What motivates me to read?
Extracts from this document...
Introduction
Words are everywhere. They appear in books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, blogs, bulletein boards, and even on the back of a cereal box. We read something and it either pulls us in or repulses us. We use words as a way to connect with others because they enable us to express our emotions and opinions and create a whole new world for us to experience; we rely on words to not only communicate but to expand our knowledge of the things we know and do not know. What motivates me to read? Every once in a while, I find myself browsing for a book, news article, magazine or a blog. I get hooked when I read something that I am able to relate to. The fact that I can connect with a random character or a complete stranger enchants me and allows me to relate and understand them without knowing them personally. ...read more.
Middle
Questions like "What will happen to Raskolnikov? Why does he think he did not commit a deadly crime? Is he going to jail? Will he be with Sofia and live happily ever after? What will happen to him now?" fill my mind.Using my own imaginations, I think of my own answers to these questions and as I continue to read, I constantly go back and forth comparing my answers to the correct ones and notice some are far off while others end up being somewhat similar. As I continually compare my own inventions with the authors, I create a more diverse and interesting state of mind that activates a flow of exotic ideas for other works. Furthermore, my intelligence is challenged whenever I read because there are some occurences when I need to rely on my own knowledge to comprehend what the author is truly trying to portray. For example, when I read, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, it is imperative for me to see the extended metaphor of the map that ...read more.
Conclusion
Lastly, although the future of all things is predetermined, humans have the ability to alter their future through lucid actions and can change their lives, histories, and destinies. Due to my prior knowledge of the Bible and the similarities between the Bible and Silmarillion, I am able to fully understand what Tolkien's main idea of his story is. With words, people are able to join together and express their own opinions as well as challenging themselves to expand their knowledge and question their own beliefs. Most authors write about subjects that they strongly believe in: Ralph Ellison's need to expose social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans, Steinbeck's strong desire to inform people of the different social classes and the effects of the Great Depression, Dostoevsky's bizarre expression of the connection between the mental and physical self, Conrad's want to display the hypocrisy of imperialism and that every man has evil in them, and Tolkien's reference of Middle-earth's history and mythology. Using our own interpretations, knowledge and beliefs, we, as readers, get to decide whether or not we agree or disagree with the author's opinions. ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.
This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate Languages section.
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