Wednesday, July 9, 2014
AP Literature Blog - Prompt 2
Personally, I have engaged in rereading throughout my academic career. Mostly, I have reread texts that deal with complex ideas and have required deep concentration to understand. Although I have not reread as many books as an avid "rereader," I can definitely understand the importance of rereading and how it can have an impact on both the reader and how the reader communicates with the text. Throughout How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster emphasizes the importance of looking for the connections and similarities between a text and other texts which a reader may have read. More specifically, Foster believes that finding correlations between pieces of literature in aspects such as plot, characters, and symbols can allow the reader to form a powerful connection to what the text is implying/stating. By rereading, a reader can notice these examples of intertextuality, thus allowing him/her to vastly expand their understanding and respect for a text. Additionally, rereading a text can aid an immature reader in understanding the author's true meaning. For instance, last year in AP English Language, I reread complex documents - especially historical pieces - multiple times before I could infer what message the writer was attempting to convey to the reader. Although rereading may be an effective tool for gaining understanding from challenging works, it also allows a reader to search deeper in the text for correlating elements which leads to complex thinking and understanding. Therefore, I conclude that rereading is an essential tool for all readers to utilize because of the impressive gains in understanding which come from noticing the intertextuality in a piece of literature.
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I agree with your claim that rereading is an essential tool to understanding literature. When we reread, we search to come across something new each time we do so. In fact, 90% of the time, we do discover something we had skipped over previously. Consider Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", for instance. As we discover more through our reading, we view ideas in a different light which illuminates the intellectual darkness. Conversely, when we reread, we will never again experience what we discovered upon reading the text for the first time. Therefore, we must have a sense of purpose and direction in our rereading experiences in order to receive the highest intellectual gains possible.
ReplyDeleteRereading can be a vital technique to understanding a written piece of work. I have found that I have not necessarily needed to reread all stories I’ve read; however sometimes in cases where there are complex storylines, or an extensive variety of characters rereading has helped me achieve a greater ease in understanding the story. It is true that rereading can allow for a reader to find patterns and the “intertexuality” between works. Honestly there are other ways in which I think rereading can be beneficial. One is simply for reasons of comprehension; anybody can be distracted at the time they are reading and trying to process the information. The other reason I thought of is the maturity and level of understanding of the reader. For example, a science fiction classic like “The Time Machine,” when read as a young person, can be enjoyed when taken at face value. However, when you reread it as you grow up, there is more to see; along the lines of historical significance of Victorian England, or a religious “God-like” image he reflects on when he describes one certain “white winged” marble statue. Therefore on a “first read” you can simply focus on plot and character study, however with a reread you are more apt to decipher literary devices you may have missed the first time around.
ReplyDeleteDana, you claim you have reread a great deal during your academic career, and judging by your impressive and extensive intelligence, I believe your claim. Rereading allows people to grasp deeper meanings as well as discover hidden messages within literature, thus it is evident you have reread throughout your career. I agree with your statement in your concluding sentence when you boldly state, "...rereading is essential..." Rereading is definitely essential for numerous reasons and can greatly assist one in improving his or her level of literacy. Your post accurately expresses the importance of rereading along with includes elevated diction in order to further increase your ethos.
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