As I stated in my last blog, I'm not to familiar with literature making me have any responses or change my life of any sort. Only one book I have read sort of changed my social views. I have to go by others perceptions and "responses" that they get from literary works. When I read a good book or novel I tend to feel like I'm glad I read this, and I feel sort of relieved that I didn’t waste my time reading a bad book or novel. But sometimes you do read a bad one or a not so interesting novel. Usually I read bad books and novels when they are required in school or in an English class. Aren’t these books your reading in school or class supposed to have some sort of meaning to it that everyone reading it could get out of it? If not why are we reading it and writing about it for a reading and writing class?
I have to admit; last semester I read a pretty good book in my English 101 class. In the beginning I thought it was going to be another dreary boring English book like my other experiences. For example Hamlet, To kill a mocking Bird, and Edgar Allen Poe readings were all not interesting to me when I had to read these for an assignment. I know some people are Shakespeare fans and love all his work, also at the same time I know people that loved To Kill a Mocking Bird. But these types of books or novels are not for me. When I had to read those books I didn’t like being in the class that much because I wasn’t into it. I also didn’t receive any responses from these books, nor did they change my life of any sort. I just wanted to get them over with and turn in my assignments. I read other people reviews of these and similar books as I was reading the books and I could not see how they had certain responses, even when I read the book or chapter twice. I guess certain literature affects everyone differently.
Last semester though I enjoyed being in my English 101 class when we were discussing the book we were reading. I was into my papers and I felt like I knew everything to know about the book. The book was called the Tortilla Curtain, it’s not a book I would have picked up if it wasn’t assigned, but I'm glad I read it. This book sort of changed my ways of thinking and put a different outlook on my social views. Tortilla Curtain put a little more thought into my head and made me reconsider what people go through when they come into this country illegally. This is the only book that I’ve read that I can think of that made me respond to and sort of changed my views. The ending of this book could of been more descriptive or longer, it just ended without me knowing what fully happened. But I was also fond of the book because I liked the way it was set up. The author told two separate stories at the same time with two different families. But both stories were also interconnected with each other, it made the reading more interesting.
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I understand what you mean when you say you do not understand why certain books are assigned to a class to read, because I have often thought the same thing. I have also read all of the books that you listed, and although I may not have exactly enjoyed reading them I still had a response. I am not saying that you had a good response, but nonetheless you had one. Even if it is negative it is still responding to material you read. Your response was that the material had no significance to you and it didn’t change your views on anything. I am not sure if this makes sense to you, but I believe that if you read something, you are going to have a response to it. As in The Tortilla Curtain you said you had a response because it changed your views and you understood the book better and were able to answer questions about it easily. If it comes easily to you, maybe it is because it is something that interests you and you don’t have to work to understand the meaning within the book. I know that I tend to enjoy things a lot more when I can slip into it without having to think too much about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say why teachers assign us boring book that do not grab our attention. I say the same thing because I want books that will always grab my attention. No matter if I read them many times. Then when it comes to writing the essay about it, you know what to write but the book does not help much. I also know what you mean when books or old literature does not grab your attention. Like in my classes right now my religion class none of it grabs my attention but when it comes to my psychology class reading I read those books once they are assigned. The book you read for your English class I have heard of that book, my teacher right now for my psychology class is saying we should read that book for extra credit because it deals with people who are undocumented and poverty. I like your blog, it was really honest and you just were like some of my English books are boring and you like dislike reading them. It is a good thing this book changed your views, a good piece that made you change your thinking on that subject.
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