The Way I Read

The Way I Read

I have been devoting the majority of my free time to do what I love most: reading. Whether it's stories about far-away lands, ghoul-inhabited forests, or even contemporary fiction, books have always been able to take me far away to places I can only dream about visiting. Yet, the only books that have the power to do so are ones that I have selected myself. I have this profound resentment for assigned reading. It's as if I am being told what reading is important, and , being the conniving slacker that I am, I often skim just enough to pass the quizzes I know are coming the next day. When I'm reading a book for pleasure, I don't need to worry about the author's use of satire or irony; all I have to do is read. But when I read something that has been assigned, I scrutinize every minute detail ad nauseum*, and I feel so frustrated for having to do this. When I am reading a book that I have selected for the first time, I do not hear any voices, as Welty did. It's odd, but as I keep rereading, a certain voice begins to become inculcated in my mind: the voice of the character. After a few read-throughs, I feels as if I personally know the character, becoming in-tune with their likes and dislikes, their wants and needs. But with assigned reading, I never experience this phenomenon. Assigned texts always tend to go in through one ear, and out the other for me. Sure, I understand the plot devices and thematic content of the novel, but I don't necessarily care for said book. It's as if my mind has been poisoned to loathe texts that I haven't chosen for myself. I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird my Freshman year of high school, and while I loved the story and power the novel held, I couldn't find myself being in love with it. Of course, the reason being, it was assigned. Atticus and Scout will always be my favorite father-daughter duo, but I do not have a place for them in my heart. Only characters such as Samwise Gamgee and Lucy Pevensie has special places in my heart. With my bold claims and lark statements on my resentment for assigned reading, one--especially an English teacher such as yourself-- might take some offense to my claims. But rest assured, I do find the texts we read to be quite interesting. In fact, there might be a few assigned texts that I actually like. Yet, the books I choose to read are always the ones that I find easier and more enjoyable to read. Being harangued into reading takes the fun out of reading itself, and I hope that future schoolchildren will be able to read as they please.

*ad nauseum= to the point of disgust