The Understanding Nature of Books
Books are one of the greatest artifacts mankind has to offer. History is preserved through the written word, and anecdotes are often passed down through storytelling. Books have fierce power over the human experience. They provide a sense of companionship for the lonely and teach people about themselves. Emilia Fox said, “I never feel lonely if I've got a book - they're like old friends. Even if you're not reading them over and over again, you know they are there. And they're part of your history. They sort of tell a story about your journey through life.” According to an article in Scientific America, a study conducted by Canstano, a social psychologist, has suggested reading improves empathy levels in people, giving individuals a better understanding of the world around them. As John Green states, “Good books help you to understand, and they help you to feel understood.”
…show more content…
In many ways, people’s relationships with the books that mean the most to them create a similar experience. When people read, they are taking it upon themself to implement empathy, forcing them to think about the feelings of those in the book and also their own feelings, creating a unique exchange of understanding and feeling understood. John Green supports this thought with his quote, “I know that books seem like the ultimate thing that's made by one person, but that's not true. Every reading of a book is a collaboration between the reader and the writer who are making the story up
readers a dose of reality and human experience. People read literature and end up learning
By appreciating literature, one not only receives a wonderful story but is also given the chance to grow with the characters and learn
In “The Lonely, Good Company of Books,” by Richard Rodriguez, you learn that Rodriguez had read hundreds of books before he was a teenager, but never truly understood what he was reading. His parents never encouraged him to read and thought the only time you needed to read, was for work. Since his parents never encouraged Rodriguez to read it effected how he perceived books.
In a world dominated by technology, reading novels has become dull. Instead of immersing into books, we choose to listen to Justin Bieber’s new songs and to scroll through Instagram posts. We have come to completely neglect the simple pleasures of flipping through pages and getting to finally finish a story. Sherman Alexie and Stephan King’s essays attempt to revive this interest in books that has long been lost. They remind us of the important role that reading plays in our daily lives. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” for instance, demonstrates how being literate saved the narrator from the oppressive nature of society. The author explains that even though he was capable of reading complex books at an astonishingly young
I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained
Louisa May Alcott was a great writer of her time and is the perfect example of
Reading a book is in many ways the same as exercising the muscles in your arm, as you are feeding your brain new information and ideas of life. Life is short and I believe that you should always be positive and do the things that you want without people telling you that you are wrong. The following Novels have taught me various aspects, which I have and still am using to make my life a memorable one as well as a positive one.
There are two types of people in this world, the first ones are, the people who doesn't really like reading books because most of them doesn't have pictures on it, and they find it extremely boring. Then the other type of people, who simply gets lost into their book every time they read, because they just simply love reading. Some of them even say that when they're reading, it is taking them to a different world that only their imagination can create. That is why some people consider their books as their most priced possessions, because of how much it means to them and also some books can be rather pricey. Indeed, books can really be expensive, however, you might be too astonished when you see the following books, because they're considered
My dad taught me that books could be my teachers, my mom taught me that our backyard could be my classroom, and my sister showed me that you could bring books into the swimming pool. I did not know it when I would spend hours in the pool reading a book that my parents weren’t encouraging it in vain, but my family life, for good reason, was centered on books. We were the planets orbiting around one sun that was the bookshelf. Little did I know that books would be the catalyst to academic success in my early life, and I owe it all to my family. Although a life with a book in your nose might seem boring, I was never bored. Living through the characters vicariously, I explored Narnia with Lucy, attended Hogwarts with Harry, and rode dragons with Eragon. Of course
In the article 10 Benefits of Reading, the author Lana Winter-Hebert of Lifehack.org explained why reading is a mental exercise and can improve your mental ability. My reading habits are fairly frequent. I read a lot of magazines and online articles, but I never miss out on a good novel. The atmosphere of a bookstore or library is so comfortable and that drives me to read more, too. I am currently reading two books; The Name of This Book is Secret and If I Should Die Before I Wake. Considering I am constantly reading as recreation or school-wise, I think I read enough.
People interact and communicate with one another everyday to accomplish simple task. However interacting with others is hard because of interpretation. Even if communication is key, it is how a person interprets the message and respond back. Empathy helps people understand one another and make communication easier, without hurting one’s feelings. In “This is How Literary Fiction Teaches Us to Be Human” by Tom Blunt, the author believes that literature teaches empathy because it helps with social anxiety, viewing events from a different perspective, and helps experience other people’s feelings before actually talking to them.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
Multiple readers of the same text will have subjective and unique interactions, connections, and experiences that are unlike those of any other reader. “Feelings are evoked not just by the text, but by the text combining with the reader’s prior experience with life and literature, as well the reader’s present mood and purposes” (Kane, 2011, p. 17)
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.
The main form of literature, the book, has had a great impact upon the formation of our society today. Before the 1940’s TV had not come into being yet and there was not much else to do other than read books. Thus books formed my grandparents and to some extent my parents and, although I grew up in the generation of TV, books as literature have indirectly formed me as well.