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Jay
Alien Abductee
Vatican City
2279 Posts |
 Posted - 08/12/2003 : 01:25:08 AM
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This shite happenes every year...You see "Back to School" prices on everything...I even saw a back to school sale at a tackle shop...
"Pa, I think I need a new Ratt'l'trap fer science class..."
About three weeks into summer vacation, I recieved a letter in the mail...it said, and I'll try to say this as clearly as possible so people from Florida can understand, "You have to read this Steinbeck novel, and Lonesome Dove...you will have tests the first week of school."
So now I have less than two weeks left of summer, and I'm 201/342 on Grapes of Wrath...Haven't even started on Lonesome Dove...actually, I don't even have the fucking thing yet.
I have a problem with this "Encourage Summer Reading" bit. Forcing 15 year old kids to read a fuckin' Steinbeck novel over which is probably their last summer without a job is definately NOT encouraging kids to read over summer. In fact, it's discouraging. If they wanted to encourage kids to read, they should do that during school...Just shows how backwards US schools are. They see that many kids today are to stupid to read, and that because of how society is today, it's nearly impossible to teach kids to enjoy reading. And the way to teach kids to enjoy reading is NOT to force them to read books that they really don't want to...shouldn't kids be taught to read what they want to read in order to shape their minds? The fragile little minds, so easily warped by other's opinions? So I guess what I'm saying is that if they want us to read, they need to remove this "Reading is Bad" stigma that exists with some kids...This is what they try to do, but because of society's rules, not to mention school rules, the only method of doing this that is expected is to force kids to read literary classics and discuss them...You all remember how boring that is...I certainly know...I'm in the most advanced English class I can be in at my age...I'm supposed to be along side the best English students in my age group...now, if we're so damn good at reading and writing, shouldn't we be allowed to use that knowlege in the way we see fit? No..we are forced to read the same books that our parents read in high school and learn the same damn thing.
Another thing that pissed me off about reading for school is that there is no interpretation...Here is a brief dialouge...I swear this is real, too...
"What do you get out of this, Jason?"
"Uh, I think that there's a strong message in this...I think that the message, at least how it hits me, is that you shouldn't be afraid of death no matter what comes, because death comes to us all."
"Mmm...no..."
"Well, that's how I saw it."
"You were close."
"But didn't we learn that theme is something that the reader ascertains for himself?"
"Yes, but here we know what the theme is."
"Didn't we learn that there can be an infinate amount of different interpretations for a single piece of writing, and that the reader himself is the one that should decide what the piece means?"
"Yes, but here we know what the theme is."
"Whatever..."
God I hate that.
Okay, this made no sense to you, I know...But I'll expect a two page essay on the "deeper meaning" of this article in three days, and also read "Plumbing Equipment or Controlling Cheese" on page four and be ready to discuss on Friday. Also read Jay's biography and find at least two life experiences that he had that made him not like English class.
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"Hey man...you smell..."
"Oh yeah?"
"yeah...like dinner..." |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 08:41:29 AM
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Grapes of Wrath... *shudders*
East Of Eden is far and away better than GOW. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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victorwootenfan
Alien Abductee
USA
2128 Posts |
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Miss Sorrel
Yak Addict
593 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 10:59:05 AM
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um, I don't get it... 
No really though... I agree with you. Reading isn't a chore, it's an incredible source of entertainment that for some reason people of all ages don't seem to get. I think in many cases it takes "that special book"... For me it was in 3rd grade when I read Island of the Blue Dolphin, and was again replenished my freshman year of h.s. with Catcher in the Rye.
It's like brushing your teeth... I assume now that everybody brushes their teeth... hell, I enjoy brushing my teeth! It doesn't take too long, and it replenishes a great feeling in my mouth... I brush my teeth more than I should according to my dentist, because apparently, I am rubbing the enamel right off... but... that's soooo not my point. But when you were a little one, brushing your teeth was a HORRIBLE event... your parents are making you put something in you mouth, and you can't spit too soon, but you can't swallow it either... the toothpaste is kinda tingly... it's a horrible event for little kids... but once you get over that, you begin to not only do it all the time... but kind of enjoy it too...
That's how I feel reading is... it's homework, something that has a bad connotation as it is... I am sure that if you were assigned one of your favorite pastimes as homework it still wouldn't be as good because somebody is making you do it... So what I did, because I was and still am one of the biggest losers that I know... would get the whole reading assignment for the semester or the year or however it worked, and would read at my own pace, maybe even out of order (how risque, I know)... That way... if I don't feel like reading Chapters 3 and fucking 4 when the teacher wants us to, because who are they to tell me how I am going to spend my weekend damnit, then I wouldnt have to... because I already did... so there... talk to the hand.
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 11:12:46 AM
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| yeah, that sucks. but, you have to. they could at least give you the book. |
death to false metal. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 11:47:51 AM
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How long is your summer break? 2.5 months? I, personally, don't think it's that unreasonable to require high school students to have some summer reading. And if you read ten pages a day, you could finish easily.
And kids have to be forced to read something. If we only let some kids read what they wanted to more likely than not, reading wouldn't get done.
I do feel your pain about the whole lack of interpretation. Hopefully that won't be the case for your upcoming year. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 2:48:17 PM
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| i agree with arthen. i had to do summer reading. and look how i turned out. flawless. |
death to false metal. |
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victorwootenfan
Alien Abductee
USA
2128 Posts |
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JemezFoodPeople
Chatterbox
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 6:45:58 PM
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Miss Sorrel, you brought up a neat topic - you said that the "special" books for you were Island of the Blue Dolphin, and Catcher in the Rye.
What were all of your special books that finally got you to read without being forced by a teacher?
Mine was Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins. |
"Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?"
-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
www.mattwinn.com |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 6:53:13 PM
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| Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 6:53:51 PM
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| My "Special Book" was Maniac Magee. We were forced to read it in 5th grade, but I ended up really enjoying it...so much that it became the first full book I read without it being required of me. I should pick up a copy at the used book store...I could breeze through it in under two hours I imagine. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 8:17:18 PM
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Special books. Required: Othello by William Shakespeare.
Un-Required: Flowers for Algernon. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 12:36:33 AM
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lord of the rings and books that go with it (silmarillion, unfinished tales, the hobbit)
dragonlance books (dragons of autumn twillight, dragons of winter night, dragons of spring dawning, dragons of summer flame, time of the twins, war of the twins, test of the twins, the soulforged, brothers in arms)
books by george carlin.
these are all you need. |
death to false metal. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 02:35:57 AM
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| Definitely the Silmarillion, Dan! Have you read "Farmer Giles of Ham"? |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 11:42:48 AM
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| no, though i've been wondering about it. is it good? |
death to false metal. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 11:53:52 AM
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| It's along the lines of his style for The Hobbit. I thought it was really good. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 2:20:39 PM
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| the hobbit was good, and i appreciate it for the part it played in concern with the war of the ring, killing the dragon and the finding of the ring of power. i didn't much care for a the narrative style of it, though. |
death to false metal. |
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rubylith
Fluffy-Esque
1915 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2003 : 2:24:40 PM
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| im a fan of the choose your own adventure series, honestly, sadly those are the only books i have ever read, lol |
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Back to school sucks...here's my opinion
