Beautiful photographs with books as subject seems to be the fad these days. Instagram particularly, is abuzz with 'book lovers' uploading 'styled' photographs of books. These photos typically center books with pretty cover shot and processed along with rich looking fabrics or props or even merchandise like candles, key chains and Funko Pop. Long gone are the time when the adage - Never judge the book by its cover made sense. These days, the prettier the cover, the more the book sell or so it fast becoming. Then there are these PR events in the name of book launches which specifically happen in one part of the country as that part is known is have a hip crowd which can potentially make the event go viral with Live videos, funky selfies and what not.
As a matter of fact, it has become fashionable to carry around and read books. It has also become fashionable to put up a picture or status about the same. Eventually, that thread will contain a lot of comments which gush at books or probably some full blown argument will happen criticizing/favoring the book.
The direction at which the whole business of books and literature is heading, seems dangerously elitist. Even the publishing houses prefect that very segment of people who are online and can
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All this feels like gas inside a helium balloon. The balloon which stays afloat as long as the gas is still in there. It is err to stereotype that the beautiful cover, the promotions and the pictures are for books which aren't that good, however, the point is that, not all people can be a part of this group. This is where the elitist behavior creeps in. If one hasn't purchased or read a certain famous book or even a classic for that matter, they are looked upon with a tinge of mockery. It's hard to differentiate between pretenders and genuine bibliophile these days. Some people read for the sake of it while others, read to click pictures and boast about
Books are global objects that most people can relate to, for example the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins have been a lifelong example of what to be, and not be. Obviously, if these sins are a way of life for some people, it's no wonder they can be traced back to any book. For example, a very popular book, To Kill A Mockingbird has multiple sins shown throughout the book, pride is one of them. Julius Caesar is a classic, and is often quoted in commercials and T.V. shows. The sin displayed here is greed. The Great Gatsby is beloved by many, and read by more. The sin prominent throughout this story is lust. Finally, Night is a true story about the horrors of the Holocaust, the sin ridiculed here is wrath. Four very different books, and
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses the theme censorship. In today’s society the government censors almost everything, from social media pages, to text messages in one’s personal cell phones. In Fahrenheit 451 the “Firemen”, in the story are a direct reflection of our current government. In order to control the people’s knowledge and self-thinking the “Firemen” destroy the books. The same control the “Firemen” seek to have is the same type of control our government seek. Montag is the “Fireman” that began to wonder why they were burning the books. There had to be something extremely detrimental in the books for them to need to be burned.
Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.” Faber states this because quality is characteristics of something and to him his quality is texture which is something that has feeling which is not something that monotone society has experienced. Pores is trying to understand something just to know something is like trying to fill a leaking bucket, because words slip from your mind before you even finish reading anything. Faber insists that it’s not the books themselves that Montag is looking for, but the meaning they contain. The same meaning could be included in existing media like television and radio, but people no longer demand it. Faber compares their society to flowers trying to live on flowers instead of on good, substantive dirt. Only wanting the best and not accepting of simple
Book blurbs are usually filled with tantalizing words that provoke the readers to pick up the book and immerse themselves within the text. One review, I found alluring was a review for the children’s book, Why Dragons Love Tacos. The review said, “This scrumptious New York Times bestseller has a whole lot of kick! “ Which lead me to believe that the book would be filled with delicious fiery fun, making me want to read it. The story made me feel happy which stuck a cord of creative. It made me want to
Books are less common today than they were in the past. Fewer people read for pleasure now that technology is present. One study that shows that today, less than half of seventeen year olds read for pleasure more than once or twice a year. However, sixty-four percent of teens of the same age said they read at least once per week in the year 1984 (Alter). This only goes to show that technology is taking up more of people’s time for reading and other activities that were popular in the past. Overall, books are not as popular now as they once were.
They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless,”(Bradbury 83). The diction of negative words such as: hated, feared, and expressionless, assemble the negative tone Bradbury repeatedly shows against the books no longer being accepted by society. The use of negative tone when the topic of banned books appears in the book, reveals Bradbury’s purpose of making sure books are not forgotten, but treasured. The author is reminding us that not everyone is ever going to be pleased at once, therefore, books should not be neglected because of laziness and people being offended by
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
Literature has long been an important part of human life. We express our feelings with ink and paper; we spill out our souls on dried wood pulp. Writing has been form of release and enjoyment since the beginning of written language. You can tell a story, make yourself a hero. You can live out all your fantasies. You can explore all of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and share them with the outside world. But just because you can write, don't think you are uninhibited!
Imagine you have a child. This child loves to read books on their own. They read so much you finally tell them to get their books from the library. Then, one day, your child asks you what does this word mean, you are horrified to see that the child is pointing to a curse word. From that point on the child gets in trouble with teachers and other adults for saying that word. This is why book banning is necessary to keep children from finding themselves in that situation and others. Book banning is required because a child may be taught bad habits, lose the magical innocence of childhood, and because children may not be mature enough to decide what materials to read.
Censorship has been a big part of the world’s history and especially America’s history. One of the most quoted amendments to the United States constitution is the first amendment; “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” This amendment guaranteeing free speech, press, and religion is still heavily debated and contested today. Censorship, as a challenge to free speech and press has been allowed many times and has been heavily debated itself. Many people censor for many different reasons and in many different forms. Censorship itself is not always a bad thing and has in some cases been used for protection of the general population.
First, he provides an overview of the history and development of the book as well as the development of reading. Carr analyzes and explains the effects of these developments on the individuals. Furthermore, he notes that the Internet recreates and alters a medium’s content by the use of hyperlinks, which ultimately distracts readers, and by separating the content into organized chunks. These characteristics make the content “searchable” which stimulates skimming behavior or superficial reading. As a result, readers retain less information due to the lack of deep, analytical reading. In addition, online texts often incorporate opinions, beliefs, or skewed viewpoints of certain topics, which can have negative effects on readers. Carr also addresses that some opponents believe that hardcopy reading was a result of “impoverished access” (111) and that the desire to use the fast paced web is a result of a quickening pace of life and work over the past few
From the beginning of modern civilization, books have been an important and revolutionary source of human knowledge. Unfortunately, it has become a growing trend to censor books for a variety of reasons. Several of these reasons, which include protecting children and omitting offensive material, are not only arbitrary but are without merit. This is because sheltering children is not beneficial to the children, and also it is impossible to shelter kids without resorting to isolation. Also, it’s not possible to screen out offensive material in books because all material is potentially offensive. The escalating trend of censoring information in books is not only an impossible task, but it contributes to the declination in the population’s intelligence.
Censorship in American society is inconsistent and biased toward things that affect adults. American censorship may help control the bitter world of television, video games, and music, but what about the literary documents? Literature is defined as the body of written works of a language, period, or culture. This can include newspapers, magazines, textbooks, or even the novels and books that are considered classics. These items are not always put under the microscope and censored. Literary “Classics”, like Huckleberry Finn, have violent, racial, and strong adult language. These items in books, to some, may be deemed inappropriate for younger readers. Most of the information in these literary items are available to most teenagers and younger children at libraries and schools.
“While it is true that more books are sold today than ever, recent statistics show that only about 15% of books bought today are read. Evidently, they are of more use as furniture—coffee-table books—than as a source of information or aesthetic buzz. The statistics continue; of those that are read, less than 20% are read all the way through. The unfinished book symbolizes the state of attention spans today”. Eric McLuhan opens up his 2010 argument against technology with this quote. He seems to believe that literacy is only fully achieved through limited technology and hard copies of books. He fails to realize there is more to literacy that picking up a book defined as a ‘classic’ and reading it cover to cover. Literacy covers all spans of artistic
In the contemporary era, if you don’t have any desire or need for information, there will be no good future for you. Life is very much pre-determined. Books not only increase your intellect but also influence your reading and writing skills. Books can be read again and again as they are the most credible and precious media of mass communication.