This post creates another excuse to post a CCR song.
My older daughter has become a bit of a reading machine. Since she is able to whip through children’s literature at her supposed grade level with ease, we decided that she was ready for the Harry Potter series. She quickly became hooked, and she is already halfway through the second book. So I decided that it was about time for me to go through this already legendary book series. I had thought about doing this for years, but I found it hard to justify the time investment. If I am going to use some precious free time to read, then shouldn’t I be reading something productive like History or classic literature?
But once my daughter got going, I now could justify proceeding with this reading adventure. First, it would give my daughter and me something to talk about and, hopefully, encourage her to keep going. Just yesterday, she was horrified to find that I had caught up with her, so she started reading in order to stay ahead of the old man. In addition, reading this series could possibly help me relate a little better to students. Most of my current students, after all, were raised on the Harry Potter series, and based on what I have seen in the movies, I am sure that I can find some stuff in these books that can be used to explain certain concepts that we cover. Plus, any evidence that I may actually be a human being who has not been living under a rock can create rapport with students, increasing the chances that they might listen to me a little more of the time. Of course, it is also possible that they will see me as a dorky old teacher reading kid’s books in a pathetic attempt to relate to their world. Still, even if Harry Potter does little to enhance my teaching, I will, at the least, get a chance to do some reading that is mostly for fun.
J.K. Rowling, along with all of the authors of popular children’s series, deserves a big thank you from librarians, educators, and parents. For decades, many of these promoters of reading have complained that children just don’t read enough. (Of course, I wonder how many books these “older” individuals have read lately?) The Harry Potter books, however, played some role in reversing this supposed trend for millions of young people during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Then, when the inevitable movies started coming out, these kids were able to see firsthand that books, by their very nature, are superior to movies. Movies are forced to leave out key details, and many readers may get annoyed when things just don’t look right and characters do not behave exactly as they should. One of the great things about reading, after all, is that readers are forced to visualize events, settings, and characters through their imaginations. Movies, particularly in our age of fancy, computerized special effects, leave almost nothing to the imagination. And no matter how visually impressive they are, movies can never quite replicate the internal world created by the reader. Hopefully, young people will not forget this lesson, and they can carry this love for reading into adulthood. Who knows, maybe some of them will even find History books interesting (instead of just watching occasional History movies).
J.K. Rowling is also a role model for aspiring writers everywhere. A realist, of course, would argue that for every J.K. Rowling, there are thousands of aspiring writers who never even get published. But still, she is the ultimate rags-to-riches story. Her rise to global fame must seem as unlikely and magical to her as the books that she writes. Few will ever experience that level of success, but there must be many other stories of artists who managed to make a living at their craft after years of perseverance. Harsh criticism and rejection can be painful, but it is important to keep in mind that publishers do not always know what the hell they are doing. How would you like to be one of the publishers who rejected the first Harry Potter book? Thankfully, someone eventually had the foresight to see the book’s potential, and young people everywhere, along with parents and teachers like me, will hopefully be reaping the benefits for years to come.
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Losing Myself in a Novel Once Again
This video relates to the novel that my daughter chose for me.
I was getting a little jealous of my wife and kids a few weeks ago. Both of our daughters have really taken off in their reading lately. They are able to read pretty easily junior novels and story books that are significantly above their grade level. It is common for my older daughter to read a fairly long book in a single day. My wife has also been into reading classic literature again, and she joined a women’s book club a few months ago. Their latest book has been “Catcher in the Rye,” one of my old favorites. (Like many adolescents, I went through a Holden Caulfield phase, but that is another story.)
There was a time in my life when I was a pretty avid reader of novels and of other forms of classic literature. Some of this was a requirement of courses that I took, but most of it was by choice. I decided during my college years that I should read as many of the classics as I could, and I was surprised the other day when browsing a “Barnes & Nobles” book shelf by the number that I have actually read. Today, that phase seems like a distant memory. These days, I do not read as much as I would like. Work, parenting, exercise, and this recent writing addiction have gotten somewhat in the way. And when I do read, I try to make it as “productive” as I can. In my case, this usually means current events or history, material that I hope will make me a better teacher.
As I watched my wife and kids reading stories for enjoyment, it reminded me of how much I miss the experience of losing myself in a novel. Reading fiction is a whole different experience from the kind of expository writing that I typically peruse. I remember when I used to get so immersed in a book that I no longer noticed myself physically reading the text. Instead, the words were instantly translated into visual images in my mind. It became more like watching a movie. And when I would watch the actual film versions of some of these books, the movie never looked right. After all, I had already visualized the characters and settings perfectly, and the movie images could never be as rich and detailed as those produced by the book.
So I decided to go wild and start reading some good literature for fun again. When I shared this plan, my older daughter became really excited and started running off ideas in her head for books that I “had to read.” Then, it suddenly struck her. She ran to the closet and pulled out “Where the Red Fern Grows.” Now I had heard of this book, not realizing that it was a popular children’s novel. So it somewhat fit the “classics” category, but it wasn’t quite at the level that I had in mind. But she was so excited, and it seemed like it might be a good light read to get me going again. Then, the reason that I “had to read” this book suddenly struck me. This could be both fun and “productive.” We could have a great time discussing and maybe even analyzing this book that she clearly loves. I could also be, for a change, a role model for the book lover that she has already become.
Today, after just a few short weeks, I finished the book. I actually found myself finishing the last part in a reading frenzy before taking off for class, and I must admit that the book has some great storytelling. The best parts are the suspense-filled, action scenes involving the hunting of raccoons and the near death – and eventual death – sequences that are described in excellent detail. I’m sure that this is why my daughter loved it. It’s just a damn entertaining read. But is there more to the story than a kid going on hunting adventures with his two loyal dogs?
To a certain degree, this is a simple story about basic, primal things: growing up, hunting, survival, and being in touch with nature. In addition, however, a couple of deeper themes come up throughout the story. The first has to do with the love and devotion that people feel from their pets (especially dogs). In this story, the characters are continually amazed by the behavior of the narrator’s dogs. Part of this comes from their amazing skill as hunters, but even more striking are the loyalty and devotion these dogs show to both the boy and to one another. When the boy speaks, the dogs seem to understand him. If the boy is threatened in any way, then the dogs will risk their lives for him without any hesitation. The dogs always look out for one another, and they refuse to do anything if the other is not present. They seem to epitomize the phrase that “a dog is a man’s best friend.” So do dogs feel real love and devotion to their owners and to one another? Or, as some might say, are they simply pack-animals that instinctively latch on to the “alpha male” as a means of survival? Some would say that when a dog stares at you with those big brown eyes, he or she is expressing devotion. Others would see this as an instinctive, manipulative technique designed to get some food out of you. Unless some of us get the chance to be reincarnated as dogs, we may never know.
The book also talks a lot about divine providence. On multiple occasions, events occur in which the boy is convinced that God is looking out for him. He prayed for dogs, and one day he came upon a classified ad describing where he could buy them. When he could not cut down a tree to capture his first “treed coon,” the wind suddenly picked up and blew it down. When he struggled to find the right names for his new dogs, he suddenly saw two perfect names carved on a tree. And the list could go on. Many people will swear to their dying day that they have had experiences which prove that God was watching over them or had a plan for their lives. I can think of key decisions or circumstances in my own life that seem to be part of a plan that I did not recognize at the time they occurred. Is there something to this? We may have to wait for the afterlife, if there is one, to get the answer to that one as well.
I do not claim to know if animals are capable of love or if there is such a thing as divine providence. I suspect, however, that the human mind may be wired to see both of these phenomena. When dogs seem to do remarkable things, these actions stick in our mind. But when they do standard stuff like beg for food or sniff each others’ butts, it tends to get filtered out. Are we merely seeing and locking away in our memories the actions that confirm what we want to believe? The same question, of course, could be asked about divine providence. Indications of some sort of a plan may be the circumstances that stand out while the day-to-day, random, uneventful, pointless occurrences fade away. As I have written before in this blog and will probably write again, the older that I get the more convinced I am that core human beliefs are not generally based on evidence. Instead, we (often unconsciously) seek out evidence to keep our core beliefs intact. Our minds do not respond well to a radical shake-up of the fundamental views that help us make sense of things. (Just think back to most of the religious and political discussions that you have ever had.)
So now I am excited about talking to my daughter about the book. I’ll stay away from the heavy philosophic topics and do what teachers like me are supposedly trained to do: ask questions. It will be interesting to see if she saw this as more than just a fun story. Then I will need to find a new book to read for fun as a break from the “productive” non-fiction. Does anyone have any ideas?
I was getting a little jealous of my wife and kids a few weeks ago. Both of our daughters have really taken off in their reading lately. They are able to read pretty easily junior novels and story books that are significantly above their grade level. It is common for my older daughter to read a fairly long book in a single day. My wife has also been into reading classic literature again, and she joined a women’s book club a few months ago. Their latest book has been “Catcher in the Rye,” one of my old favorites. (Like many adolescents, I went through a Holden Caulfield phase, but that is another story.)
There was a time in my life when I was a pretty avid reader of novels and of other forms of classic literature. Some of this was a requirement of courses that I took, but most of it was by choice. I decided during my college years that I should read as many of the classics as I could, and I was surprised the other day when browsing a “Barnes & Nobles” book shelf by the number that I have actually read. Today, that phase seems like a distant memory. These days, I do not read as much as I would like. Work, parenting, exercise, and this recent writing addiction have gotten somewhat in the way. And when I do read, I try to make it as “productive” as I can. In my case, this usually means current events or history, material that I hope will make me a better teacher.
As I watched my wife and kids reading stories for enjoyment, it reminded me of how much I miss the experience of losing myself in a novel. Reading fiction is a whole different experience from the kind of expository writing that I typically peruse. I remember when I used to get so immersed in a book that I no longer noticed myself physically reading the text. Instead, the words were instantly translated into visual images in my mind. It became more like watching a movie. And when I would watch the actual film versions of some of these books, the movie never looked right. After all, I had already visualized the characters and settings perfectly, and the movie images could never be as rich and detailed as those produced by the book.
So I decided to go wild and start reading some good literature for fun again. When I shared this plan, my older daughter became really excited and started running off ideas in her head for books that I “had to read.” Then, it suddenly struck her. She ran to the closet and pulled out “Where the Red Fern Grows.” Now I had heard of this book, not realizing that it was a popular children’s novel. So it somewhat fit the “classics” category, but it wasn’t quite at the level that I had in mind. But she was so excited, and it seemed like it might be a good light read to get me going again. Then, the reason that I “had to read” this book suddenly struck me. This could be both fun and “productive.” We could have a great time discussing and maybe even analyzing this book that she clearly loves. I could also be, for a change, a role model for the book lover that she has already become.
Today, after just a few short weeks, I finished the book. I actually found myself finishing the last part in a reading frenzy before taking off for class, and I must admit that the book has some great storytelling. The best parts are the suspense-filled, action scenes involving the hunting of raccoons and the near death – and eventual death – sequences that are described in excellent detail. I’m sure that this is why my daughter loved it. It’s just a damn entertaining read. But is there more to the story than a kid going on hunting adventures with his two loyal dogs?
To a certain degree, this is a simple story about basic, primal things: growing up, hunting, survival, and being in touch with nature. In addition, however, a couple of deeper themes come up throughout the story. The first has to do with the love and devotion that people feel from their pets (especially dogs). In this story, the characters are continually amazed by the behavior of the narrator’s dogs. Part of this comes from their amazing skill as hunters, but even more striking are the loyalty and devotion these dogs show to both the boy and to one another. When the boy speaks, the dogs seem to understand him. If the boy is threatened in any way, then the dogs will risk their lives for him without any hesitation. The dogs always look out for one another, and they refuse to do anything if the other is not present. They seem to epitomize the phrase that “a dog is a man’s best friend.” So do dogs feel real love and devotion to their owners and to one another? Or, as some might say, are they simply pack-animals that instinctively latch on to the “alpha male” as a means of survival? Some would say that when a dog stares at you with those big brown eyes, he or she is expressing devotion. Others would see this as an instinctive, manipulative technique designed to get some food out of you. Unless some of us get the chance to be reincarnated as dogs, we may never know.
The book also talks a lot about divine providence. On multiple occasions, events occur in which the boy is convinced that God is looking out for him. He prayed for dogs, and one day he came upon a classified ad describing where he could buy them. When he could not cut down a tree to capture his first “treed coon,” the wind suddenly picked up and blew it down. When he struggled to find the right names for his new dogs, he suddenly saw two perfect names carved on a tree. And the list could go on. Many people will swear to their dying day that they have had experiences which prove that God was watching over them or had a plan for their lives. I can think of key decisions or circumstances in my own life that seem to be part of a plan that I did not recognize at the time they occurred. Is there something to this? We may have to wait for the afterlife, if there is one, to get the answer to that one as well.
I do not claim to know if animals are capable of love or if there is such a thing as divine providence. I suspect, however, that the human mind may be wired to see both of these phenomena. When dogs seem to do remarkable things, these actions stick in our mind. But when they do standard stuff like beg for food or sniff each others’ butts, it tends to get filtered out. Are we merely seeing and locking away in our memories the actions that confirm what we want to believe? The same question, of course, could be asked about divine providence. Indications of some sort of a plan may be the circumstances that stand out while the day-to-day, random, uneventful, pointless occurrences fade away. As I have written before in this blog and will probably write again, the older that I get the more convinced I am that core human beliefs are not generally based on evidence. Instead, we (often unconsciously) seek out evidence to keep our core beliefs intact. Our minds do not respond well to a radical shake-up of the fundamental views that help us make sense of things. (Just think back to most of the religious and political discussions that you have ever had.)
So now I am excited about talking to my daughter about the book. I’ll stay away from the heavy philosophic topics and do what teachers like me are supposedly trained to do: ask questions. It will be interesting to see if she saw this as more than just a fun story. Then I will need to find a new book to read for fun as a break from the “productive” non-fiction. Does anyone have any ideas?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
