Thoughts

Paper 1: A Memerable Experience with Reading

To a child, the world is a wondrous place waiting to be explored. Though most children do not have the opportunity to travel the world, all children can experience it through written words. Books are a portal from one world to the next, and provide an escape from the harsh realities of life. Although many people would argue that television shows and movies do the same thing, the experience is quite different. In books a person can become completely enthralled in the text; the words activate one’s vivid imagination. Although the words describe a scene, each person can visual the plot however he or she may chose. Television does not allow for this interaction, rather it causes conformity of the mind. Still, most people chose to watch television for hours instead of relaxing with a good book. The reason is simple: reading a book takes a lot more effort than watching television. Most people do not want to put in the effort, and never have due to their constant exposure to television. However, there are a select few who thrive off knowledge, and see reading not as a chore, rather a pleasant escape from reality.

Personally, I find reading as an escape from reality, a shield against the difficulties I have had to face. Although I cannot say I have enjoyed every book I have read, and will admit that I have grudgingly trudged through many stories, I do have a passion for the written word. Similar to many passions, this one was awakened within me when I was very young. At a young age we are all taught to read and to write. But, no one can be taught to enjoy reading; rather it is a desire that must come from the depths of our souls. You see, almost everyone can read words and understand the meaning, but true readers are the ones who truly experience the words. I cannot claim that I am an expert reader, but I do have a special fondness for books and understand their importance. This understanding developed a very long time ago, and has gotten me through some rather difficult patches in my life.

I am now and always have been a very active individual. Throughout the day I can be found running around doing a myriad of things. However, when I was a little girl my favorite part of the day was its ending. This was a time when I could curl up with a good book and drift off into a foreign land, or some new adventure. Every night before I went to sleep my father would read to me. I enjoyed this time not only because I was daddy’s little girl, but also because I would become enthralled in the stories.  Times were difficult for us because my father was in the military, so enveloping myself in the stories enabled me to forget my painful realities. Whenever we would have one of our reading sessions, I paid close attention to the sounds and would try to place them with the words. I did this in part so that I would not have to wait for bedtime to be read to. Also, it was because I knew it was only a matter of time before he was deployed and I would be forced to read to myself. Eventually, the dreaded day arrived and my father was deployed to Somalia. Due to my close relationship with him I was constantly depressed and needed something to keep my mind off of his absence.

I read many books in my childhood; however one sticks out above the rest. This special book is called Baseball Ballerina by Kathryn Cristaldi; the first book I ever read on my own. Although more than fifteen years have passed since I read this book, I can recall the gist of the story. It was about a young girl who was a complete tomboy, much like myself at the time. She loved to play sports with the boys, and rejected girly activities. However, her mother had a different opinion on how her daughter should act, so she signed the girl up for ballet lessons. Of course the tomboy loathed the idea and was utterly embarrassed by it, but she worked through it and everything turned out all right. The book showed me that sometimes people have to do things they do not want to do, but normally things will turn out better than we expect. In essence, it taught me to be optimistic about life, a lesson that I still hold close to my heart.

Every person experiences difficult endeavors. Likewise, we all have different ways in which we deal with such difficulties. When I was young, I tried to escape from reality through literature. Unfortunately, as I grew older this became increasingly tedious. My life is full of chaos and I feel as if I have an endless to-do list. Always being on the run has kept me from my beloved books. I just do not seem to have the time to read anymore. This became increasingly evident once I entered high school, and the only books I had time to read were ones assigned for my classes. During this time I even began to loathe books because reading became a chore. You see, I went to an all-girls-private-catholic college preparatory school. Since my school was obsessed with its motto: “On the education of women largely depends the future of society,” they only assigned feminist-type books. I find the idea of feminism highly irritating, so constantly reading books about this topic became trying. Do not get me wrong, I am fond of the idea of equality among women and men, as well as female empowerment. However, many of the books seemed to be whiny, and spoke to deeply upon females receiving special treatment; this idea is completely against my viewpoint. Due to my disinterest I obviously drifted away from readying for a time. However, my passion was ignited once more by the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Though completely fictional, the stories allowed me to once again become completely enthralled by books.

Since that time I have found my long lost companion. I have become increasing interested in reading, and am more apt to give various different types of books chances. Although I will never fully enjoy every book I read, I once again understand their importance.  I have been reunited with the idea of books as an escape from reality, rather than the chore they once seemed to be. I realize that most people do not share my ideas about books. However, I do hope that at some point in time every person has the chance to read a book that they can relate to, and in some way touches his or her life.