Importance of Reading
Although I consider myself to highly enjoy the act of reading and writing, I do not usually look forward to reading the introductions to works of literature, as I most often find the task to be somewhat tedious, and needless. However, on reviewing the Introduction to Ways of Reading by Petrosky and Bartholomae, I found it to be surprisingly absorbing, as it described the ultimate purpose of the text book anthology we (students) are to use as a resource for the duration of the semester. The introduction emphasized the importance of strong reading, which entails work from the reader in the ways of thinking, questioning, analyzing, and both listening and responding to the author, as their voice is held in equal esteem to the reader's own. This first section of the textbook stresses the fact that strong reading requires a great deal of effort and aggression; one cannot be passive and allow their mind to remain idle when otherwise brilliant and innovative ideas can be drawn from one's pot of possibilities. One must ask questions. He must read and re-read, for it is impossible to truly grasp the content of a work of literature after reading it only once, or twice, or so on. The author's words should be received as if
On re-reading The Albanian Virgin by Alice Munro, I was both amazed and elated to find that I had understood so much more of the story than I had after reading it for the first time. It made me wish that I had been introduced to the rewards of re-reading earlier in my academic career. Even catching some important, formerly missed details on the first page of the story made me realize a great deal more of what the author's intended message to the reader was. I admit that after reading The Albanian Virgin for the first time, the thought that Charlotte could, in fact, be Lottar, the main character of her "fictional" idea for a movie, did not cross my mind. I remember struggling to see the parallel of the lives of Lottar and Claire, as I felt their stories were significantly intertwined. Though their persons were indeed similar (as the author gives evidence of this by means of subtle details), the conclusion I had drawn by the end of the story was weak, and I felt I had missed a great deal of what it was all about. I felt that there was still a greater mystery to be solved, and the clues were indefinitely still hidden between the lines. In this instance of analyzing and interpreting The Albanian Virgin, the act of strong reading was effective in the process of drawing the conclusions that I came to. I am well aware of the fact that my concluded ideas will most likely differ from the ideas and reactions of other students, as the personal experiences from which we draw ideas from will be at variance from one person to the next. However, I am confident in the fact that the ideas I have drawn hold an element of validity, as re-readin
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1113
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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