To Read is To Attempt Comprehension

Last night's reading was very enlightening to me. I was enthralled by the images of the human brain that depicted the regions in which we hear words, see words, read words, and generate verbs. On page 38 and 39, Dr. Merlin C. Wittrock states " To comprehend a text we not only read it, in the nominal sense of the word, we construct a meaning for it." I found this quote to be very accurate as to how I read. I thoroughly enjoy to read, but I enjoy the comprehension that I gain from a text even more. In the text we are told of the "silent reader" which I definitely resonate with. I often enter my own world when I am immersed in a novel or poem. I find that the freedom literature offers to a reader is incomparable to anything else. My motto has always been why should you alter your state of mind with a substance when you can just enter a new world via an enthralling work? In the text on page 53," Emerson believed that reading a book was a private and solitary business," and I agree to a certain extent. I believe that the act of reading alone to gain enjoyment is more achievable than when the text is shared in a group effort. I never enjoyed "popcorn" reading in school for this reason, but I truly enjoyed when we would discuss the text that we had read on our own. What do you think? Is reading more enjoyable alone or in a group? Which do you benefit from more?

The Necessity of Literature

Why is it necessary to take courses in college that teach us how to write proficiently? Should we not know by now how to write? The answer to these questions are addressed in "Reading and Writing about Literature: A Portable Guide" by Janet E. Gardner. Gardner states on page 2, " The answer as to why people do need to learn these skills is that imaginative literature is different from most of the other writing we read every day, and reading and writing about literature requires, and builds, a very different set of skills than those we bring to a Wikepedia article or a Facebook posting." Gardner also addresses why an individual should read literature, and I agree with her point that literature is not only informational, but helps us to develop certain skills necessary to succeed in the written world. Why is it that individuals often feel literature to be out of date and irrelevant in our world today? I believe that many individuals are unable to recognize the importance of literature, and in turn discount it as being irrelevant. How can reading Shakespeare relate to my life today? The themes that many of the authors in our history depict in their works are still at play in our everyday life, and by reading these works we are given certain guidelines to working through our everyday turmoils.
In "A History of Reading"  by Alberto Manguel we are able to see the view of a man who believes literature has been a pivotal role in his development. I agree that literature is very pivotal in each individual's development because they are able to gleam hints about how certain situations can be managed. Human nature causes us to be less likely to know what to do in a foreign situation, but if you really wanted a hint about how to handle a situation you almost certainly can find a work of literature to help you through your predicament. Why do you feel that it is essential for an individual to expose themselves to literature? What can we gain from being well versed in many different forms of literary works?