The Reader
One word to describe myself as a reader prior to English 112, "distracted." I've never been one of those students who dreads reading and only reads for schoolwork. I enjoy reading. The trouble I face is with a distinction between reading for pleasure and reading for school. When reading for pleasure, I find myself choosing to read over watching tv and other generally more appealing tasks. I can specifically remember with the Harry Potter series I would be reading in bed and say "I'll go to be after this chapter" and end up reading another three chapters.
My school based reading prior to 112 was pretty weak. The pieces I had to read for classes in high school were good but the work that went along with the pieces killed any enjoyment I may have received. I would see the thick packet of papers labeled as a study guide for the entire book and have no motivation to start the book. By the time I started reading, it was well past the time I should have been reading. Then I faced the difficult task of catching up. My reading speed is relatively slow no matter the subject but can tend to pick up speed if the book is intense or nearing the end. In the case of a school book and that I was playing catch up, I never was able to increase my speed. I then faced the problem of consciously considering the fact that I was reading slowly, that and that it was hot in the room, a car drove by, and that I was tired. This presented a major challenge because by the time I was in the right part of the book for class, I hadn't taken in any of what I was reading. I would have been better off reading the first half well and skipping the second half.
English 112 has changed my reading. Now I would describe myself as a reader as "analytical." I have learned to take notes that are not only notes, but are noteworthy notes. I have learned to read a book, no matter the subject material, in a timely fashion. My reading speed has increased as well which helps both my academic readings and leisure readings.
Prior to English 112, I never would write in a book. As I said in my first forum post,
"I like books to be perfect. Ever since I first started reading, I wanted my books to be neat. No scratches, tears, bent corners, or marks. Part of this might be because most of what I read were library books so they were expected to be kept in nice condition. I remember in sixth grade my teacher assigned a book and we were to take notes in the text which would then be graded. I hated this. I was ruining a perfectly good book. One reason I didn’t like this was because it changed the appearance of the book. Another reason is that I never knew what notes to take. We were taught to write whatever we felt. So if I wrote “I like this” it would get me my points. But I didn’t want meaningless notes like that. I ended up trying to find in-depth notes to make instead. This proved difficult because I was only in sixth grade so I didn’t know much about symbols and theme. A third reason I didn’t want to mark in my book, which ties in with the second, was because I figured my thoughts would change a year down the road if I chose to reread the book. I wouldn’t want to see what I thought about it a year ago. It would spoil the story and probably affect my thoughts. I understand the usefulness of taking notes in a book, even though I don’t like to do so myself. I think my main problem is that I don’t know what is noteworthy and what is not when reading, especially when I’m reading a novel."
Since taking English 112, my thoughts have changed. I found note taking to be nothing to worry about. My notes ranged from personal thoughts to character analysis. After reading about Faunia's childhood in The Human Stain, I wrote "whoa" and "oh man" as well as underlined a few lines. These notes helped me internalize the reading. Not only did this passage stand out to me but by making notes, I reinforced my understanding. Later on, if I needed a quote to back up an argument to justify Faunia's thoughts or actions, I could come back to this passage easily thanks to my markings. Unlike what I said in my forum post, later on I did find these comments useful. Even my random personal thoughts helped my reading. I would notice my writing in the margins and see what I had been thinking at the time I was reading. This would help me reestablish my train of thought on the passage.
In The Devil in the White City, I used notes to catch common occurrences throughout the book. One simple example is that I noticed right away that "blue eyes" was apparently an important part of Holmes' character. I also found common threads when talking about Larson's way of dealing with death in the Holmes section. Larson phrased his writing so that never dies but instead the character has, "gone away to get married" (Larson 187). I found my note taking to help establish my claims in the Socratic seminar and discussions. I read the passages up to and after Root's death and hurriedly wrote down notes. I had such a strong idea I wanted to preserve that I wanted to take notes before I could forget. The passage that I felt the strongest about in discussion was Burnham's reaction to the news coverage of Root's death. The papers say Root was, "the engine driving the design of the fair" and that he "had propelled the firm of Burnham & Root to greater and greater achievement" (Larson 108). I wanted to bring up the way Burnham was so dedicated to the fair and success that he felt selfish when his partner received acclaim after his death. This is an example of my more analytical note taking as it analyzes Burnham's character. I went on to further question Burnham's actions with the rest of the fair and the architects he was working with.
I think my reading improved in part because of the assessment for the literature. Instead of required papers and worksheets, most of the assessment was through discussion. Through discussion, I could bring up relevant notes I had been taking on the particular subject.I was also able to hear other students' points of view on different aspects of the book which broadened my view on the piece.
My new found skills in reading and note taking have shown up since finishing The Devil in the White City. After finishing our readings, I have since read two books as well as some articles. One book is Shade it Black, a story based on a female Marine's experiences in Mortuary Affairs in the war in Iraq. I had to read this as a part of my position as a Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader for the summer. This piece has been selected as the first years' summer reading. I needed to read the book to be able to discuss it with the first years and engage them in Miami. First of all, I read this book in two days. I was hooked by the topic and wanted to read more. The book is non fiction, as was The Devil in the White City, which is generally considered boring. This was far from boring. Because of The Devil in the White City, I knew how a non fiction book could be exciting, even with the necessary background and details. I read the piece quickly and took many notes. I noticed recurring ideas within the piece that I may have otherwise ignored without English 112. I also thought critically and thought ahead as I was reading to formulate ideas related to the text to see if they would come true. After such a quick reading, I still took in the entire book and its details so that I am prepared for the summer.
In conclusion, English 112 has greatly improved my reading. I am a much quicker reader to start with. My reading is more critical and analytical without notes and even more so with notes. Actively taking notes makes me think of what I'm reading and reinforces my understanding. I have a greater exposure to different literature and the literary elements and writing styles in each piece. Even though I never thought I would like taking notes in a book, I just might have to mark up my brand new books.
My school based reading prior to 112 was pretty weak. The pieces I had to read for classes in high school were good but the work that went along with the pieces killed any enjoyment I may have received. I would see the thick packet of papers labeled as a study guide for the entire book and have no motivation to start the book. By the time I started reading, it was well past the time I should have been reading. Then I faced the difficult task of catching up. My reading speed is relatively slow no matter the subject but can tend to pick up speed if the book is intense or nearing the end. In the case of a school book and that I was playing catch up, I never was able to increase my speed. I then faced the problem of consciously considering the fact that I was reading slowly, that and that it was hot in the room, a car drove by, and that I was tired. This presented a major challenge because by the time I was in the right part of the book for class, I hadn't taken in any of what I was reading. I would have been better off reading the first half well and skipping the second half.
English 112 has changed my reading. Now I would describe myself as a reader as "analytical." I have learned to take notes that are not only notes, but are noteworthy notes. I have learned to read a book, no matter the subject material, in a timely fashion. My reading speed has increased as well which helps both my academic readings and leisure readings.
Prior to English 112, I never would write in a book. As I said in my first forum post,
"I like books to be perfect. Ever since I first started reading, I wanted my books to be neat. No scratches, tears, bent corners, or marks. Part of this might be because most of what I read were library books so they were expected to be kept in nice condition. I remember in sixth grade my teacher assigned a book and we were to take notes in the text which would then be graded. I hated this. I was ruining a perfectly good book. One reason I didn’t like this was because it changed the appearance of the book. Another reason is that I never knew what notes to take. We were taught to write whatever we felt. So if I wrote “I like this” it would get me my points. But I didn’t want meaningless notes like that. I ended up trying to find in-depth notes to make instead. This proved difficult because I was only in sixth grade so I didn’t know much about symbols and theme. A third reason I didn’t want to mark in my book, which ties in with the second, was because I figured my thoughts would change a year down the road if I chose to reread the book. I wouldn’t want to see what I thought about it a year ago. It would spoil the story and probably affect my thoughts. I understand the usefulness of taking notes in a book, even though I don’t like to do so myself. I think my main problem is that I don’t know what is noteworthy and what is not when reading, especially when I’m reading a novel."
Since taking English 112, my thoughts have changed. I found note taking to be nothing to worry about. My notes ranged from personal thoughts to character analysis. After reading about Faunia's childhood in The Human Stain, I wrote "whoa" and "oh man" as well as underlined a few lines. These notes helped me internalize the reading. Not only did this passage stand out to me but by making notes, I reinforced my understanding. Later on, if I needed a quote to back up an argument to justify Faunia's thoughts or actions, I could come back to this passage easily thanks to my markings. Unlike what I said in my forum post, later on I did find these comments useful. Even my random personal thoughts helped my reading. I would notice my writing in the margins and see what I had been thinking at the time I was reading. This would help me reestablish my train of thought on the passage.
In The Devil in the White City, I used notes to catch common occurrences throughout the book. One simple example is that I noticed right away that "blue eyes" was apparently an important part of Holmes' character. I also found common threads when talking about Larson's way of dealing with death in the Holmes section. Larson phrased his writing so that never dies but instead the character has, "gone away to get married" (Larson 187). I found my note taking to help establish my claims in the Socratic seminar and discussions. I read the passages up to and after Root's death and hurriedly wrote down notes. I had such a strong idea I wanted to preserve that I wanted to take notes before I could forget. The passage that I felt the strongest about in discussion was Burnham's reaction to the news coverage of Root's death. The papers say Root was, "the engine driving the design of the fair" and that he "had propelled the firm of Burnham & Root to greater and greater achievement" (Larson 108). I wanted to bring up the way Burnham was so dedicated to the fair and success that he felt selfish when his partner received acclaim after his death. This is an example of my more analytical note taking as it analyzes Burnham's character. I went on to further question Burnham's actions with the rest of the fair and the architects he was working with.
I think my reading improved in part because of the assessment for the literature. Instead of required papers and worksheets, most of the assessment was through discussion. Through discussion, I could bring up relevant notes I had been taking on the particular subject.I was also able to hear other students' points of view on different aspects of the book which broadened my view on the piece.
My new found skills in reading and note taking have shown up since finishing The Devil in the White City. After finishing our readings, I have since read two books as well as some articles. One book is Shade it Black, a story based on a female Marine's experiences in Mortuary Affairs in the war in Iraq. I had to read this as a part of my position as a Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader for the summer. This piece has been selected as the first years' summer reading. I needed to read the book to be able to discuss it with the first years and engage them in Miami. First of all, I read this book in two days. I was hooked by the topic and wanted to read more. The book is non fiction, as was The Devil in the White City, which is generally considered boring. This was far from boring. Because of The Devil in the White City, I knew how a non fiction book could be exciting, even with the necessary background and details. I read the piece quickly and took many notes. I noticed recurring ideas within the piece that I may have otherwise ignored without English 112. I also thought critically and thought ahead as I was reading to formulate ideas related to the text to see if they would come true. After such a quick reading, I still took in the entire book and its details so that I am prepared for the summer.
In conclusion, English 112 has greatly improved my reading. I am a much quicker reader to start with. My reading is more critical and analytical without notes and even more so with notes. Actively taking notes makes me think of what I'm reading and reinforces my understanding. I have a greater exposure to different literature and the literary elements and writing styles in each piece. Even though I never thought I would like taking notes in a book, I just might have to mark up my brand new books.