Shelbi F. As technology increases will literary reading continue to decrease? We now have Kindles, Ipads, and Nooks; have those devices helped increase literary reading?
I believe that those devices you mentioned do, and will, help to improve literacy. They allow for ANYONE to have endless amount of literature at their fingertips without carrying around pounds and pounds of actual printed text.
Interesting. I agree that the reading on a digital device is usually a bit challenging, specially if you want to do it for long hours. However there's more pros than cons. Just the ability to carry thousands of books in one tiny device makes it more than worth it.
Well from what I see, people porn around the 1960's are more likely to read than anyone else. that's what my father do he loves to read books, newspapers, online stuff, he always search for anything to read. Maybe it is just him.
It is absurd to think that everyone who was born in 1960's love to read more than some someone born after 1960's. Do you guys have facts? What if it isn't true?! Might be those people aren't modest enough to use technologies or learn how to use them. Our lives are totally different than 1960's. My uncle was born in 60's but I haven't seen him reading. I'm pretty sure that he didn't read more than my mom did. We could argue about this subject as long as we would like but the point is that we can't make big announcement that people from 1960's most likely to read more than us people who were born after 1960's. This is my personal opinion based on what I have seen and based on my experiences. No offense!
I would have to disagree were it says that "readers" are more likely to play sports, exercise, paint, volunteering or go to a concert then a non-readers. I know plenty of non-readers including myself that are heavy into sports and exercise etc.. I can see people though who do read a lot that might strike up an interest and be more prone to go to an museum or play than a non-reader.
I think that is heavily playing on stereotypes. The jock won't be into reading but he'll be into a dozen sports/physical activities. Then you have the bookworm.. Quiet, reads anything and everything, the smarty-pants person who does those things that most other people would only do because it was a school field trip.
Reading is such an important thing in our lives. We have to read to learn. Who has time for that though? It is my opinion, that the majority of us with families, seem to put more effort into running our kids to everything in the world. Reading each day gets pushed to the back burner. Sports, dance, music lessons, acting lessons, video games, television watching, etc., seem to be given priority. When all of these activities for the day are complete, we are exhausted and have no time for reading. With that being said, I only feel this way because I sometimes feel that I live this life and it really bothers me. Any of you have similar experience?
I agree with you. I am so busy doing other things that I don't have time to read. I do spent lots of time reading and writing reports at work as well as on the internet. I might not read books that much but I do plenty of reading during the day.
Most definitely!! The American life keeps you busy! As I'm sure other cultures and countries do. I really love reading but I never make time for it. I even skip articles on the Internet when I feel I don't have the time or brain power to read it. I think that might be a huge factor in the decline of reading but I know it's not the only one.
People just don't read literature. That fact has been proven by studies conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts. But, the question I always want to ask is, "Why don't we read?" Are there solutions that we can come up with to reverse the problem and make reading literature a more popular activity? Here are a few reasons I've heard people use to explain why they haven't picked up a good book in months or even years: Not enough time, Not Enough Money, Too tired, Too hard, It's not a habt and etc. People it's not difficult to make books and literature a part of your life. You just need to want it and stop looking for any sort of excuses!!! It's all up to you!!!
One interesting point to note here is what Dana Gioia mentioned in regards of how reading affects employment opportunities as well as advancement. It might be very well true since people who don't read as much lack certain ideas that might help them with job placement.
I agree. I feel reading vast assortments of texts allows your mind to think and process information in different ways than that of one who does not read and expand their vocabulary.
There is a debate here about how literacy is decreasing in use among the rising generations. It's true how an individual's level of reading can help him/her obtain a higher employment status. However, we should really look to see if people today are falling more towards "primary orality" or "secondary orality".
Crain makes a statement, which suggests we are falling into a period of "secondary orality". There can be disagreement with this, because there is simple evidence why we are becoming more of a society based on "primary orality". Humans have become more adapt than ever to create. We talk about the use of television, computers, internet, video games, etc. taking away our ability to think critically. But, is this necessarily true?
These pieces of technology were created by inventors who thought critically. The rate of creation is at an all-time high, with newer and more advanced models of TVs, phones, iPods, and computers coming it every year. Not only is the rate and number of creations growing, but also the population of the creators. These creators have thought over many ideas, which were once thought to be only unrealistic. But, because of their critical thinking, these ideas that were once thought to be impossible, have become a reality.
The newest forms of technology have been inspirations to invent better technology. Technology has become the sign of wealth, knowledge, and power among different countries. While there may, or may not be more "primary orality" citizens of the world, they definitely make themselves prominent as role models, and leaders of organizations.
With all the rapid increases in technology from the minds of inventors, how could someone suggest that we are being demoted to a "secondary orality" society? Today, there are more people than ever who think exclusively to create something better.
Nothing ever seems to be black or white, but grey. I agree with Armando but also completely agree with Jay Dee. Maybe it's not the case of one or the other but a combination of both. Maybe we're not declining but rather creating a greater disparity between critical thinkers and people who just don't think at all.
Book sales have notoriously slowed down. People just don't have the time, or just are not interested in reading as before. The interest that they might once may have had has been extinguished by modern media. Television has literally taken over for books. Movies, video games, and so many more high tech media will continue to take time away from people.
I agree. I try to read as much as I can and I used to alot more when my life wasn't so busy. I can log in to facebook or pinterest which completely takes my attention away from the time that I have to read. After a long day it is much easier to turn on the T.V or computer to relax instead of pick up a book. I do own a kindle and it makes it alot easier to read and I think I can read a book faster than I can with a paper book. With that said, I do like reading out of an actual book. It's more real and more exciting for me to go and look for a book in a book store, but I don't have the time to do that. I'm sure the time and interest is a huge impact on todays reading. Paige H
We can note that society in general not only is loosing the will to read, but also possibly the ability to understand what we read. Considering this, should be of concern for us because this probably means that the great majority of the future generation might become highly illiterate.
This Article was very intersting for me to read. It shows per centage from thousands of years ago which I will never found if I was going to write an article on the same subject in my country. There were not doing such as these things at all. I like how they compare reading books with televisions, that was true because people enjoy to see more than just to read.
I would have to agree with the books and television. people again dont have the time to read books to get their information. these days, people gravitate towards all different kinds of technologies. for example we have the internet , we can listen to books on tape or from our phones, Ipods, ect.. people like convenient,fast,easy,and accessibility.
An interesting point in this article is how they are saying the demand of books newspapers magazines and such are going down. Well one of the reasons for that is because of all the new technology we have come out with today. I know a lot of people who use things like online news or tv news, or the kindle. In this case many still are reading just not buying the books or newspapers.
I would like to ask if others really think reading makes it better to find a job or is it actaully that we associate sucess with dagrees, and we think that with a higher degrees we have a better understanding of reading.
I think that would be absurd if one doesn't get a job because they didnt read as much as the next person. I know plenty of people that don't read, more or less because they don't have the time and they are highly educated. As far as having a better understanding of reading, because you have a degree... it really depends on the person. I personally know a few people that have degrees and their writing skills are not up to par nor is their english.
"twilight of the books" I think that people are reading less due to the fact that it has become less important to succeed with learning and you can get thought stuff with a better understanding of electronics and a less understanding of reading
Dana Gioia mentioned about jobs and success are linked with reading. I disagree with this reading books is dieing due to the instant world we live in today, and reading with continue to change I think reading has little to do with job success and more to do with personality except in key fields
I totally agree! granted reading can help in certain areas, of course that really depends on what your job title is. whether you read a lot or not, it shouldn't necessarily dictate your success.
I think reading has changed to a new form and in the future will be more digital and this may help reading rise again but i think the time of sitting down to a good book is dieing and will continue intell it catches up with the new world we live in it has started but is still behind in my opinon.
I do not think that reading is linked with sports to say I would actully think that sports are more of individual chooses and not any links to reading I dont read much and play lots of sports.
I agree! I will read a book every now and again, and truth be told I dont read as much as i would like too. I think reading has little or no influence with certain things. reading does not make people want to go out and play sports or get involved with music ( listening or going to concerts) etc.. but with any kind of topic like this can be debatable .
I think the only true thing you can say about reading I think it does play a big role in spelling and I still suffer to this day, but tech has even tred to help with that with spell check and has furthered the proble of reading as less importent in peoples minds.
When i read this, what clicked the most for me was the fact that some on here disagree with. That is that "people who read are more likely to do things." Now I realize that this may not be true for everyone, but what I have noticed is that between me (reads) and my friend (doesn't read) there is a large difference in the desire to do things. He thinks school is a waste of time, whereas me, I realize that school is extremely beneficial.
That is very interesting. However you would not be able to use this information to back the article it is only you and your friends input. I think it would be very interesting to do a big survey and see what they come up with.
"Twilight of the Books" While reading this article i read that the older generation is more likely to read, but in the course of a day I read lots of things. But for some reason i would rather read a book or a news article online than pick up a book or a paper and read it that way. Technology is advancing, and attempting to incorporate reading in more with electronic versions of books, but why would we rather read an electronic version than a paper version? Is it just because we are used to the technology being around and accepted the fact that it is, in fact, the future so we are just going with the flow so to speak? -Amanda Holcomb
I agree with you. I am more likely to read something if it is a digital copy. I feel we would rather read an electronic version possibly because it is more easily accessed anywhere you might be. It is much easier to download a book to a kindle then drive out to a book store to pick it up. I don't think is is so much we are used to the technology, I think it is more so the ease of access the technology gives us. -Hannah Eaton
I agree with you both. it makes it so much easier to download a book in the privacy of you home then having to worry about getting ready, driving somewhere, getting stuck in traffic or waiting in lines etc. people like fast and easy, and if we know that we can get any book we want in a matter of seconds then why not.
Caleb Crain writes, "The ground is laid in preschool, when parents read to a child, talk with [him or her], and encourage awareness of sound elements like rhyme and alliteration, perhaps with "Mother Goose" poems." This statement supports how I feel about reading and its importance in both young and adult life. But can we generalize something like 'reading' when we also argue that we are all, for lack of better terms, wired differently?
Twilight of the Books Towards the end it says " Such a habit might be quite dangerous for a democracy to lose." (Pg. 10) I couldn't agree more people these days spend all there time watching TV or things that only benefit themselves when it says people who read are more likely to go out and do things whether it be volunteering or voting. I think that readers do things that benefit a society and continue to do things to better the world instead of non readers. -Braxton Bohman
1) "Proust and the Squid" I thought it was interesting to think about reading having two different approaches, neurobiological and humanistic.
2) I got a huge kick out of the study that Aleksandr R. Luria did when trying to find the difference in the way literate and illiterate people thought. The illiterate used metaphors and obviously had a different thought process when grouping things together.
3) "At some point, as a child progresses from decoding to fluent reading, the route of signals through her brain shifts." Is this how it is for us to learn another language? Decoding to reading... "When reading goes well, it feels effortless" and "makes you smarter because it leaves more of your brain alone."
Yes, when you begin learning a new language, you are often "decoding" what you're listening to and what you're going to say. I got to learn Spanish while serving on a religious-affiliated sabbatical for 2 years in Cincinnati, OH. You start off thinking what the word means in the other language. But, as you speak it more, your mind begins thinking in Spanish, which is alot easier and smoother than having your mind "decode" in Spanish. In the beginning, you will definitely be using more of those "pockets"in the brain, because you are being challenged to understand.
I think they have a great Hypothesis and i like were they are going with it all. I find it interesting that books that are based on "fiction" might have the potential to perpare one in life socially and to empathize with one. I do think they need to do more research and gather more facts on the matter.
I also would have to say that I agree with your post. I found it very interesting in the article that research and studies prove that reading books about 'fake' life and events can allow for the reader to interact on a higher level in 'real' life situations. I agree.
"Twilight of the Books" comment: I actually found something quite disturbing about the study done by the University of Washington. The results of their study came to one of the conclusions that "Even visits to pornography Web sites improved academic performance." I honestly don't see how children and teenagers watching porn would help them do better in school.
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction" comment: I can really appreciate the ideas and finds in this article. One of the the ideas that struck me was "The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated." I know if I read about someone being in a car accident in a novel I would feel sympathy for that character, but if I were to see one happen in front of my own eyes, my reaction would definitely be more intense. Does anyone find any truth to this?
If you were reading about someone being in a car accident, their reactions would be intense. That's the first-person perspective. The people who are seeing it, or reading about it, are definitely going to horrified and feel remorse for the victim. That's the third-person perspective.
My comment proves that quote correct. Your idea was right, but you were just looking at the two different view-points of the situation: the character experiencing the event (first-person), and the one watching the character experience the event.
I assumed that the character you were reading about getting in a car accident would be in first-person. Maybe I was incorrect. I was saying that the first-person view (the person getting in the accident) of the accident would be more intense than the third-person view (the people watching the accident). However, I think that seeing this all in real life would definitely be more intense and uncertain. Reading about it allows you to use your imagination a bit more. This comment is a hard one to follow!
The brain is one amazing machine. We do not yet fully understand the full spectrum of the human brain. In this article however we see how amazingly the brain works, when it comes to reading certain sentences. We note how individual parts of the brain light up when a word that means a scent is read by the individual. It is also interesting to note how the brain can submerge in a book, to the point that the individual's brain can start to imagine him self to be part of the story. The brain is just amazing.
I don't get to read much because of busy everyday life, but when I do read, fiction novels are my favorite. I love that I get engrossed in the characters and it takes me to another place as I try to imagine what the author is putting out there. Armando's comment on the blog about this article goes along with this when he said, "the brain can submerge in a book, to the point that the individual's brain can start to imagine himself to be part of the story." This is why I read. I know that reading is a great way to educate, but I like reading as a way for me to escape for a bit.
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction" This article to me showed how important it is to read. The studies showed that as you read, parts of your brain activate that are also used when you physically do things. I may be wrong, but those pathways that the brain uses would be used and reinforced by reading. So read away! Jared S
I think this was a very interesting article. There have been times when i read a book and truly felt like i was there. This seems to be the reason why. I would like to see more research done on this. I would like to see if other things that you could do when you read would make the book even more realistic.
Our imagination goes free when we read. The more intriguing vocabulary that is used will make the event more descriptive in our minds. This is why people always say "the book is better than the movie!". We can make the scenes in a book as epic as we desire. We picture everything as if we were there watching. Reading books will expand our minds' capacity.
Paul also compares how reading will increase our ability to interact will others. I think reading helps build our social interaction. We can also become more capable to interpret another person's thoughts or feelings. When we read about the success of something we find attractive, we are more likely to emulate that in our own personal lives. I've even used quotes I've heard to make others laugh, or as a way to ask someone on a date! But, these ideas will lead us to find other ways to build a stronger social life with others around us.
Why is it, in your opinion of course, that reading has the ability to allow our minds to think more efficiently and critically? Is it just letting our mind wander more freely through the text? Does reading written words trigger some sort of mental 'lightning' bolt?
Well I just finished the readings for Wednesday's class, and I found a lot of truth into each of the debater's comments. The one that made me die with laughter was the argument made by columnist Joel Stein. His sarcasm made his point of view very entertaining, but I agreed with nothing he had to say. Just as I enjoyed reading adult fiction and nonfiction as a child, adults should be able to indulge in the same pleasures with young adult novels. Agreed that there is a lot of smut on the bookshelves today, there are numerous amounts of well written prose for my generation. People are too judgmental when it comes to reading. Every book and genre should get its chance to enlighten those who chose to have an open mind.
It was a really interesting article, I felt that it was true when I read books in my first language which is Arabic, but did not felt like it with English I do not know why? maybe because in Arabic books i will understand everything single word i read but in English books I mostely have a problem understanding each words. most of the time I have to translate them and by the time I am done I lose the joy of it.
What do you think of the statement "individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective?"
I think any exercise or practice of learning thoughts or emotion of someone else will help you understand them better. Therfore help you empathize with them and see the world from their perspective.
I find it both interesting and somewhat ironic that studies would suggest that reading fiction would help one to navigate through social interaction/social situations. I believe contrarily. I feel that fiction may give one the opposite experience of what it is to live in the real world. If one plays "Call of Duty" does that mean he or she will have the ability to effectively lead troops into combat? Fiction may increase vocabulary, reading skill, comprehension, and imagination. However, I fail to see how fiction may attribute to one's ability to reason, empathize or to become more culturally aware. I also struggle with the findings of the study.. to say that readers of fiction possess greater ability to empathize seems to me impossible to determine. Perhaps their empathy comes from one's experience at work or school with different cultures, or from non-fiction reads on anthropology or culture or geography. Or perhaps from reading on recent wars, or even from watching the nightly news. Fiction as a means of developing empathy.... not buying it.
I liked this article I thought it was very fascinating, especially when key words were used that describe senses. It makes me think that when I hear a word that triggers that section it gives me the ability to not only sense that smell, but to also reflect back on the memory of when I smelled it. The study talked about watching television which didn't have as good of results for stimulating the brain like reading did, it makes me curious to how playing video games would rank, especially because your in complete control, and most video games have violent graphic content and if having empathy towards others is enhanced or diminished.
This is a very interesting article. I think the statement about how our brains cant make out the diffrence between reading a fiction book and real life is very interesting. I believe however our brains do know or understand the diffrence but technology and the study of the brain is just not there to find out about it. What do you think?
I would have to agree, sure it may set off parts that go off during fiction and or real life, but somewhere in our brain it has to know the difference. Like you said, "technology and the study of the brain is just not there to find out about it." Braxton Bohman
I Believe that the brain holds alot more power than we think. They say that humans only you use 10% of your brain power. Also it makes me wonder about our self concious state of mind.
I'm puzzled about the whole social interaction improvement part of this article as well. I would like to believe that reading fiction helps you interact with others in real life (which could totally contradict the stereotype), but I feel like there is something missing.. Maybe I'm missing a point somewhere.
At first, I was thinking about my childhood when I read a lot more fiction than I do now. I was so shy back then. Not saying that I am not now, but I sure am a lot more outspoken than I was back then.
So "we're trying to figure out the thoughts and feelings of others" in our brain while reading fiction. In turn, it helps us figure out real life feelings, behavior or whatever in real people. That's how we empathize. We can understand what characters are going through in a book just as we can understand what real people are going through in our lives. Sometimes our brain doesn't know the difference. I think?
Disagree about the part that reading fiction dose not help us live and feel the real life we are living in. When I am in a position so similar to the same one have read about I always try to avoid the mistakes anyone else did to came up with a better thing. Fiction make me think more before I act.
Twilight of the Books You don't truly appreciate the value of reading until you go to a foreign country where you don't know a word of the language and don't understand their alphabet. All of a sudden you can't do the most ordiinary things. You can't even read a paper. You can't read signs in stores. You can't read street signs, or find your way around town. You can't understand prices or the money system, and have to rely on holding out bill and trusting that a strange person is going to take the right amount and give you the correct change. You can't understand road signs, or warning signs, or 'no parking' signs, or any of the other signs that help make driving safer and easier. You can't read the newspaper to find out what is happening, can't read a book for relaxation and enjoyment. Can't play on the internet, read a menu -- there are so many things that suddenly, you can't do. It's a terribly frustrating experience. I personally had to struggle with it even though I hated reading. Yeah, honestly I did hate reading because we used to read tons of Russian literature when we were in high school. I did it just to pass the class but when I came to the U.S.A I had no choice but read and learn. I started from simple things like kids book. I couldn't read adults books with harder writing in there and vocabularies that I've never heard of. Reading improved my language and my listening. Of course I am not fluent, yet in English but hopefully some day I will be fluent. Also reading makes it possible for us to communicate with others, for a variety of reasons. For work, for pleasure, for personal communication. It makes us possible to learn from others, through books, through magazines, through newspapers, and through other mediums of communication.
Shelbi F.
ReplyDeleteAs technology increases will literary reading continue to decrease? We now have Kindles, Ipads, and Nooks; have those devices helped increase literary reading?
I believe that those devices you mentioned do, and will, help to improve literacy. They allow for ANYONE to have endless amount of literature at their fingertips without carrying around pounds and pounds of actual printed text.
DeleteInteresting. I agree that the reading on a digital device is usually a bit challenging, specially if you want to do it for long hours. However there's more pros than cons. Just the ability to carry thousands of books in one tiny device makes it more than worth it.
DeleteZach O
ReplyDelete" Twilight of the books"
I find it interesting that one is more likely to read more then someone born after the 1960's.
Fatimah Al
DeleteWell from what I see, people porn around the 1960's are more likely to read than anyone else.
that's what my father do he loves to read books, newspapers, online stuff, he always search for anything to read. Maybe it is just him.
It is absurd to think that everyone who was born in 1960's love to read more than some someone born after 1960's. Do you guys have facts? What if it isn't true?! Might be those people aren't modest enough to use technologies or learn how to use them. Our lives are totally different than 1960's. My uncle was born in 60's but I haven't seen him reading. I'm pretty sure that he didn't read more than my mom did. We could argue about this subject as long as we would like but the point is that we can't make big announcement that people from 1960's most likely to read more than us people who were born after 1960's. This is my personal opinion based on what I have seen and based on my experiences. No offense!
DeleteZach O
ReplyDelete"Twilight of the books"
I would have to disagree were it says that "readers" are more likely to play sports, exercise, paint, volunteering or go to a concert then a non-readers. I know plenty of non-readers including myself that are heavy into sports and exercise etc.. I can see people though who do read a lot that might strike up an interest and be more prone to go to an museum or play than a non-reader.
Danika O
DeleteI think that is heavily playing on stereotypes. The jock won't be into reading but he'll be into a dozen sports/physical activities. Then you have the bookworm.. Quiet, reads anything and everything, the smarty-pants person who does those things that most other people would only do because it was a school field trip.
Stephanie M.
ReplyDeleteReading is such an important thing in our lives. We have to read to learn. Who has time for that though? It is my opinion, that the majority of us with families, seem to put more effort into running our kids to everything in the world. Reading each day gets pushed to the back burner. Sports, dance, music lessons, acting lessons, video games, television watching, etc., seem to be given priority. When all of these activities for the day are complete, we are exhausted and have no time for reading.
With that being said, I only feel this way because I sometimes feel that I live this life and it really bothers me. Any of you have similar experience?
Brian W.
DeleteI agree with you. I am so busy doing other things that I don't have time to read. I do spent lots of time reading and writing reports at work as well as on the internet. I might not read books that much but I do plenty of reading during the day.
Most definitely!! The American life keeps you busy! As I'm sure other cultures and countries do. I really love reading but I never make time for it. I even skip articles on the Internet when I feel I don't have the time or brain power to read it. I think that might be a huge factor in the decline of reading but I know it's not the only one.
DeletePeople just don't read literature. That fact has been proven by studies conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts. But, the question I always want to ask is, "Why don't we read?" Are there solutions that we can come up with to reverse the problem and make reading literature a more popular activity? Here are a few reasons I've heard people use to explain why they haven't picked up a good book in months or even years: Not enough time, Not Enough Money, Too tired, Too hard, It's not a habt and etc.
DeletePeople it's not difficult to make books and literature a part of your life. You just need to want it and stop looking for any sort of excuses!!! It's all up to you!!!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting point to note here is what Dana Gioia mentioned in regards of how reading affects employment opportunities as well as advancement. It might be very well true since people who don't read as much lack certain ideas that might help them with job placement.
ReplyDeleteArmando.
I agree. I feel reading vast assortments of texts allows your mind to think and process information in different ways than that of one who does not read and expand their vocabulary.
DeleteThere is a debate here about how literacy is decreasing in use among the rising generations. It's true how an individual's level of reading can help him/her obtain a higher employment status. However, we should really look to see if people today are falling more towards "primary orality" or "secondary orality".
DeleteCrain makes a statement, which suggests we are falling into a period of "secondary orality". There can be disagreement with this, because there is simple evidence why we are becoming more of a society based on "primary orality". Humans have become more adapt than ever to create. We talk about the use of television, computers, internet, video games, etc. taking away our ability to think critically. But, is this necessarily true?
These pieces of technology were created by inventors who thought critically. The rate of creation is at an all-time high, with newer and more advanced models of TVs, phones, iPods, and computers coming it every year. Not only is the rate and number of creations growing, but also the population of the creators. These creators have thought over many ideas, which were once thought to be only unrealistic. But, because of their critical thinking, these ideas that were once thought to be impossible, have become a reality.
The newest forms of technology have been inspirations to invent better technology. Technology has become the sign of wealth, knowledge, and power among different countries. While there may, or may not be more "primary orality" citizens of the world, they definitely make themselves prominent as role models, and leaders of organizations.
With all the rapid increases in technology from the minds of inventors, how could someone suggest that we are being demoted to a "secondary orality" society? Today, there are more people than ever who think exclusively to create something better.
- Jay Dee G.
Nothing ever seems to be black or white, but grey.
DeleteI agree with Armando but also completely agree with Jay Dee.
Maybe it's not the case of one or the other but a combination of both. Maybe we're not declining but rather creating a greater disparity between critical thinkers and people who just don't think at all.
Book sales have notoriously slowed down. People just don't have the time, or just are not interested in reading as before. The interest that they might once may have had has been extinguished by modern media. Television has literally taken over for books. Movies, video games, and so many more high tech media will continue to take time away from people.
ReplyDeleteArmando.
I agree. I try to read as much as I can and I used to alot more when my life wasn't so busy. I can log in to facebook or pinterest which completely takes my attention away from the time that I have to read. After a long day it is much easier to turn on the T.V or computer to relax instead of pick up a book. I do own a kindle and it makes it alot easier to read and I think I can read a book faster than I can with a paper book. With that said, I do like reading out of an actual book. It's more real and more exciting for me to go and look for a book in a book store, but I don't have the time to do that. I'm sure the time and interest is a huge impact on todays reading.
DeletePaige H
We can note that society in general not only is loosing the will to read, but also possibly the ability to understand what we read. Considering this, should be of concern for us because this probably means that the great majority of the future generation might become highly illiterate.
ReplyDeleteArmando.
Fatimah Al
ReplyDelete"Twilight of the books"
This Article was very intersting for me to read. It shows per centage from thousands of years ago which I will never found if I was going to write an article on the same subject in my country. There were not doing such as these things at all. I like how they compare reading books with televisions, that was true because people enjoy to see more than just to read.
I would have to agree with the books and television. people again dont have the time to read books to get their information. these days, people gravitate towards all different kinds of technologies. for example we have the internet , we can listen to books on tape or from our phones, Ipods, ect.. people like convenient,fast,easy,and accessibility.
DeleteZach O
-David Welch
ReplyDelete"twilight of the books"
An interesting point in this article is how they are saying the demand of books newspapers magazines and such are going down. Well one of the reasons for that is because of all the new technology we have come out with today. I know a lot of people who use things like online news or tv news, or the kindle. In this case many still are reading just not buying the books or newspapers.
-William Bailey
ReplyDelete"twilight of the books"
I would like to ask if others really think reading makes it better to find a job or is it actaully that we associate sucess with dagrees, and we think that with a higher degrees we have a better understanding of reading.
I think that would be absurd if one doesn't get a job because they didnt read as much as the next person. I know plenty of people that don't read, more or less because they don't have the time and they are highly educated. As far as having a better understanding of reading, because you have a degree... it really depends on the person. I personally know a few people that have degrees and their writing skills are not up to par nor is their english.
DeleteZach O
-william Bailey
ReplyDelete"twilight of the books"
I think that people are reading less due to the fact that it has become less important to succeed with learning and you can get thought stuff with a better understanding of electronics and a less understanding of reading
William Bailey
ReplyDeleteDana Gioia mentioned about jobs and success are linked with reading. I disagree with this reading books is dieing due to the instant world we live in today, and reading with continue to change I think reading has little to do with job success and more to do with personality except in key fields
I totally agree! granted reading can help in certain areas, of course that really depends on what your job title is. whether you read a lot or not, it shouldn't necessarily dictate your success.
DeleteZach O
William Bailey
ReplyDeleteI think reading has changed to a new form and in the future will be more digital and this may help reading rise again but i think the time of sitting down to a good book is dieing and will continue intell it catches up with the new world we live in it has started but is still behind in my opinon.
William Bailey
ReplyDeleteI do not think that reading is linked with sports to say I would actully think that sports are more of individual chooses and not any links to reading I dont read much and play lots of sports.
I agree! I will read a book every now and again, and truth be told I dont read as much as i would like too. I think reading has little or no influence with certain things. reading does not make people want to go out and play sports or get involved with music ( listening or going to concerts) etc.. but with any kind of topic like this can be debatable .
DeleteZach O
William Bailey
ReplyDeleteI think the only true thing you can say about reading I think it does play a big role in spelling and I still suffer to this day, but tech has even tred to help with that with spell check and has furthered the proble of reading as less importent in peoples minds.
Jared Streeper
ReplyDeleteWhen i read this, what clicked the most for me was the fact that some on here disagree with. That is that "people who read are more likely to do things." Now I realize that this may not be true for everyone, but what I have noticed is that between me (reads) and my friend (doesn't read) there is a large difference in the desire to do things. He thinks school is a waste of time, whereas me, I realize that school is extremely beneficial.
David Welch
DeleteThat is very interesting. However you would not be able to use this information to back the article it is only you and your friends input. I think it would be very interesting to do a big survey and see what they come up with.
"Twilight of the Books"
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article i read that the older generation is more likely to read, but in the course of a day I read lots of things. But for some reason i would rather read a book or a news article online than pick up a book or a paper and read it that way. Technology is advancing, and attempting to incorporate reading in more with electronic versions of books, but why would we rather read an electronic version than a paper version? Is it just because we are used to the technology being around and accepted the fact that it is, in fact, the future so we are just going with the flow so to speak?
-Amanda Holcomb
I agree with you. I am more likely to read something if it is a digital copy. I feel we would rather read an electronic version possibly because it is more easily accessed anywhere you might be. It is much easier to download a book to a kindle then drive out to a book store to pick it up. I don't think is is so much we are used to the technology, I think it is more so the ease of access the technology gives us.
Delete-Hannah Eaton
I agree with you both. it makes it so much easier to download a book in the privacy of you home then having to worry about getting ready, driving somewhere, getting stuck in traffic or waiting in lines etc. people like fast and easy, and if we know that we can get any book we want in a matter of seconds then why not.
DeleteZach O
Caleb Crain writes, "The ground is laid in preschool, when parents read to a child, talk with [him or her], and encourage awareness of sound elements like rhyme and alliteration, perhaps with "Mother Goose" poems." This statement supports how I feel about reading and its importance in both young and adult life. But can we generalize something like 'reading' when we also argue that we are all, for lack of better terms, wired differently?
ReplyDeleteTwilight of the Books
ReplyDeleteTowards the end it says " Such a habit might be quite dangerous for a democracy to lose." (Pg. 10)
I couldn't agree more people these days spend all there time watching TV or things that only benefit themselves when it says people who read are more likely to go out and do things whether it be volunteering or voting. I think that readers do things that benefit a society and continue to do things to better the world instead of non readers.
-Braxton Bohman
Three things I found most interesting:
ReplyDelete1) "Proust and the Squid" I thought it was interesting to think about reading having two different approaches, neurobiological and humanistic.
2) I got a huge kick out of the study that Aleksandr R. Luria did when trying to find the difference in the way literate and illiterate people thought. The illiterate used metaphors and obviously had a different thought process when grouping things together.
3) "At some point, as a child progresses from decoding to fluent reading, the route of signals through her brain shifts." Is this how it is for us to learn another language? Decoding to reading...
"When reading goes well, it feels effortless" and "makes you smarter because it leaves more of your brain alone."
Yes, when you begin learning a new language, you are often "decoding" what you're listening to and what you're going to say. I got to learn Spanish while serving on a religious-affiliated sabbatical for 2 years in Cincinnati, OH. You start off thinking what the word means in the other language. But, as you speak it more, your mind begins thinking in Spanish, which is alot easier and smoother than having your mind "decode" in Spanish. In the beginning, you will definitely be using more of those "pockets"in the brain, because you are being challenged to understand.
Delete" The Neuroscience of your brain on fiction"
ReplyDeleteI think they have a great Hypothesis and i like were they are going with it all. I find it interesting that books that are based on "fiction" might have the potential to perpare one in life socially and to empathize with one. I do think they need to do more research and gather more facts on the matter.
Zach O
I totally Agree with zach
Deletethey should do more research and studies more facts !
Abdul Alo
I also would have to say that I agree with your post. I found it very interesting in the article that research and studies prove that reading books about 'fake' life and events can allow for the reader to interact on a higher level in 'real' life situations. I agree.
DeleteShelbi F.
DeleteWhy is it that fiction or "fake" books make us interact on a higher level? I agree with your post, but I was just curious.
I agree with the article Twilight of the Books
ReplyDeletethat people now don't read as the people before as the 1960's !
and each year the people become less reader than before.
Abdul Alo
"Twilight of the Books" comment:
ReplyDeleteI actually found something quite disturbing about the study done by the University of Washington. The results of their study came to one of the conclusions that "Even visits to pornography Web sites improved academic performance." I honestly don't see how children and teenagers watching porn would help them do better in school.
Alli McNeil
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction" comment:
ReplyDeleteI can really appreciate the ideas and finds in this article. One of the the ideas that struck me was "The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated." I know if I read about someone being in a car accident in a novel I would feel sympathy for that character, but if I were to see one happen in front of my own eyes, my reaction would definitely be more intense. Does anyone find any truth to this?
Alli McNeil
If you were reading about someone being in a car accident, their reactions would be intense. That's the first-person perspective. The people who are seeing it, or reading about it, are definitely going to horrified and feel remorse for the victim. That's the third-person perspective.
DeleteMy comment proves that quote correct. Your idea was right, but you were just looking at the two different view-points of the situation: the character experiencing the event (first-person), and the one watching the character experience the event.
Jay Dee,
DeleteNot following your train of thought at all. What comment did you make that proves something? Just trying to figure out what I missed.
I assumed that the character you were reading about getting in a car accident would be in first-person. Maybe I was incorrect. I was saying that the first-person view (the person getting in the accident) of the accident would be more intense than the third-person view (the people watching the accident). However, I think that seeing this all in real life would definitely be more intense and uncertain. Reading about it allows you to use your imagination a bit more. This comment is a hard one to follow!
Delete-The neuroscience of your brain-
ReplyDeleteThe brain is one amazing machine. We do not yet fully understand the full spectrum of the human brain. In this article however we see how amazingly the brain works, when it comes to reading certain sentences. We note how individual parts of the brain light up when a word that means a scent is read by the individual. It is also interesting to note how the brain can submerge in a book, to the point that the individual's brain can start to imagine him self to be part of the story. The brain is just amazing.
Armando.
Stephanie M.
ReplyDeleteWritten a Book?
I don't get to read much because of busy everyday life, but when I do read, fiction novels are my favorite. I love that I get engrossed in the characters and it takes me to another place as I try to imagine what the author is putting out there. Armando's comment on the blog about this article goes along with this when he said, "the brain can submerge in a book, to the point that the individual's brain can start to imagine himself to be part of the story." This is why I read. I know that reading is a great way to educate, but I like reading as a way for me to escape for a bit.
Written a Book? Where did I get that? haha
Delete"Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction"
Stephanie M.
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteThis article to me showed how important it is to read. The studies showed that as you read, parts of your brain activate that are also used when you physically do things. I may be wrong, but those pathways that the brain uses would be used and reinforced by reading. So read away!
Jared S
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteI think this was a very interesting article. There have been times when i read a book and truly felt like i was there. This seems to be the reason why. I would like to see more research done on this. I would like to see if other things that you could do when you read would make the book even more realistic.
Brian W
David welch
Deleteyes, I would think it would be very interesting to see some research on how people feel when they read ficiton books.
I think so too !
DeleteAbdul Alo
Our imagination goes free when we read. The more intriguing vocabulary that is used will make the event more descriptive in our minds. This is why people always say "the book is better than the movie!". We can make the scenes in a book as epic as we desire. We picture everything as if we were there watching. Reading books will expand our minds' capacity.
ReplyDeletePaul also compares how reading will increase our ability to interact will others. I think reading helps build our social interaction. We can also become more capable to interpret another person's thoughts or feelings. When we read about the success of something we find attractive, we are more likely to emulate that in our own personal lives. I've even used quotes I've heard to make others laugh, or as a way to ask someone on a date! But, these ideas will lead us to find other ways to build a stronger social life with others around us.
Why is it, in your opinion of course, that reading has the ability to allow our minds to think more efficiently and critically? Is it just letting our mind wander more freely through the text? Does reading written words trigger some sort of mental 'lightning' bolt?
ReplyDeleteWell I just finished the readings for Wednesday's class, and I found a lot of truth into each of the debater's comments. The one that made me die with laughter was the argument made by columnist Joel Stein. His sarcasm made his point of view very entertaining, but I agreed with nothing he had to say. Just as I enjoyed reading adult fiction and nonfiction as a child, adults should be able to indulge in the same pleasures with young adult novels. Agreed that there is a lot of smut on the bookshelves today, there are numerous amounts of well written prose for my generation. People are too judgmental when it comes to reading. Every book and genre should get its chance to enlighten those who chose to have an open mind.
ReplyDeleteAlli McNeil
Room for Debate
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteIt was a really interesting article, I felt that it was true when I read books in my first language which is Arabic, but did not felt like it with English I do not know why? maybe because in Arabic books i will understand everything single word i read but in English books I mostely have a problem understanding each words. most of the time I have to translate them and by the time I am done I lose the joy of it.
Fatimah Al
Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the statement "individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective?"
-Amanda Holcomb
David Welch
DeleteI think any exercise or practice of learning thoughts or emotion of someone else will help you understand them better. Therfore help you empathize with them and see the world from their perspective.
"Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteI find it both interesting and somewhat ironic that studies would suggest that reading fiction would help one to navigate through social interaction/social situations. I believe contrarily. I feel that fiction may give one the opposite experience of what it is to live in the real world. If one plays "Call of Duty" does that mean he or she will have the ability to effectively lead troops into combat? Fiction may increase vocabulary, reading skill, comprehension, and imagination. However, I fail to see how fiction may attribute to one's ability to reason, empathize or to become more culturally aware. I also struggle with the findings of the study.. to say that readers of fiction possess greater ability to empathize seems to me impossible to determine. Perhaps their empathy comes from one's experience at work or school with different cultures, or from non-fiction reads on anthropology or culture or geography. Or perhaps from reading on recent wars, or even from watching the nightly news. Fiction as a means of developing empathy.... not buying it.
Roy Gonzales
"The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteI liked this article I thought it was very fascinating, especially when key words were used that describe senses. It makes me think that when I hear a word that triggers that section it gives me the ability to not only sense that smell, but to also reflect back on the memory of when I smelled it. The study talked about watching television which didn't have as good of results for stimulating the brain like reading did, it makes me curious to how playing video games would rank, especially because your in complete control, and most video games have violent graphic content and if having empathy towards others is enhanced or diminished.
Braxton B
David Welch
ReplyDeleteNeuroscience of your brain
This is a very interesting article. I think the statement about how our brains cant make out the diffrence between reading a fiction book and real life is very interesting. I believe however our brains do know or understand the diffrence but technology and the study of the brain is just not there to find out about it. What do you think?
I didn't think about that! Now I'm starting to wonder.
DeleteI would have to agree, sure it may set off parts that go off during fiction and or real life, but somewhere in our brain it has to know the difference. Like you said, "technology and the study of the brain is just not there to find out about it."
DeleteBraxton Bohman
I Believe that the brain holds alot more power than we think. They say that humans only you use 10% of your brain power. Also it makes me wonder about our self concious state of mind.
Delete"Your Brain on Fiction"
ReplyDeleteI'm puzzled about the whole social interaction improvement part of this article as well. I would like to believe that reading fiction helps you interact with others in real life (which could totally contradict the stereotype), but I feel like there is something missing.. Maybe I'm missing a point somewhere.
At first, I was thinking about my childhood when I read a lot more fiction than I do now. I was so shy back then. Not saying that I am not now, but I sure am a lot more outspoken than I was back then.
So "we're trying to figure out the thoughts and feelings of others" in our brain while reading fiction. In turn, it helps us figure out real life feelings, behavior or whatever in real people. That's how we empathize. We can understand what characters are going through in a book just as we can understand what real people are going through in our lives. Sometimes our brain doesn't know the difference. I think?
Fatimah Al
DeleteDisagree about the part that reading fiction dose not help us live and feel the real life we are living in. When I am in a position so similar to the same one have read about I always try to avoid the mistakes anyone else did to came up with a better thing. Fiction make me think more before I act.
Twilight of the Books
ReplyDeleteYou don't truly appreciate the value of reading until you go to a foreign country where you don't know a word of the language and don't understand their alphabet. All of a sudden you can't do the most ordiinary things. You can't even read a paper. You can't read signs in stores. You can't read street signs, or find your way around town. You can't understand prices or the money system, and have to rely on holding out bill and trusting that a strange person is going to take the right amount and give you the correct change.
You can't understand road signs, or warning signs, or 'no parking' signs, or any of the other signs that help make driving safer and easier.
You can't read the newspaper to find out what is happening, can't read a book for relaxation and enjoyment. Can't play on the internet, read a menu -- there are so many things that suddenly, you can't do. It's a terribly frustrating experience. I personally had to struggle with it even though I hated reading. Yeah, honestly I did hate reading because we used to read tons of Russian literature when we were in high school. I did it just to pass the class but when I came to the U.S.A I had no choice but read and learn. I started from simple things like kids book. I couldn't read adults books with harder writing in there and vocabularies that I've never heard of. Reading improved my language and my listening. Of course I am not fluent, yet in English but hopefully some day I will be fluent.
Also reading makes it possible for us to communicate with others, for a variety of reasons. For work, for pleasure, for personal communication. It makes us possible to learn from others, through books, through magazines, through newspapers, and through other mediums of communication.