Frankenstein

After never really putting much thought into the “creation” of Frankenstein, I didn’t expect the book to be like it actually is. Growing up, when you hear the word Frankenstein, you immediately think giant green monster! I never thought the book would be so different than what so many people portray Frankenstein as. Though i have only read up to chapter 2, I have not come across any monsters of sort.

Though no “monsters” have come into the story, I think the man in the letters may have some sort of comparability to the monster. This man was found by R.W.’s ship up in the middle of the ice. He was big and almost frozen from the cold. In my mind he seemed to portray a monster so maybe this will play into the story of Frankenstein.

After the series of letters and the first chapter of Frankenstein, I do not find myself completely intrigued by the story. Though i am hoping that as the book moves on, i will be more interested.

From Loving to Loathing

 

“Class, over the weekend your homework will be to read chapters 7 and 8,” “ughhhh reading again! This book sucks!” Sound familiar? Growing up, I wouldn’t even be able to tell you how many times  I have heard some version of this same scenario: teacher gives a reading assignment and students whine and moan about how much they hate reading and/or how much they dislike the book. The fact is most students no longer find enjoyment in reading books assigned to them in school. And after graduating from high school, that has too become my attitude towards books and reading. Though it was once considered one of my favorite hobbies, reading to me has now become something to dread.

Over the course of my life my view of reading has changed to become one very similar to the way Birkerts perceives his father’s perception of reading. “Reading is something you do because it has been assigned in school, or because all other options have been exhausted—no more chores to do, all other games and activities put away.” (Birkerts, 38) If I had my way, this is not the way I would feel towards reading because I think it is an important quality of our education.  Reading can teach us things that we couldn’t learn anywhere else.  But because my view of reading has changed over my life, I do no longer enjoy reading like I once did.

My love for reading started out in 1^st grade.  Upon my arrival to 1^st grade, my mom expressed her concern with my teacher that I had not really picked up on reading in kindergarten and would need help before catching up to the level that other students in my class were on. When I got to 1^st grade I felt behind and had the feeling that everyone else could do so much more than me. Though with the help of my teacher, Mrs. Jackson, I was able to catch up with the class and finally start reading “chapter books”.  Mrs. Jackson would set me aside with a small group of students who also had trouble reading. Getting the personal attention and help, I was able to progress to the point where I would need to be for my class. This allowed to me to see that it was okay because there were people at all levels of reading. Some were better than me, but some were even worse! Being able to take reading one step at a time or one page at a time, allowed me to fall in love with reading and not want to stop!

Writing this paper, thinking about all the countless memories I had while reading as a child- Scholastic Book Fairs, The Magic Tree House Series, reading out under our tree in the backyard- I feel remorse that I no longer have these same opinions as a freshman at college. This is the time of my life where I feel like reading remains one of the most important things I can be doing to ensure that I get the most out of my education. Today alone I have already spent an hour reading “American Jezebel” for my U.S. History class. And the entire hour I spent thinking how “I wish this was over “, or how “I was bored out of my mind”. Why can’t I enjoy reading like I used to?

My opinion of reading started to change in middle school when we started having “assigned readings”. Reading books like “Of Mice and Men” and “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, I started to lose my passion for books. Growing up, I could be considered very stubborn so I guess when I was reading on my own, I was doing it because I wanted too. So when the combination that 1- they were making us read these books and 2- I wasn’t really interested in the subject matter of these books, came together, my interest in reading started fading away.

The reason I changed my stance about reading is the fact the reading became a requirement. At the age of 12 or 13 when you are starting to get reading assignments, you are at the age when you don’t want to do anything anyone tells you. At this age your first thought when someone tells you to do something is hell no, and how can I get out of this! Maybe if schools started assigning more “literary” type books at a younger age, maybe 10 or 11, kids would be more accustomed to reading books like this. When reading became something that I now had to do, it made me start liking it less and less. I felt the books were getting harder and harder, and for someone who was not a strong reader to begin with I had trouble comprehending the new “assigned” books and this turned into hatred of reading all-together.

I think I did myself a disservice in middle school and ended up creating a bad habit that carried me through till present day, this being the fact that I refused to get into the book that we were assigned to read. Looking back now, the books assigned in middle school probably were not as horrible as I made them seem and maybe if I had tried becoming involved in the books, the way I view books today could have been changed.

Though it may come across that I have no interest in books anymore, that is not true. When I find a book that I can get into and enjoy, I can get caught up into the book for hours! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is lay out on the beach with a book. Though the books that I am interested in such as Twilight and Harry Potter, are not of “literary merit” so are not seen as “academic books” and are of no use in our teacher’s eyes. I think it’s a shame that schools haven’t found a way to incorporate books that students have more interest for in the classroom setting. If then were able to do this and allow more students to connect with books, maybe more students could learn they actually could enjoy reading if it was a book they could relate to.

Without trying to contradict myself too much, I can completely understand the feeling people have when they fall in love with a book. When I do find a book I like, though most of the time they are not academic books, some of the time they are. One of my favorite and most memorable books that I read in high school was Night by Elie Wiesel. A book about the hardships Elie had to go through while being thrown in a World War 2 concentration camp. This is one instance where I completely connected with an assigned reading. I enjoyed every assignment that we had to complete along with this book. It makes me think hey! If I can enjoy doing my homework now why can’t I connect with more books and enjoy my work all the time.

Though I may not always agree with them, there are people that would argue that no matter what the reason they are reading a book-assigned or chosen, they can find a way to indulge in it. One of my good friends is an example of this type of person. She remains a very enthusiastic reader, no matter if she chooses the book or if it was the book assigned to us in our English class. There have been numerous times when I envy her outlook towards reading. Her grades in past English classes have been reflective upon the fact that she has enjoyed doing the assignment. So when she reads she gets more out of the book and can translate that to better grades on tests. Versus my grades, which have all been pretty average in my past English classes that could be reflective upon the fact that I do not take pleasure in most assignments and have a harder time pushing through the work.

Other people may argue the fact that books were still assigned in elementary school and the beginning of middle school so what’s the difference between those assignments and the assignments that I talk about now? To me, the difference was the types of book that were being assigned. In elementary school, they kept the fact in mind that if kids were not attracted by the books they choose, they would turn the other way quickly. So when they sprang these more challenging books towards us at the middle/end of middle school, it was like reading became a whole new factor. Also in elementary school, or at least the school I went to, most reading assignments were “Read for 15 minutes a night, the book of your choice”. So I became used to the idea that we were able to pick our own books. In the long run, this understanding ended up hurting me.  

The fact that I do not enjoy reading now does not mean that this feeling will stand forever. I am hoping my stance on the argument that reading for me cannot be enjoyed if it is assigned will someday change. And hopefully it does so while in college. From growing up loving books, to the present tense where I am at the point where I almost hate books, you could definitely say my view of reading has changed. The main focus of this change being the fact the reading became a requirement and no longer a hobby that I enjoyed.

* Honor Code statement: I pledge my honor that I have completed this work in accordance with the Honor Code.

Colum McCann

Extra Credit

Colum McCann came to Washington College on September 16^th. His focus was about his book Let the Great World Spin.  The book was set in New York City in the 1970’s. It was set to serve as an allegory of the city’s resilient post-9/11 self. He talked mainly about the characters of his book and how he came about the characters he chose. He also talked about the research he did to be able to “become” his character. 

                Another thing that he did during the speaking was read excerpts from different chapters of his book. I really enjoyed this part of the seminar. It was really interesting to hear him read his own book in different voices to portray the different characters. It made the book come to life and seem more like a story he was telling us. It was also interesting to hear his side comments that he would throw in while reading his book.

                A part that I also really liked was learning how he came about the characters. I found it very interesting to see how much work he put in to get the character just perfect. One example he gave us for getting his Bronx prostitute character was by spending time with cops of the 1970’s who dealt with these types of people. I found it interesting to hear how much he “became” his characters when he wrote about them.

                Something I learned from attending Colum’s seminar was to not become discouraged if one of your characters does not work out. He informed us that he has had numerous characters that he has wanted to use in his books but for some reason could not get into them like his other characters. He said when he writes he does it so he does not have to be himself for that time. He becomes completely the character in his book. I think I could use this in my writing to become a more involved writer. To really let myself go and be the characters that I’m writing about.

                One thing that he talked about that has come up in our class was the feeling of being in a completely other world when reading/writing.  When he writes he is not himself anymore. I think this is a common thing when people read or write. They want to get away from their lives for a few hours and get lost in a book or writing a book in McCann’s case!

Draft 2

Introduction

Over the course of my life my view of reading has become one very similar to the way Birkerts perceives his father’s perception of reading. “Reading is something you do because it has been assigned in school, or because all other options have been exhausted—no more chores to do, all other games and activities put away.” (Birkerts, 38) If I had my way, this is not the way I would feel towards reading because I think it is an important quality of our education.  Reading can teach us things that we couldn’t learn anywhere else.  But because my view of reading has changed over my life, I do no longer enjoy reading like I used to.

My love for reading started out in 1^st grade.  Upon my arrival to 1^st grade, my mom expressed her concern with my teacher that I had not really picked up on reading in kindergarten and would need help before catching up to the level that other students in my class were on. When I got to 1^st grade I felt behind and had the feeling that everyone else could do so much more than me. Though with the help of my teacher, Mrs. Jackson, I was able to catch up with the class and finally start reading “chapter books”.  Mrs. Jackson would set me aside with a small group of students who also had trouble reading. Getting the personal attention and help, I was able to progress to the point where I would need to be for my class. This allowed to me to see that it was okay because there were people at all levels of reading. Some were better than me, but some were worse than me! Being able to take reading one step at a time, allowed me to fall in love with reading and not want to stop!

Writing this paper, thinking about all the countless memories I had while reading as a child- Scholastic Book Fairs, The Magic Tree House Series, reading out under our tree in the backyard- and I feel remorse that I no longer have these same opinions as a freshman at college. This is the time of my life where I feel like reading is one of the most important things I can be doing to ensure that I get the most out of my education. Today alone I have already spent an hour reading “American Jezebel” for my U.S. History class. And the entire hour I spent thinking how “I wish this was over “, or how “I was bored out of my mind”. Why can’t I enjoy reading like I used to?

I think my opinion of reading started to change in middle school when we started having “assigned readings”. Reading books like “Of Mice and Men” and “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, I started to lose my passion for books. Growing up, I could be considered very stubborn so I guess when I was reading on my own, I was doing it because I wanted too. So when the combination that 1- they were making us read these books and 2- I wasn’t really interested in the subject matter of these books, came together, my interest in reading started to disappear.

I think one of the major points on the concept of why I have changed my stance about reading is the fact the reading became a requirement. At the age of 12 or 13 when you are starting to get reading assignments, you are at the age when you don’t want to do anything anyone tells you. At this age your first thought when someone tells you to do something is hell no, and how can I get out of this! Maybe if schools started assigning more “literary” type books at a younger age, maybe 10 or 11, kids would be more accustomed to reading books like this. When the fact that reading was something that I now had to it made me start liking it less and less. I felt the books were getting harder and harder, and for someone who was not a strong reader to start out with, I had trouble comprehending the new “assigned” books and this turned into hatred of reading all-together.

I think I did myself a disservice in middle school and ended up creating a bad habit that carried me through till present day, this being the fact that I refused to get into the book that we were assigned to read. Looking back now, the books assigned in middle school probably were not as horrible as I made them seem and maybe if I had tried becoming involved in the books, the way I view books today could have been changed.

Though it may come across that I have no interest in books anymore, that is not true. When I find a book that I can get into and enjoy, I can get caught up into the book for hours! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is lay out on the beach with a book. Though the books that I am interested in such as Twilight and Harry Potter, are not of “literary merit” so are not seen as “academic books” and are of no use in our teacher’s eyes. I think it’s a shame that schools haven’t found a way to incorporate books that students have more interest for in the classroom setting.  

Without trying to contradict myself too much, I can completely understand the feeling people have when they fall in love with a book. When I do find a book I like, though most of the time they are not academic books, some of the time they are. One of my favorite and most memorable books that I read in high school was Night by Elie Wiesel. A book about the hardships Elie had to go through while being thrown in a World War 2 concentration camp. This is one instance where I completely connected with an assigned reading. I enjoyed every assignment that we had to complete along with this book. It makes me think hey! If I can enjoy doing my homework now why can’t I connect with more books and enjoy my work all the time.

Though I may not always agree with them, there are people that would argue that no matter what the reason they are reading a book-assigned or chosen, they can find a way to indulge in it. One of my good friends is an example of this type of person. She is a very enthusiastic reader. No matter if she chooses the book or if it was the book assigned to us in our English class, she always seems to appreciate and enjoy it. There have been numerous times when I envy her outlook towards reading. Her grades in past English classes have been reflective upon the fact that she has enjoyed doing the assignment. So when she reads she gets more out of the book and can translate that to better grades on tests. Versus my grades, which have all been pretty average in my past English classes, that could be reflective upon the fact that I do not take pleasure in most assignments and have a harder time pushing through the work.

Other people may argue the fact that books were still assigned in elementary school and the beginning of middle school. What’s the difference between those assignments and the assignments that I talk about now? To me, the difference was the types of book that were being assigned. In elementary school, they kept the fact in mind that if kids were not attracted by the books they choose, they would turn the other way quickly. So when they sprang these more challenging books towards us at the middle/end of middle school, it was like reading became a whole new factor. Also in elementary school, or at least the school I went to, most reading assignments were “Read for 15 minutes a night, the book of your choice”. So I became used to the idea that we were able to pick our own books. In the long run, this understanding ended up hurting me. I do not wish the feeling I have towards reading now upon anyone. It makes it difficult to enjoy learning and being educated when you don’t enjoy reading.

The fact that I do not enjoy reading now does not mean that this feeling will ever change. I am also not saying that I will never enjoy any of the assignments I am given during my college career. I am hoping to change my stance on the argument. I would like to be able to sit down with a literary book and find the same joy in reading it as I do with sitting down with Harry Potter.

Conclusion

Draft

Introduction/Thesis: Although I used to view reading as something of great value, now I view reading as something as an assignment

Over the course of my life my view of reading has become one very similar to the way Birkerts perceives his father’s perception of reading. “Reading is something you do because it has been assigned in school, or because all other options have been exhausted—no more chores to do, all other games and activities put away.” (Birkerts, 38) If I had my way, this is not the way I would feel towards reading because I think it is an important quality of our education.  Reading can teach us things that we couldn’t learn anywhere else.  But because my view of reading has changed over my life, I do no longer enjoy reading like I used to.

My love for reading started out in 1^st grade.  Upon my arrival to 1^st grade, my mom expressed her concern with my teacher that I had not really picked up on reading in kindergarten and would need help before catching up to the level that other students in my class had. When I got to 1^st grade I felt behind and like everyone else could do so much more than me. Though with the help of my teacher, Mrs. Jackson, I was able to catch up with the class and finally start reading “chapter books”. This was when my love for reading started.

During my childhood I read nonstop! I can remember my favorite series was The Magic Tree House books. I think I read each of those books two or three times. Back then my favorite gifts to receive were new books, which is something I can’t even imagine getting as a present now. The best weeks in school were the weeks when the Scholastic Book Fair came where we were allowed to skip class and go look at books!

Writing this paper, thinking about all the countless memories I had while reading as a child, I feel remorse that I no longer have these same opinions as a freshman at college. This is the time of my life where I feel like reading is one of the most important things I can be doing to ensure that I get the most out of my education. Today alone I have already spent an hour reading “American Jezebel” for my U.S. History class. And the entire hour I spent thinking how “I wish this was over “, or how “I was bored out of my mind”. Why can’t I enjoy reading like I used to?

I think my opinion of reading changed in middle school when we started having “assigned readings”. Reading books like “Of Mice and Men” and “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, I started to lose my passion for books. Growing up, I could be considered very stubborn so I guess when I was reading on my own, I was doing it because I wanted too. So when the combination that 1- they were making us read these books and 2- I wasn’t really interested in the subject matter of these books, came together, my interest in reading started to disappear.

I think I did myself a disservice in middle school and ended up creating a bad habit that carried me through till present day, this being the fact that I refused to get into the book that we were assigned to read. Looking back now, the books assigned in middle school probably were not as horrible as I made them seem and maybe if I had tried becoming involved in the books, the way I view books today could have been changed.

Though it may come across that I have no interest in books anymore, that is not true. When I find a book that I can get into and enjoy, I can get caught up into the book for hours! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is lay out on the beach with a book. Though the books that I am interested in such as Twilight and Harry Potter, are not of “literary merit” so are not seen as “academic books” and are of no use in our teacher’s eyes. I think it’s a shame that schools haven’t found a way to incorporate books that students have more interest for in the classroom setting.

Glog #1- Gutenberg Elegies

After reading the first and most of the second chapter of Gutenberg Elegies, I can already tell I am not  going to agree with most of his statements. Some of Birkets arguments are very relatable to me, but that still does not make me agree with what he is trying to prove. 

            The main argument that I believe Birkets is trying to prove is that because we live in such a “technological world”, people growing up in today’s world have lost a connection to reading. He believes that the way we read today or the lack of reading that is done today has been brought upon our world and that it has changed what we take away from reading. 

            This is where I don’t agree with Birkets. Even though we may be reading online or through a kindle, doesn’t mean the words and thoughts of what we are reading are different. Just because we are scrolling down with a mouse, instead of turning the pages with our fingers, doesn’t change what we take away from the book.

            One passage of the Chapter One that I was able to relate to was the part where Birkets talks about the class he taught at a local college. Here, the class was unable to get into a Henry James novel. When asking the class what they didn’t understand or like about the book, they responded “but it was more just the whole thing… I couldn’t get into it”. On this day the class was dull and couldn’t get into discussion.  This made Birkets very curious and he went on to discover that “These students, most of whom were born in the early 1970s, has rendered a vast part of our cultural heritage utterly alien. That is the breaking point: it describes where their understandings and aptitudes give out. What is at issue is not diction, not syntax, but everything that diction and syntax serve. Which is to say, an entire system of beliefs, values, and cultural aspirations.” He went on to discover that for the most part none of his students were “readers”. They were not comfortable with all the things that go into a work like one of Henry James—indirect or interior passages, ironic tone, or archaic diction. 

            I guess I can relate most to this passage because I too have been put in this exact situation, but coming from the students perspective. There have been numerous readings that my class has been assigned that when we go into school the next day, everyone had trouble “getting into”. And most of the time it does frustrate my teacher. Most of the time us (as students) can’t explain what we didn’t like or understand about the book, but we just know that we didn’t.  I will agree here with Birkets that it is quite possible that it is because we aren’t comfortable with the way the book was written. Most of the kids that were in my classes did not enjoy reading and only did so because they were assigned too.  So when we were asked to read, comprehend and discuss a novel like this, we had trouble and didn’t enjoy it.

            After starting Chapter 2, it is mostly like an autobiography of his life and reading/writing. How he came to be a writer and how he grew up with these things. I can predict that by the end of Chapter Two we will discover what made Birkets decide to take up a career in writing and why he makes these arguments.

Hidden Intellectual

“Are you a hidden intellectual?”

When first asked the question-am I a hidden intellectual, my immediate response is no. With no knowledge of what or who could be a hidden intellectual, I would have not considered myself to be one.  Though after reading Graff’s article about what a hidden intellectual is, I reconsidered the question and thought yes, perhaps there were times in my life when I was a hidden intellectual.

The term hidden intellectual can be used to describe someone who does not know they are intellectual; someone who is seen as anti-intellectual but in actuality they are just as smart as someone who does portray themselves as intellectual. These people are seen as hidden intellectual because they are not showing their intelligence in common intellectual situations. Instead of showing this in a discussion on something like Shakespeare for instance, they are showing that they can be intellectual in a discussion about something such as sports or entertainment.

So now when I am asked the question, am I a hidden intellectual I would say yes! There has been numerous times in my life when I couldn’t show how smart I was in “school subjects” but if the topic was something that I had interest in, I could be considered very intellectual or a hidden intellectual.

One thing that I am very passionate about is horse-back riding. Because I have a natural interest in that subject, I seem to want to learn about horses and obtain new knowledge about the sport. Where-as a subject such as science, where I have almost no interest in, is harder for me to take in information and be able to enter a discussion on the topic and show my intellectualism. If I was to enter a conversation about horses or riding as a sport, though I feel like I could excel and prove myself as an intellectual.

Another question that could come up along with the question-are you a hidden intellectual is the question-are you a hidden reader/writer? I also suppose I would answer yes to this question. Maybe not so much hidden anymore since I have progressed through four years of high school where I have been taught to read/write, but definitely when I was younger.

In middle school when they first started assigning readings I know I had a lot of trouble being able to connect with the book and then with the class during discussions of the book. I remember thinking back then if I were able to pick out my own book to read how much better I would understand and how much better I would be able to do on the assignments following the readings.

I think this goes hand-in-hand with writing as well. When I am given something to write where I have a set topic that I have to follow and I do not have much interest in I discover it to be a lot harder to put out my best work. If I had though the chance to pick my own topic and write about whatever I wanted I think I could not only write a better paper but also at the same time show I was intellectual as well.

Therefore when asked the question-am I a hidden intellectual, my answer would have to be yes!