Why Read?
Here's another one from the Fahrenheit 451 unit. This was written on February 5, 2001, for yet another honors class.
I just finished the last essays from our Fahrenheit 451 unit. There were certain things about reading that all of you recognized: Reading allows for more creativity and imagination than TV; reading can increase vocabulary; reading can make you more knowledgeable. There were other things that a few of you picked up on: Reading takes some consistently applied effort, and effort is a good thing; reading can build character. And there were a couple things that almost none of you mentioned that I think are important enough to bring up: Reading is an act of interpretation which builds valuable critical thinking skills; and reading allows us to not only read the ideas of others, but also to share our own.
When you read, you are interpreting these odd little shapes and symbols on the page. The more you read, the better at this sort of interpretation you become. In fact, most of you aren’t even aware you’re doing it. To illustrate how much effort reading actually involves, allow me to switch languages for a moment:
See how much more difficult it is to read these letters?
Now if I were to give you a “key” to these symbols, you would be able to decipher the meaning in a few minutes, and you would likely envy (or be amazed by) the person who could just quickly translate these cryptic letters into English. But that sort of deciphering is exactly what you are doing when you read. It requires effort to read well. It requires you to focus your attention and set your mind to interpret the symbols. Yes, it’s work! But it is work that pays huge dividends. Letters represent sounds, which, when combined, represent words, which, when combined, represent ideas and concepts. All of which you must interpret before you even get to the “story.” If the story intrigues you enough to keep you reading, then you may go on to interpret the symbolism and the theme found within the story. You apply it to your own experience. You make value judgments about it. You learn from it.
The reason I stress this is because a lot of you would like to believe that you have a low tolerance for effort. (Maybe some of you do.) But when you read, you are practicing for Life. Like reading, Life is a game of interpretation. You have to figure out what the teacher wants, what the boss means, what your spouse is upset about, what your kids are trying to do by stacking 10,000 stuffed animals in the living room (???). You also have to learn to interpret yourself. What causes you to feel proud, angry, or depressed? What is it you want from your life? What can you give back to the world? You find the answers to these questions when you interpret the big symbols of Life. Reading will improve those interpretive skills.
Finally, reading makes two-way communication across time and space possible because it allows you to write. You can’t write if you can’t read; conversely, the ability to read opens doors of opportunity that you probably take for granted. If something occurs to you that you don’t want to forget, write it down! It’ll keep for later. If your mom’s not home when the important call from her sister arrives, take a message! She can return the call. More importantly, writing allows you to preserve knowledge and ideas beyond the boundaries of space and time. You can send e-mail to a brother in Brazil, and he can read it and reply with writing of his own. If you keep a journal, or write letters, or publish a book, you can live forever. People many generations from now can read your writing and learn from you…or, in a way, know you.
Reading and Writing are the keys to eternal life. Not only can you go on living even after your death (like Anne Frank), but you can read the ancient works of those long dead, whose words continue to inspire and shape the world. “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God” (John 1:1).
That’s good enough for me.
I just finished the last essays from our Fahrenheit 451 unit. There were certain things about reading that all of you recognized: Reading allows for more creativity and imagination than TV; reading can increase vocabulary; reading can make you more knowledgeable. There were other things that a few of you picked up on: Reading takes some consistently applied effort, and effort is a good thing; reading can build character. And there were a couple things that almost none of you mentioned that I think are important enough to bring up: Reading is an act of interpretation which builds valuable critical thinking skills; and reading allows us to not only read the ideas of others, but also to share our own.
When you read, you are interpreting these odd little shapes and symbols on the page. The more you read, the better at this sort of interpretation you become. In fact, most of you aren’t even aware you’re doing it. To illustrate how much effort reading actually involves, allow me to switch languages for a moment:
See how much more difficult it is to read these letters?
Now if I were to give you a “key” to these symbols, you would be able to decipher the meaning in a few minutes, and you would likely envy (or be amazed by) the person who could just quickly translate these cryptic letters into English. But that sort of deciphering is exactly what you are doing when you read. It requires effort to read well. It requires you to focus your attention and set your mind to interpret the symbols. Yes, it’s work! But it is work that pays huge dividends. Letters represent sounds, which, when combined, represent words, which, when combined, represent ideas and concepts. All of which you must interpret before you even get to the “story.” If the story intrigues you enough to keep you reading, then you may go on to interpret the symbolism and the theme found within the story. You apply it to your own experience. You make value judgments about it. You learn from it.
The reason I stress this is because a lot of you would like to believe that you have a low tolerance for effort. (Maybe some of you do.) But when you read, you are practicing for Life. Like reading, Life is a game of interpretation. You have to figure out what the teacher wants, what the boss means, what your spouse is upset about, what your kids are trying to do by stacking 10,000 stuffed animals in the living room (???). You also have to learn to interpret yourself. What causes you to feel proud, angry, or depressed? What is it you want from your life? What can you give back to the world? You find the answers to these questions when you interpret the big symbols of Life. Reading will improve those interpretive skills.
Finally, reading makes two-way communication across time and space possible because it allows you to write. You can’t write if you can’t read; conversely, the ability to read opens doors of opportunity that you probably take for granted. If something occurs to you that you don’t want to forget, write it down! It’ll keep for later. If your mom’s not home when the important call from her sister arrives, take a message! She can return the call. More importantly, writing allows you to preserve knowledge and ideas beyond the boundaries of space and time. You can send e-mail to a brother in Brazil, and he can read it and reply with writing of his own. If you keep a journal, or write letters, or publish a book, you can live forever. People many generations from now can read your writing and learn from you…or, in a way, know you.
Reading and Writing are the keys to eternal life. Not only can you go on living even after your death (like Anne Frank), but you can read the ancient works of those long dead, whose words continue to inspire and shape the world. “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God” (John 1:1).
That’s good enough for me.
posted by MRT at 9:30 AM
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