Presentations

I thought that all the presentations were very informative and it was great how many of them related to each other because then we had varying points. Specifically I liked the presentations related to the choices of literature students have in the classrooms. I do think that it is important to introduce classic literature to young students and agree that it should be combined with young adult books. It's true that often students are not so enthusiastic about reading the classics because they think its just a boring book that they are forced to read, but then when also given the choice of reading something they want encourages them to have interest in other books.
I do remember reading some of the books that were at one point banned and when I was in high school those were the ones I was most interested in. For example, books like Catcher in the Rye and Fahrenheit 451 captured the attention of most students and caused there to be actual discussions about the ideas presented in these books. If students are engaged into reading with books such as these or with any idea that was not presented before, it gives them the sense that literature might actually be interesting because they can discover other genres of it and find one particular to their interests. I think its great when this occurs because even if the classics are not their favorites they are still reading and exploring books which then may lead them to other levels of literature.

English and what makes a text literature

When I was younger I always thought of English as reading books and writing essays about them. I guess I just felt that I had to get through the book and write a summary of what I understood it was about. It was not until I was in high school that I understood it consisted of many other things. That is when I began to actually read the books and think critically about them. I always enjoyed books where the characters so distinctively described their emotions. It is probably for that reason why I believe that literature should be full of emotion in order to ignite something within us. It is different for each person because we do look for or see certain images according to the manner we are used to reading. Perhaps certain words or characters stand out to us more because they may be like us or someone we closely know. When something like this occurs one may feel even more emerged into the book and relate other instances with our own. Even if it is a book that takes place in another continent, 400 years ago or from now, I think that what is essential to it, at least for me, is the reality given to each character's individualism and life that it almost seems as if you do know the person. Although, I do love to read and it is for that reason that I enjoy exploring different areas of literature, whether it be science fiction, autobiographies and multicultural.

Politt and Eagleton Readings

In the Politt reading the question is once again discussed of what authors are in the canon and which should be added. Is it only according to the "qualities of greatness" found within it that makes them important or matter more than others? Does it depend on who is reading the book and what interpretation they are giving it? I do think that not all the books within the canon can relate to everyone, but it does not mean they are meaningless to a specific person. If I read a book that takes place in Africa, it does not mean that I will not understand it simply because I cannot relate to the setting or characters struggles. I actually enjoy reading books which are different to what I am used to because they demonstrate a different point of life. It is an important way to have better understanding of societies we are not part of. I do not think that only those books on the list are important enough to read and if they are not on the list then they are not read. Often times it is those books on the list that are not read because it seems that the majority of people would rather read popular books that get much attention at the moment.

The Eagleton reading explains what it is that literature teaches us and what the purpose is of many of those classic books. He describes it as a moral technology and it is what produces things like sensitivity and imagination. I think this is true because often times novels teach us about a feeling that we may not have given much thought to before. It may be sympathy for a character even if that character is not the protagonist because of their situation or circumstances. Living that experience, using it or grasping it within our lives would be the final outcome or goal of the book. Perhaps it was the author's intention to do this in order to form people who will be more inclined towards that specific experience they explained in their book.

Graff Reading

What I think this article is discussing is which authors are in the canon and what others are being added. He presents the question of whether the classics like Shakespeare are being tossed out in order to make room for new authors. It is a matter of whether people can still relate to the classic authors. I do not think that the Graff is saying that only certain authors should be taught because only they are good enough. I do agree with the fact that authors or novels already in the canon are still being taught and as new authors or books have emerged, then those are gradually being added as well. Just because the classics are really old does not mean that they are the only ones which are good enough to teach. I do think that the canon has been changing, but not necessarily leaving out authors, but making additions to the list. People who think that classic authors are no longer being taught because people do not think they are important any more are probably not aware of the classes that are specifically for the original authors. I do think that it is important to include those originals in the English curriculum because it is important in order to understand why modern writers write the way they do. I think it is obvious that authors often use ideas or methods of constructing their novels through the classics they have read and studied.

Haas: Learning to Read Biology

When I began reading this article I thought it was about someone who did not know much about Biology and their process was going to be of how they picked up new strategies of how to learn about a subject one is not familiar with. Although the article did describe a similar idea in the sense that Eliza did know a good amount of Biology, since it was her major, but did not know how to interpret it properly. Haas says that people are encouraged or taught to read almost everything as fact and we often times just read something and say okay that's the answer. One of the aspects of reading that is presented here is that we as readers and learners should learn to question what we read. I do not mean question everything and think that everything has faults, but to understand what a writer is trying to explain and then apply it or question it as it makes sense to us. I do agree with Haas when she says that people or in this case Eliza read a book or article and are not aware that there are people who wrote this and are their interpretations of certain Biological ideas.

It was not so difficult to read this because I understand why Eliza during her freshman and sophomore years read the way she did. As students we often times have so much to read for different subjects that it is difficult to focus so much on each subject. It is common for people to read through a book and simply grab the main points in order to know just enough to pass the test or the class. When Eliza was in her freshman English class perhaps she was not so analytical of the novels or authors because it was not the subject she was most interested in. Although she did show some similarity when discussing her biology readings, but was able to understand those ideas better since she was already familiar with the terms. Haas says the most important change in Eliza's development was not only learning the facts, but "negotiating meaning." I do agree with this because it is important to understand what an author is explaining and then be able to relate it to our own thoughts on the specific subject or apply it to the research we may be conducting.