In Cynthia M. Leary’s article, “Why Reading Counts,” the author discusses reading problems in America. Once people leave school, many of them stop reading. In the article, Leary stresses the many excuses people use for not reading. First, people claim they don’t have the time to read. Second, others argue that reading is “too hard.” Finally, some believe that reading is a waste of time. One of the many excuses people use to avoid reading is that they don’t have the time. They say they don’t have time to spend hours with a book. There are more important things to do and are too busy rushing from “work to home, from meeting to shopping center, from errand to errand.” Leary disagrees; she says there is time to read. She explains that people make time for things they find important, like jogging or going to the gym. If they believe that reading is important, they would find the time to read. …show more content…
Cynthia mentions in her article that people don’t want to do the hard work reading requires. They’d rather avoid such a “daunting” and demanding task. However, Cynthia states, “Reading is worth the work it requires.” She compares reading to activities people want to do that are also hard, like learning to play an instrument and tennis. People do them, not because they’re hard, but because they want the satisfaction that comes from it. The power and knowledge that come from reading are worth the effort. Some people believe that reading for pleasure is a waste of valuable time. They say that spending hours on a book is unproductive. Most people only read when it’s needed for school or for a job. Cynthia argues that reading may be the best possible use of time. She professes that we must read in order to make sound decisions. We must read to know about the scientific developments and ethical issues that impact our lives. She states, “Books shed a light that illuminates our problems and
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Reading is on the decline and our reading skills are declining right along with the amount of reading we do. This is happening right across the board through both genders, all age groups and education levels, people are busy and they just do not have time to read books that they are not required to read for school or work. There are serious consequences to this neglect of reading that will continue to worsen if ignored. We need to take notice of what is happening to our culture and stop this situation from continuing, we must act to correct these issues that we are faced with. These things are discussed in the essay “Staying Awake’’ by Ursula K. Le Guin who uses the NEA essays “To Read or Not to Read’’ and “Reading at Risk’’ to support her argument that there is a decline in the amount of time that we are spending on reading and our ability to understand what it is that we are reading.
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.
Andrew Solomon has some valid arguments in his article, and he tries to persuade the readers through logos, pathos, and ethos. Solomon wants the readers to understand the importance of reading, and how its decline can be harmful to the nation. To reinforce his arguments, Solomon shares a variety of examples, for instance, he mentions that reading helps improve memory and concentration, and the decline of reading is causing mental “atrophy.” He also calls upon the readers to take some sort of action to raise reading rates and help the society. This can grant the readers a form of power and control over the crisis that will lead to an em...
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
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
Humans, are they Human? The article “How Reading Makes Us More Human” by Karen Swallow Prior is a very well structured and informative article. Prior immediately grasps the reader’s attention by providing a variety of examples to support the purpose of her article.
In today’s society people truly take the ability to read for granted. Not many realize the true power the ability of reading holds; it allows for one’s mind to be set free and access to a plethora of knowledge that allows for a limitless amount of potential in life.
In today’s society, a vast number of people are well educated. They have the equal opportunity to choose their own path in life by getting an education. A primary educational aspect of every human being is to learn to read. Being able to read is a primary goal of people in human society, as well as important in itself to society; it takes people far beyond their wildest dreams. A person who is literate has few limitations on what they can do; the world is an open playing field, because a person that is literate has the ability to become very successful in life.
“ I’m slow reader, but I usually get through seventy or eighty books a year, mostly fiction”. (king-221). I’m slow reader too, and often I got bored with reading because I will read a difficult word and my reading can not help me because I’m slow reader. Stephen King, Reading to Write. In this essay, King impact me to read at least fifty books a year even though I’m slow reader, and I read with what I’m interesting with it. It is difficult to read books you are not like it because you will be bored with it and just want finish even if you do not comprehend. King wrote this essay to show us how reading is important to write, and he connected his essay with a personal experience. I totally agree with King when he says read, read and read because reading help me to write, to think, and improvise my speaking.
Books have been around the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Reading sounds appealing to some people but to other its not ideal to read. Some “People are interested in escape”(Carol Fitzgerald pg.1) . Being raised in a book reading environment can heavily informs the perceptive of others like non readers. Readers are raised to believe that non readers are unintelligent because they don't read book which are the key to knowledge, concentration and vocabulary.
Today, it seems as if it is uncool to read. Teenagers will never admit that they enjoy reading, even if they do. Many of these people are most likely “closet readers.” This phrase describes people who enjoy reading, but are worried that they may be judged for it, by their peers. In “Why Literature?”, Mario Vergas Llosa says it may not be cool, but it is essential to communicate effectively. He attempts to prove that literature is essential, and shouldn’t be an afterthought. Literature should be a cornerstone in every single person’s education. His purpose is to convince readers of the importance of reading, and literature; Llosa achieves this, by building a strong ethos, and targeting a specific audience.
Nowadays, many people think reading is not necessary, since there are so many sources of information and types of entertainment, such as TV, cinema and the Internet. I believe they are wrong because reading is very beneficial in many ways.
Firstly I believe reading is of value however reading novels is not. A lot of people rely on technology now and rather read E-books than a novel. Reading online is also accessed a lot easier now than it used to be so it has become convenient for people to read online. Many students don't enjoy reading novels and do not get the true reading experience, a lot of people read due to the...
Reading is an essential part of life. It is the basis of everything else in life. Without reading people would not be able to order off of a menu or pick out the right prescription. Reading helps to branch off into other e...