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Language as a medium of communication
Language as a medium of communication
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Reading Between the Lines
Many times people take books for granted. They’ll sometimes prefer to watch a show on television or a movie than to pick up a book and read it. Simply, all because it is easier and faster to get trough with a movie than with a television show. Then there are also those few that do read, but when reading one mustn’t just read text on books to get trough with it. They must be able to comprehend what it is that is said in the book, what point it is trying to get across.
A couple of days ago I read and article written by Mortimer J. Adler. It was called “How to Mark a Book”. The article mentioned and talked about how people must learn to read a book. Not by simply just reading the text, but by understanding what is mentioned, consider the point of view of the author, and the degree of significance the author gives to the text. This is where reading between the lines comes in. A person must be able to acknowledge what he or she is reading. If the individual reads the text and does not understand its’ meaning, then the time has been wasted as Adler mentions in his article. One must learn ways of understanding a book and what it is trying to get across, because text carries emotion to a great extend and people just don’t seem to know. This is why reading is essential not only to one’s education but to one’s life as well.
I completely agree with what Adler mentions in the article. If a person does not make notes of what he or she is reading, then he or she is only processing text trough their mind and not receiving the message that is the subject at hand. If one is able to understand the significance of the writing then not only can a person develop better writing and communication skills but also gain an experience. Understand that when reading a book the reader has to take time making notes and figuring out what certain material means in order to perceive well what is being mentioned. Therefore one must read books more than one time so that one can appreciate the book and put it to good use one way or the other in their lives.
readers a dose of reality and human experience. People read literature and end up learning
To quote Ben Jonson,” Weigh the meaning and look not at the words” to put this simply he means do not merely look at what is written literally because often what one is reading is only half of what the author has written. Some authors compose their works, giving the world a thrilling or informative story on the surface, but in actuality their real purpose in writing them is the hidden meanings within or underneath the stories which only those who are truly paying attention will notice and understand. Zone off for just a second and whole world could be missed. Cousteau’s work “How to Swim with Sharks: A Primer” may seem to the inexperienced or uninterested reader an ordinary guide to swimming with sharks, but any who delve deeper will notice
When reading someone else's work you need to be certain that you read between the lines. Author's, at times, will attempt to distort information in order to make their beliefs more prominent. In order to avoid this disinformation, you have to learn the difference between denotations and connotations and facts from opinions. Furthermore, you'll have to recognize figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, which can incite specific feelings onto readers.
In the reading, “Why our Future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming” Neil Gaiman discusses the importance of reading, in addition to that he feels going to nearby libraries to check out books is a wonderful thing especially for children. Gaiman also believes that children of all ages along with adults can read any type of book. The books can be fiction or non-fiction and have dissimilar genres as well. The rhetorical devices that were used are persuasive speaking; the tone which was imperative, and Parallelism. The main point Gaiman is trying to make is that more people should have a desire to read, not only to learn but to also have a broad vocabulary and to be well read to have knowledge on the world.
Even to this semester, I only read this book following teacher’s advice and didn’t do some extra reading. The output is up to the input. Only when we read more and gain more, can we express ourselves more casually and write more good articles.
In the article “How to Read Like a Writer” by Mike Bunn explains how reading more can actually improve your skills as a writer. Bunn states that “When you Read LIke a Writer you work to identify some of the choices the author made so that you can better understand how such choices might arise in your own work” (72). What this quote means is that when you carefully read the writing of other authors, you can pick up their writing style in your own writing, To adopt the techniques of a writer, you must have an idea of how the author created the writing as a whole. Bunn states that “When you read like a writer, you are trying to figure out how the text you are reading was constructed so that you learn how to ‘build’ one for yourself” (74). The quote means that you must get in the mentality of the author to get an understanding of what the text is saying. In addition, reading like a write is an opportunity to learn more about increasing your skills in writing by assisting you in understanding the process of what an author goes through during a writing process. To read like a writer, you must read the text in a certain context. Not only is the context of the text important to, but knowing the genre is necessary when reading like a writer. Bunn states “Genre… most often used to indicate the type of writing: a poem, a newspaper article, an essay, a short story, a novel, a legal brief, an instruction manual, etc” (77).
Many people think that reading more can help them to think and develop before writing something. Others might think that they don’t need to read and or write that it can really help them to brainstorm things a lot quicker and to develop their own ideas immediately (right away). The author’s purpose of Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, is to understand the concepts, strategies and understandings of how to always read first and then start something. The importance of this essay is to understand and comprehend our reading and writing skills by brainstorming our ideas and thoughts a lot quicker. In other words, we must always try to read first before we can brainstorm some ideas and to think before we write something. There are many reasons why I chose Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, by many ways that reading can help you to comprehend, writing, can help you to evaluate and summarize things after reading a passage, if you read, it can help you to write things better and as you read, it can help you to think and evaluate of what to write about.
Language stands in for the actual substance in absence. How can you prove something exists without it literally being there? How do you describe the color red, or the taste of salt? You present it with a connection: it is the taste of sea water splashing to your face, the glow of sweat after a glorious game, and tears after having your heart break before you. Not being able to have the substance there can limit communication, but moreover it increases the opportunity for literature and language to “play”. Daniel Coleman explores this concept in his book, In Bed with the Word: Reading, Spirituality, and Cultural Politics, with an example of a musical performance. Though there is no life in the actual notes on a page, the pianist can eloquently give them life with each touch of her finger; they burst through the room and can dance with exquisite excitement (Coleman, 84). The text from an author can be given an equal opportunity for a performance as the reader chooses to fill in the gaps where communication is limited. The absence then becomes an even greater presence where the spirit can engage in something grander than itself. Therefore, the reason we read is to fill in the absence and to create a greater connection with the world.
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.
He too quickly dismisses the idea of reading on your own to find meaning and think critically about a book. For him, Graff states that “It was through exposure to such critical reading and discussion over a period of time that I came to catch the literary bug.” (26) While this may have worked for Graff, not all students will “experience a personal reaction” (27) through the use of critical discussion.
“I am thrown off my reading game when forced to read to fast,” wrote Thomas Newkirk author of The Art of Slow Reading. No matter where I was I didn’t like having to read on a time period; it was always a lot of pressure on me. It was either my mom or teachers rushing me to read. But over time, I started to accept the pressure. As I look back in my life, I realize my reading experiences have had an impact on my life.
By appreciating literature, one not only receives a wonderful story but is also given the chance to grow with the characters and learn
In Mortimer J. Adler’s article “How to Mark A book,” he argues that you should mark up your book to note significant information. Mortimer argues, through the rhetorical appeals and fallacies, that as you write in a book it becomes “absorbed in your bloodstream,” and allows you to fully own the book. As readers searching for these techniques we can become, in a way, immune to the fallacies and observe the argument for what it truly is. This article, however,has relatively few fallacies. "How to Mark A book," uses all of the rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) to convince you the reader to mark up your book.
“The Ethics of Close Reading: Close Encounters” is an article written by Jane Gallop for the 2000 Journal of Curriculum. It discusses the topic of close reading itself, the social impact of the concept, the ethical aspect of reading, and the various ways close reading can be applied to daily life. The term “close reading” is used in the article more than fifty-one times, and defined on twelve separate occasions, generally being defined as, “looking at what is actually on the page, reading the text itself, rather than some idea “behind the text.” It means noticing things in the writing, things in the writing that stand out” (Gallop p.7).
...ruly realize the false reality that literature made. The reader also has a huge role into expressing these false realities to the public, which can cause prejudice in the near future. People need to be open and understanding of different people and situations. Perspective plays a huge role into the thinking of a human mind, and readers should be more aware of the information’s brought upon different ways. Readers should not come up with a preconceived idea based upon the beliefs of other people perspective but should experience these different societies.