Another reason why reading is important to me is that whenever I read, I learn something; it can be a simple fact about food or a complete timeline of a battle. Reading John Steinbeck's novel, Grapes of Wrath, teaches me about some basic history of the Great Depression and makes me sympathic towards the Dust Bowl farmers who undergo various hardships as they journey to California to seek a better lifestyle. Steinbeck wants to inform readers about social differences and the importance of working together to overcome problems. While reading this novel, I am able to learn about the personal conflicts families go through in a fun, adventurous and more intimate way.
Reading also develops and involves a creative mind. When I read, I visualize an author’s creation of phrases, dialogue, plot, and sentences using my own imaginations and interpretations; I mentally think of a sequence of events on how the story will turn out and eventually, how it will end. While reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, I constantly wonder what will happen next and my mind starts to overflow with various situations depicting what may occur next. 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 contrasts the theme of good and evil and like most authors, Conrad never specifically states his purpose for writing his novel but in his text, he leaves little hints to guide me to analyze and understand what he is truly trying to say. Additionally, throughout his text, he talks about black and white; although in most scenarios there is a negative connotation to the word, "black" and a positive connotation to the word, "white", Conrad reverses the typical meaning and makes "black" good and "white" evil". The only way to make the connection is to link Conrad’s description of setting, plot, and theme with my own intelligence. Another prime example of using my own knowledge is in Silmarillion by Tolkien, which contains several Biblical allusions that require me to not only visualize the Bible stories but also tie them into Tolkien’s storyline. I am made to see them side by side in order to interpret Tolkien’s purpose of his novel. Themes of redemption through grace, the everlasting beauty of creation, and the power to defy fate are underlined throughout the novel. Just as God from the Bible, the God in Silmarillion always forgives, even the most unrepairable, evil acts and it is never too late to turn from one's evil ways. Tolkien also describes the world as inherently magnificent and beautiful and even during the worst disasters, there is beauty, love, and happiness. Further, in both,Silmarillion and the Bible, nothing pleases God more than for his Children to simply celebrate and appreciate the pleasures and wonders of the world. 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.
