjoy these things and improve my skills as a writer.
When I was younger I didn't really like reading and writing either mostly because my teachers were not really the best. There have been so many books I've started that I haven't finished because they just never really caught my attention. I'm sure that one day you'll start to enjoy reading!
DeleteI loved colorful books as a child as well. My favorites were Disney princess books. I loved the illustrations of the animation. My parents would read the stories to me dozens of times, but I still would not get tired of them. I hope you can one day enjoy reading. It is very difficult if you cannot find a good book. I have started and stopped on a bunch of different books, but have re-read a select few over and over again. I would recommend you think about what you are interested in, find a book about that, and try it again.
DeleteWhat books are you reading now? Maybe it would help if you tried different genre like plays or books with a lot of imagery. I hope you find a type of book that suits your taste.
DeleteWhen I was younger I absolutely hated reading. But, as I got older, books became more interesting. There have been nights where I start a book and I wont go to be until I finish it. When I was young, I used to love to write. I even wanted to be a novelist at one point when I was like ten. When I was younger, my teachers for reading and writing made me hate the subject. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I truly enjoyed my English class. I took AP Literature with the best teacher I could possibly have. She enjoyed reading, was writing a novel on the side, and truly loved her students. If it wouldn’t have been for her book clubs and extra help on my essays, I would probably still hate English. My favorite book is the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, but I read just about everything. I like to stay open minded when it comes to a new book even though I do judge by the cover. If I'm not interested in the book by the fifth chapter, I usually put it down and start another one.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your view on reading books. Ever since I was younger I could not read a book unless it sparked my interest or was enjoyable to read. I loved writing as well, but my encouragement of reading was evoked by a certain topic that I had no idea I was passionate about. I also had a teacher who inspired me to become more encouraged to learn about the topic (animal agriculture), and she helped me through my decision of becoming a vegetarian, which was sparked by a documentary, Cowspiracy. Ever since I watched this documentary, my reading habits and interests changed for the better.
DeleteI too agree with your opinion on books. They have to be appealing in order for me to read them. On the other hand, I can tell that you are much more disciplined than I am. If I am not interested in the book by the end of the FIRST chapter, then that is when I would stop reading it.
DeleteThe Switch
ReplyDeleteBooks, short stories, writings, and films have never pin pointedly created a sense of enjoyment for me, especially when school enforces you to read a book for an assignment. I was not interested or intrigued by most writings. In my senior year of high school, I was directed to watch a documentary in my environmental class, Cowspiracy, which changed my view and impacted my life in a way like never before. This documentary opened my eyes beyond the lies and allowed me to change my ways for the better. Livestock agriculture and the meat industry basically is the cause of the degradation of the earth. Behind the doors, there is much more to know than what the government and industries put out. This documentary sparked my interest and has led me to researching and finding many different articles and research papers that are focused on the main issues of animal agriculture. Ever since I was introduced to the film, I decided to become a vegetarian and can honestly say I enjoy reading that involves the environment, animals, and nature in general. The switch to being a vegetarian continues to encourage me to explore writings and information on the topic.
I often find myself drifting towards those type of stories as well (especially when researching something boring). The agricultural industry as well as many other industries seem to want to destroy this earth and its wonderful assortment of life. Although over recent years the trend towards more environmentally friendly approaches has my hopes up that we can turn things around. I feel like being vegetarian is sort of a way for me to boycott this cruel industry (kinda like a middle finger to these disgusting corporate food giants)... Point is, I agree that reading can be fun when reading about something interesting, and that tofu is the bomb.
DeleteI as well always found interest in reading for research purposes because of it's real life relevance. Throughout my high school career I struggled keeping up with reading assignments and class novels, but when it was time to gather research for a project I was always somewhat excited and happy to be doing something else than analyzing literature. Also I can say that I too have watched the same documentary and although I am not a vegetarian I am after watching the film, more conscience of where my food comes from.
DeletePros of reading and cons of writing
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to reading I enjoy a good story, I find that I tend to lean towards literature with an interesting plot, a lesson or moral, characters that I can relate to or want to be more like, or a combination of any of those. What I don’t particularly like about writing is that I’m not good at keeping an audience entertained, explaining myself completely, giving enough detail, or figuring out what to put down on paper; in general I’m not really a good writer. I was never really turned onto writing and the only thing that turns me off to reading is being forced to read a book, especially if I’m not interested in it. So since I enjoy a good book and can’t write a decent story myself I’m more of a reader than a writer.
To disconnect from the world
ReplyDeleteFor the past 10 summers of my life my family and I traveled to New York to visit my grandparents. One summer when I was about 8 or 9 years old the town we always stay in had a new book store. This book store had all the New York Times best sellers to any book you could possibly think of. As a young kid of just 8 or 9 I sat in this book store for hours reading through the first few pages of each book to determine which book I would buy. Once I found that one book that stood out to me I would go to the beach and sit there under my umbrella and just read. The beach was my place to go and relax or you could say disconnect from the technologically advanced world. My summers of books and the beach came to end just a few years ago when I wasn't able to read for fun but was told what I had to read. Once middle school and highschool started I was required to read books that I didn't love so for me it was difficult to enjoy the novels. As of late I haven't read many books but I hope to soon find a book ill be able to enjoy without being required to read it.
I should water my plants one day
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can remember, I do not recall enjoying reading books as a child. Most of my readings came from assignments. Reading books didn’t grow on me, it became more a chore than anything else. I used to read books because a teacher told me to read and that a test were to come from the readings. This process continued all the way to my sophomore year of high school. I had to take a Creative Writing class. I did not think of myself as an excellent writer, someone who could captivate their readers with descriptive language and create vivid images. So naturally, I thought this class would be a burden. It was quite the opposite actually. She introduced me to authors I have never heard of before: Susan Minot, Raymond Carver, and others. Specifically, Raymond Carver’s writing caught my attention. His writing was simple. His sentence structure was short and to the point. Most of his writing sounded monotonous, yet it pulled you into his writing. I remember a title of one of his works, “ What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” I was also introduced to be creative with your titles and make them sound more unique. From there on, my interest in reading and writing increased a bit. I still dislike to read though.
I don’t know if it’s me, but I cannot stay focused enough to read more than 2 chapter in one sitting. I find historical texts to be a bore and a struggle to read. However, fantasy and surrealism appealed to me throughout the years; it lets me escape boredom from reality. Even though I haven’t read much since that Creative Writing class, I tend to read excerpts of certain authors. Haruki Murakami comes to mind. I’ve only read one paragraph of this guy’s writing, but he piques my interest. I just wish I had the energy and enthusiasm to read more books.
I was in a similar situation when I had to take Creative Writing in high school. Even though I wrote stories when I was younger, I definitely didn’t think I had the skills to write something that would captivate a reader. My Creative Writing teacher was so cool, and so willing to help. I became a much better writer from his class. We mostly focused on short stories and he introduced us to so many incredible authors. If you can’t stay focused on novels very long, check out short stories!! There are some really great ones out there, and they don’t take long to finish.
DeleteI feel this on a spiritual level. Once i realized i hated reading it did feel like a chore and i do find it hard to stay focused on a book unless i find an extremely good one (very rare). Also i wish i enjoyed reading books and definitely have the energy because i'm so lazy. Everyone always says the book is better than the movie but i don't see a point in reading the book if you've already seen the movie.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFreedom
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I learned how to read, I fell in love with it. I carried books with me everywhere I went. Charlotte’s Web was definitely a favorite of mine, and it still is. I’m fascinated by the stories that show the what the world is like from the eyes of animals and toys behind the backs of humans. The first series I read was the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved Junie B. Jones and anything written by Beverly Cleary. I enjoyed these books and authors because I was so young and interested in what the lives of other people were like. I also wrote my own stories when I was little. I was one of those kids who would write little short stories and think they were the best and that I was super cool because I was basically a successful author. However, once school came along, things started to change.
My mom is a literacy coach at an elementary school and she goes by the philosophy that children enjoy reading and are more willing to read when they chose their own books. I couldn’t agree more. All through school we are told what to read, and most kids don’t like that. The majority of kids dread reading when they know it’s something someone is making them do, myself included. So I got turned off from reading the boring books they assign in school. I read the occasional book outside of class like The Fault in Our Stars and The Hunger Games. I have a list of books I want to read, and I plan to pick reading back up because I really do love it. I just need to set aside the time and find a book that really interests me.
Writing is kind of the same way. I used to love to write, but then when I was required to write something for school that didn’t really interest me, it became more of a boring task than a fun activity. That was the case until I joined the school newspaper. I got to write the advice column and I really enjoyed that because I had the freedom to take the piece any way I wanted. I had this same kind of freedom in a Creative Writing class I took my senior year. Our teacher gave us a topic, but we didn’t have to follow it if we had our own ideas. Basically, we could write about whatever we wanted, and that was awesome. I believe kids would have a much more positive opinion about reading and writing if they had more freedom to choose topics that really interested them.
That's so impressive! I wish I had the love for books like you do. I have a terrible attention span and can't seem to stay interested in any book. Do you have any suggestions of some good books to read? I would love to hear!
DeleteI totally agree! I enjoy to reading and writing, but as soon as I am forced to read and write for school I dread it. I love the Little House books too! I was actually named after Laura Ingles and her sister Grace because my mom loves those stories as well.
DeleteMy corrupted attention span
ReplyDeleteYou know what’s crazy? Out of the 18 years I’ve been alive, I have never read an entire book from cover to cover. No, children's books like Dr. Suess doesn't count! I’m talking about a novel from start to end. I tend to open up a book and lose interest after the 15th page. Some may find that “sad” or that makes me “uneducated” but I just feel that I have never found a book that sucked me in and kept me interested. My attention span is one that cannot be played with. I seem to love suspenseful movies, so if I were to pick up a book, it would be on a mystery murder, a missing child, a criminal mind, or a kidnapping. In the past, teachers have assigned the class books to read. My terrible attention span wouldn't allow me to absorb the literature. As bad as this might sound, I would rely on the summaries available online to know what I was supposed to be reading about. As I get older and my brain gets smarter, I find myself feeling like I want to read more! I can see the difference in personalities and intelligence from people that read a ton of books and people who don’t. Reading, without a doubt, makes you smarter and widens your mind. I’m excited for this english class because I’m coming in with a mindset of wanting to learn. I will be surrounded by book lovers and that inspires me to want to read what they are reading. I want to feel the love for books as much as my classmates do. High school was a bumpy journey when it came to writing and literature, but college is a clean slate and I am here for a purpose! I am looking forward to the new mindset I will be walking out of this class with.
I have heard this type of story countless times, as people simply weren't given the books that interested them, causing them to stray away from the beauty of literature and reading as a whole. It's so wonderful to hear that you haven't lost that spark completely! I, being a book lover from birth(especially mystery and horror, as you can see in my post),can promise you that when you do find a series, author, or genre that interests you and feeds that literary hunger, you will be hooked for life. I would suggest perhaps some H.P. Lovecraft for a darker side to literature or even try some non-fiction of the mysteries that go on in our everyday lives.
DeleteIt's interesting when someone finds a fellow student that is exactly like them. I love how you started off at your own pace and you just fell in love with it as time passed. Just goes to show how life works when it wants to.
DeleteGaming over Reading and especially over Writing
ReplyDeleteHi there I'm going to get straight to the point here and say I absolutely with an iron fist can't stand this subject... However this is probably due to my poor experiences with the English in the past, grammar blah blah, analyze text blah blah, write this, persuade us, my golly does this bore me. However what I truly can enjoy would have to be epic stories of magic, fantasy, and heroism. That being said I don't enjoy sitting there reading a book about it, I'd rather play through it and experience for myself. Video games and movies are my preferred format for these tales. I mean I do still read a bit outside of the game, be it Reddit lore-theory threads, or game guides to learn new classes or play-styles. One of the largest impacts on my life would have to be World of Warcraft, it was the first game I ever played and it introduced me to the magnificent world of video game lore. Other games I've enjoyed the lore to include league of legends, the Elder Scrolls series, and Halo. Similar to my interest in reading, my interest in writing is also lacking. Say what you will, I find this subject is not for me. That being said I do believe this is an important subject as it promotes creative thinking, preserves knowledge, and allows us to communicate and function in today's society.
I feel exactly what your saying. I cant stand any prompts or stories that arent creative in itself when its supposed to be a creative class. Video games have so much writing and story to offer.
DeleteBoring is not my Style
ReplyDeleteI really didn’t get into reading until I was in high school. When I was younger, growing up with 3 sisters all we did was play and my parents didn’t really motivate us to read or write outside of school. Of course in school I was always a god writer and knew what to write about and how to write is but as I got older I began to discover my dislike with writing. I think it was because of my high school classes and the boring topics we were given but it just further increased my dislike for writing. I only got into reading my high school year because I had a kindle and got free books majority of the time so I began to read books that I had interest in and it became a regular for me to just sit and read books every night before bed but if I don’t have an interest in them then nine out of ten times I will never even give it the time.
I also used to read whatever I found interesting before going to bed. It was the best way to kind of wind down a day without interruption. Writing was always ok for me, but not my strong point. It got more and more of a job than a task so it lost its luster in high school. However, if you use a fountain pen it becomes somewhat entertaining through the lack of effort you have to put into it.
DeleteShort, sweet, to the point
ReplyDeleteAs a child I loved hearing, reading, and telling stories, no matter the topic. I would always find some book to read about anything that had a motor, from airplanes to cars. As I got older books left my interest and gawking at all the cool cars in magazines took my interests. I would draw what I thought was really cool then write a spec sheet to accompany it. Middle school lead to less drawing and more writing, mostly for classes only. Once high school hit I started reading anything and everything that was remotely interesting to me through a site called Reddit. It was kind of my escape from the monotonous classwork and reading assignments because of the ridiculous amount of content that can be found. I could find ideas for poems we were forced to write, topics for research papers, and thousands of long, drawn out stories to read. I've never bothered to contribute anything worthwhile or write out a long story, just because I'd rather be as straightforward as possible to the target audience. I feel as if the reader shouldn't have to wade through 4 pages to get to a point unless the details are just _that_ good.
From Good to Bad
ReplyDeleteRecalling anything from when you’re young is challenging, especially if those memories are plagued with dislike and displeasure; not at first though. My earliest memories of reading include my mom tucking me in bed and recounting old folktales to me like The Three Little Pigs and many Dr. Seuss books. All of the books, to a kid as young as I was, had themes of wonder, creativity, and in my case empathy. I always thought “why is this wolf blowing the house down?” I learned to love reading through my mom when she read alphabet books to me, inventing individual stories of each letter. Only months later I started reading several Ronald Dahl books and the Maximum ride series, all of them works of fiction. However, Night by Elie Wiesel especially intrigued me considering its nonfiction. I found a real tale of horror and the terrors of the concentration camps notably gripping. These formed the basis for my love of reading. On the other hand, writing was always a struggle for me growing up in elementary and middle school. Concentrating in class was difficult because my mind was always in a different universe. Constantly forgetting books and assignments was not uncommon and I got reprimanded for it often. Being unfocused always impeded me in writing essays. Only after a few years passed did my doctor declare I had ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as a side effect of epilepsy (seizures). As a result, starting essays was the worst. I would consume forty minutes and utilize ten minutes actually writing the essay. Afterwards, depression demoralized me for wasting much time on something trivial. I then began to associate reading with writing and learned to despise both with a passion which led to my love of math and science. Video games wielded the ideal solution for my ADD. Obtaining my first fast paced video games changed everything. I owned many fighting games like Super Smash Bros that had flashing lights, fast movements, and violence. However, I craved everything going on. Doing this assisted me in focusing and directing my attention to one piece at a time- resulting in me getting past my ADD. Writing before high school was trial and error. Nothing was ever done to enhance my writing style, it was all grammar. I rapidly learned the error of my ways and began to write more eloquently.
Expiriences
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading at a young age I immediately loved that I could get lost in the world that the story put me in. If I was having a bad day I could open up a book and everything would be ok. Although my choice of books has changed a lot over the years, I still love reading some books that I read when I was younger. The books that I read now are about finance and business, mainly because they’re related to my major but also because I enjoy them. Whenever I am buying a new book it is usually a book about something that relates to how I’m feeling at the time or related to something I’m interested in at the time. The only time I do not enjoy reading is when it’s forced upon me and especially if it is not a good read. Writing is always fun for me whenever I have to do it, mainly because I like being able to be creative with my thoughts so I’m able to put pretty good stories together.
I feel the same way towards the types of books you read as you got older. Personally, I tend to read more online articles and magazines about technology and architecture since it relates to my major also. Not only that, I feel more engaged and concentrated reading those types of media. The information presented to me is interesting and filled with useful data and observations. From a practical view, what I'm reading is going to benefit me in the long run. However, I still try to read fiction every now and then to keep me diversified.
DeleteI feel the same way also about reading. For me I think of reading as a leisure activity to do but when it is forced upon me I don't enjoy it. In highschool we were assigned many books to read and I never enjoyed reading them. With this I came to not like reading because for the past 4 years I had to read things that didnt interest me.
DeleteThe Darker Side Of Literature
ReplyDeleteThinking back to my childhood, I suppose my literary choices were a little off from the average child. My favorite genres were, and I presume always will be, mystery and horror. Anything with the ability to make my skin prickle up with goose bumps, or make me check over my shoulder ten times before sprinting from one end of my house to the other each night, was and is just my style. I would credit my love for all things eerie to my older sister figure who introduced me to book series like Harry Potter, May Bird, and the Spiderwick Chronicles. This early start into the darker side of literature has pushed me into loving authors like Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. As I have grown with this genre, I have also delved into works of fantasy and science fiction as they show signs of darker elements in them as well. In my opinion, I can appreciate a darker story because I feel that it draws you in, raises the suspense, and makes you question the line between fiction and reality. I also feel that the writers in this genre tend to have interesting personalities that seep into their pieces and give their stories an edge you can’t find in any other type of book. When I begin a piece written by an author in said genre, I can tell within moments who crafted it. The fingerprint, if you will, that each leaves is unique and memorable unlike most general fiction authors.
However, as much as I appreciate the fictional side of the literary world, my reading doesn’t stop there. I also take to mysteries of the real world, which can be found, in many cases, all around us. Whether it be crimes from the news of the week, newly discovered research of creatures, or small text articles reviewing strange, mysterious cases, I indulge in the literary works that just so happen to cross that line and make it into our everyday lives. This too, I feel, enhances the fictional pieces, as you make those connections to similarities in your life in comparison to the probable monsters and ghouls you read about in literature.
A Constant Struggle
ReplyDeleteSo I'm not going to lie, I really hate reading. By no means have I ever took interest in sitting down with a "good book" and just reading for hours on end. The whole idea never really stuck with me, which is why I always struggled with subjects like reading comprehension and textual analysis throughout my time in school. I was always that kid in class who read the book but really never got anything from it. Which explains why I always had to bum off the kid next me on test day just so I could get an A and still go home to my PS2 without dealing with the repercussions of failure. Personally, I was always one for visualizing things, so naturally as a kid I gravitated towards stuff like movies and videos. But nevertheless I refused to give up on reading in general, which led me in search of adequate reading material that would satisfy my need for an A in 9th grade English while still not putting me sleep the night before it was due. You know something that didn’t have a god-awful make-believe plot, followed by sub plots and character development etc. etc. (sorry if that’s your thing I by no means intend to offend). So after much searching, I stumbled across the vast world of journalism and newspaper articles. At first glance I was really turned off by newspapers due to articles by papers like the Orlando Sentinel because of their lack of relevance and generally poor entertainment quality. But upon further inspection I began to realize that it wasn’t all bad, and that I even kind of liked it. There was something about the style of newspaper writing and reporting that seemed to cater perfectly to my OCD/ analytical personality. So gradually over time as my interest developed I began to read the local newspaper, online blog posts, and I even joined my high school newspaper staff. After being with the staff for over a year I was to write and publish my first article, which consequentially is where my desire for reporting began. Thus over the next two years I continued to appeal to my interests in reporting by writing a wide selection of pieces that covered topics such as fishing, the school football team, and drugs on campus. Even after leaving the staff mid senior year, I still continued my passion by reading the newspaper, and participating in online blogs covering a variety of different topics.
Books are not my forte
ReplyDeleteGrowing up my dad has constantly been on my case about reading. He thought that the more I read, the more intelligent i would become. Although this probably is true, it left me frustrated and i lost all interest in reading. During my elementary school years i was in the battle of the books my third and fifth grade year. Reading ten to fifteen books at a time during a certain amount of time was quite stressful. Despite it being a little stressful i enjoyed the reading and i did it for my own personal pleasure. As i moved on to middle school and high school, this “forced” reading seemed to haunt me. Between summer reading assignments and class readings i’d find myself dreading reading in and out of the classroom. I found myself relying on online summaries to help me get through the book and not actually reading the whole thing. Through out my high school years i’ve only had one teacher who i thought successfully portrayed how to write and the meaning behind certain readings and why people wrote and thought different things.vWhich was my freshman english teacher. Even though we wrote a lot and read books i had no desire in reading, he made the class very enjoyable. I’ve also had trouble understanding the theme and the message the author is trying to say. Being that I was forced to read most of my life i never really enjoyed it. Thats why I never liked reading and never had the desire to go buy and read a book for fun. By never really reading for pleasure I feel as if my writing has been negatively affected because of my lack of interest in reading. By being in this class i hope i will be able to enjoy reading and writing again and improve my skills to become a better writer and reader.
I completely agree with your hate of being "forced" to read, as I was by my parents too! I loved reading when I was younger and less stressed out, but as soon as high school came around I couldn't find the time to enjoy reading again. I saw reading as more of a chore than anything, and to this day I can't say I love reading!
DeleteFiction Reader
ReplyDeleteFor as long as I can remember I love reading. Like a lot of other kids my parents read stories to me before bed, but as soon as I was old enough I constantly read on my own. One of my favorites that they read to me was The Chronicles of Narnia, and that was before the movies. In first and second grade I remember reading stories about rainbow faeries and my friends and I would pretend to be the characters on the playground. I was then homeschooled from third to eighth grade and during that time my parents always encouraged my reading. I can remember begging them to take me to bookstores the day a new book was released. As I grew older I started to gravitate to the YA fiction genre. Throughout high school I struggled with reading boring textbooks and writing about topics I didn’t care about. I still read a lot at home, but I couldn’t find my English class interesting. The only books that I really like are fiction books. I think the best part of reading is that only twenty-six letters can transport you to a different time and world where anything can happen. I made friends in high school that shared my passion for reading and together we traded books and shared fangirl moments. Today I am still an avid reader some of my favorite books include Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Cinder, and Legend.
Childhood to Adulthood on Reading
ReplyDeleteI’ve never been an avid reader ever since I was young. When I was growing up, my parents pushed me to pick up a book and read it, but reading never interested me as much as other activities did. I would always rather be playing outside and not feel forced to read a book that didn’t appeal to me. However, when I started to get older, I began to realize the importance of reading. I started to pick up books more, and felt more relaxed when I was reading. When I was in 5th or 6th grade, The Twilight Series became very popular and I became obsessed with the books. I would spend hours at a time reading, causing me not to be able to put the book down. I also read The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner series, and with those books too, I couldn’t stop reading them! But ever since high school began, I started to dread reading books again. Every book in English class that was assigned to us I didn’t enjoy (except The Great Gatsby!), because the over analyzing aspect of reading the book ruined it for me. I also never found more books that interested me and would encourage me to continue reading them.
My Battle with Words
ReplyDeleteBy: Frank St. John
All throughout my life, reading has remained a slight struggle, ever present in the back of my mind. I deal with a mild form of dyslexia that hardly hinders my life today, but greatly affected me during my childhood. Growing up, books became beasts to fear and avoid. They taunted me with jumbled texts that left me feeling frustrated and dull-witted. Since then, I have been able to overcome most of my reading problems, but that’s beside the point. My battle with words is the core reason why I became the writer I am today. I quickly discovered I no longer had to stay within the confines of other literary works that bored and confused me. I could finally develop stories of my own, sharing my creation with anyone that bothered to look at my work. I first started writing detailed campaigns for silly dungeons and dragons quests back in grade school. Later, I actually began enjoying lengthy writing assignments rather than dreading them like my classmates. Eventually, I evolved to writing short stories simply for the fun of it. Now, due to my pleasant experience with writing, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for works of literature as a whole. I no longer push novels aside. Instead I find value in the individual styles of storytelling and vivid imagery within every work of literary art.
Started from the Bottom (and Also from the Top)
ReplyDeleteThe first time I began to read was when I was a child, just like any other person. My mom actually bought me a series of books called "The ABC Books" and it was a book for each letter of the alphabet. I actually loved reading when I was younger. Up until 3rd grade, I used to read and read until my eyes were tired. It was only when reading became a grade that I began to despise it. Reading for me is what chores are for teens: they do not really mind doing it in the own accord but when it came to a parents commands, they find themselves exhausted. That was what happened to me. I loved reading but from third grade on I stopped reading every day and then my mind changed reading from an activity to a nuisance. The last book that I remember reading and enjoying and I read for fun was in 8th grade and it was a book called "The Number 8".
However, writing is something completely different. I remember writing when I was small. I never thought that I would ever be a good writer. When I was younger, I learned "how to write" and every single time I would write, someone would always say I was "bland" or simply "not a good writer". Come 7th grade and I was taking the FCAT Writing Assessment and when time was up, I only had written 3 paragraphs to a 5 paragraph persuasive essay. it was so incomplete that I didn't even get to finish the sentence I was writing. I was mortified. I cried and cried thinking I was going to fail. When results came along, I thought I would get a 1 or a 2 because I did not finish. When I was told my score, however, I could not believe it. I had actually gotten a 5 out of 6. From that moment on, I realized that it did not matter how much I write, but the content was good enough.
So all in all, I had started great but then fallen in the reading department but excelled greatly in the writing department. Just goes to show that life isn't always the same, but just a group of good moments and bad moments. Some are just more influential than the others.