- In his “Open Letter to High School Students about Reading”, Bean says that students are challenged with focusing on deep reading. They are challenged with adjusting their reading strategies for different purposes, determining the argument of what they are reading, difficulty seeing themselves in conversation with the author, lacking cultural literacy, and having difficulty with vocab and syntax. I agree with most of these although, I have never experienced a problem with changing my strategies for different texts and purposes. Sullivan says that all of these can be helped and eliminated through deep reading. That deep reading is linked to increased cognitive progress over time, determining the way we are able to think, maybe making us think faster, more rationally and overall better. That deep reading strengthens IQ scores and intelligence and improves college-level skills. I think I definitely have had difficulties with vocab, syntax, focusing on the text, identifying arguments, and seeing myself as having a conversation with the author. I think I would start looking for enjoyment in reading with re-reading books I have enjoyed in the past. Then looking for similar books that I might enjoy. I would find this difficult because I might have to read things I don’t enjoy or things I am not interested in, in order to eventually enjoy reading. It will also be difficult because it will take up some of my time that in the moment I will probably feel is useless. I find that I currently feel like reading for pleasure is useless and a waste of time, because of that it will be the hardest part to change. Sullivan thinks I should put in the effort to enjoy reading anyway because it will help me to do better in college and be a smarter person.
- In his chapter, “Against the Grain”, Bartholomae’s ideas about a reader’s disposition influences the way I think about Sullivan’s charge to find a way to enjoy reading and make it important in my life. In that it makes me realize that maybe most of the battle with deep reading is actually internal. That it doesn’t have to do with external things such as time or access to reading material, or the content of the reading, but rather with how I think and feel about reading. That maybe I have to change my attitude towards reading in order to enjoy it and to benefit from it. As much as I hate to hear or accept that challenge I do agree with him. That changing how and why I read in order to enjoy it more will start with how I view it. And that how an individual views reading is crucial to their level of enjoyment. This makes Sullivan’s charge even more daunting in my mind, that I have to change my disposition and my thoughts to enjoy the process and idea of reading and not just find what I enjoy reading about. I will have to do both of these things to accept his challenge. It will also be difficult to give “generous attention” to someone else’s work even when I do not agree or am even interested in it, a concept he finds crucial to deep reading. To make this happen I would have to open up to more reading options to start to increase my volume of reading to make it seem like less of a hassle and a part of everyday life. The hardest part would be to start enjoying it and somehow changing my views on reading, and honestly, I do not know how to accomplish this. It will be difficult because I will have to change my thinking process and my feelings towards reading. I think Sullivan would still want me to undertake this process because he would think it is crucial and extremely beneficial to my life and eventual career.
One thought on “Possible Essay Aproaches”
Your idea here “maybe most of the battle with deep reading is actually internal. That it doesn’t have to do with external things such as time or access to reading material, or the content of the reading, but rather with how I think and feel about reading. That maybe I have to change my attitude towards reading in order to enjoy it and to benefit from it” is pretty insightful. I especially appreciate how you go from a practical strategy in response 1 (to try re-reading books you’ve liked) to a more fundamental outlook on reading itself. This sounds like a great claim to develop: “As much as I hate to hear or accept that challenge I do agree with him. That changing how and why I read in order to enjoy it more will start with how I view it,” and I don’t see why you couldn’t include some of those specifics from response 1 to do that.
Comments are closed.