This week for my freestyle blog, I would like to discuss a reading issue. A lot of what I am reading outside of my textbooks are not very enjoyable, just books for work that I need to read to study for my upcoming officer's test.
Although my wife and I do not have kids, we have had many conversations with our good friend who is a gradeschool teacher, about the amount of children today that are not at the reading level they should be. Not only that, there seems to be a trend in rushing to finish or get to the point of a reading assignment, without the child even comprehending what they read. I think it is really important for parents or guardians to take the time to read and with their children and ask them questions about what they read, and instill in them from a very young age, the reading and comprehension tools that will no doubt help them in their future in education. I know for me, looking back, I would have appreciated a bit more of a push to read and understand what I read. As we read in the readings on reading, the way in which we read today has definitely evolved from the way it use to be. There are so many more options of how to read. We are not limited to opening a standard book. There are iPads, SmartPhones, Nooks Kidnles, personal computers that enable us to read whatever, whenever. Not only that, it gives parents the opportunity to make reading more fun and exciting for their children and hopefully encourage them to want to read more.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Blog Entry 2
For this week's quote response, I chose a quote from John Updike's, "A & P."
"She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didn't walk in her bare feet that much, putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step, putting a little deliberate extra action into it. You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do they really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?) but you got the idea she had talked the other two into coming here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight" (Updike, 15-16).
I chose this passage to point out the attention to detail Updike displays in his writing. From the first paragraph of the story he sets the scene of the A & P where the character Sammy works. Updike devoted two long sentences just to describe the way the Queenie character walked down the aisle, as if she was showing the other girls how it was done. The wording itself may not be as important to the story but it is detail that is important. It captivates me as the reader and makes me feel as though I am there in the A & P, which makes the story all the more interesting. More importantly, it makes Sammy's resoning for quitting easy to understand. It is as if he made a connection with the girls as he studied them and wanted to defend their honor to catch their eye.
"She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didn't walk in her bare feet that much, putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step, putting a little deliberate extra action into it. You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do they really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?) but you got the idea she had talked the other two into coming here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight" (Updike, 15-16).
I chose this passage to point out the attention to detail Updike displays in his writing. From the first paragraph of the story he sets the scene of the A & P where the character Sammy works. Updike devoted two long sentences just to describe the way the Queenie character walked down the aisle, as if she was showing the other girls how it was done. The wording itself may not be as important to the story but it is detail that is important. It captivates me as the reader and makes me feel as though I am there in the A & P, which makes the story all the more interesting. More importantly, it makes Sammy's resoning for quitting easy to understand. It is as if he made a connection with the girls as he studied them and wanted to defend their honor to catch their eye.
Hello everyone! My names is James, and I just transferred into Eastern Oregon as a Fire Science major, from Tidewater Community College, and Honolulu Community College. I am a Gunner's Mate Second class in the Navy, and am currently stationed on Oahu with my wife. I have been in the military for 7 years, and am lucky enough to have seen the world. My wife and I love the outdoors, hiking, swimming and going to the beach, but nothing compares to snorkeling/ diving in the ocean. Being out here on the island there are an endless amount of fish and creatures to explore. I also like to ride my motorcycle. The scenary is breathtaking, and with the weather being about 80 degrees on a regular basis, it is very hrd not to ride around on two wheels.
Growing up I was not too big of a reader. At least, not until my younger brother and sister were old enough to enjoy books. I would read to them every now and then, whenever they handed a book to me to read. For most of my childhood, as soon as homework was done, I was outside playing and being a kid. To be honest through out middle school and high school I never really enjoyed reading, it always felt like a chore for school. It was not until I joined the military when that changed. Being at sea for up to eight months at a time, reading was the one thing that helped me get through it. I read mystery books, fiction, non-fiction, history and military books. It was nice to get lost in the pages and for a few minuites, "escape" being on a ship.
The first person I interviewed was my wife. She enjoys reading Nicholas Sparks books (before the movies come out). She says that they are very predictable and completely unreal, but she loves the true love in the books. She says there are aspects of each book that remind her of our relationship that make her smile and think about us. There are times when she will buy a book and sit out at the beach and be done with it in a couple hours. She reads like her mom. For that reason I intervied my mother-in-law. She said that ever since she was little she always enjoyed reading. Even if it was for school she just liked to get lost in the pages. Today, she reads a lot of Danielle Steele. They're always on sale and she can never put them down. The last person I interviewed was my sister. She reads a lot of books based on the military. She is a former Marine. Unlike me, my sister has loved to read since I can remember. She was always really interested in school and instead of going out with her friends late night, she picked up a book. I know that makes her sound a little weird, but she just enjoyed and still enjoys reading that much. All in all, the three women I interviewed and I all read books with subject matter that we love, and read for enjoyment and to get lost in the pages.
Growing up I was not too big of a reader. At least, not until my younger brother and sister were old enough to enjoy books. I would read to them every now and then, whenever they handed a book to me to read. For most of my childhood, as soon as homework was done, I was outside playing and being a kid. To be honest through out middle school and high school I never really enjoyed reading, it always felt like a chore for school. It was not until I joined the military when that changed. Being at sea for up to eight months at a time, reading was the one thing that helped me get through it. I read mystery books, fiction, non-fiction, history and military books. It was nice to get lost in the pages and for a few minuites, "escape" being on a ship.
The first person I interviewed was my wife. She enjoys reading Nicholas Sparks books (before the movies come out). She says that they are very predictable and completely unreal, but she loves the true love in the books. She says there are aspects of each book that remind her of our relationship that make her smile and think about us. There are times when she will buy a book and sit out at the beach and be done with it in a couple hours. She reads like her mom. For that reason I intervied my mother-in-law. She said that ever since she was little she always enjoyed reading. Even if it was for school she just liked to get lost in the pages. Today, she reads a lot of Danielle Steele. They're always on sale and she can never put them down. The last person I interviewed was my sister. She reads a lot of books based on the military. She is a former Marine. Unlike me, my sister has loved to read since I can remember. She was always really interested in school and instead of going out with her friends late night, she picked up a book. I know that makes her sound a little weird, but she just enjoyed and still enjoys reading that much. All in all, the three women I interviewed and I all read books with subject matter that we love, and read for enjoyment and to get lost in the pages.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)