To that end, today's discussion will focus on the proper mindsets to prepare you to do your best work for our unit on Welcome to the Monkey House. Since any discussion of Vonnegut must necessarily begin with reading Vonnegut, I want you to reflect on the following as a comment on this post, in order to prepare you for what I hope will be a revelatory discussion.
Please be sure to read the entire prompt first, and then respond. Too often students have been responding piece by piece to the posts, which I think greatly limits your ability to respond organically. I am not interested in doing your thinking for you; read the prompt, digest it for a minute, and then write a response that emphasizes YOUR THOUGHTS on the matter.
Do you ever read for pleasure? Why/why not? How often would you say you choose not to do assigned reading for classes in general (not just this class)? What is your thought process when you skip assigned reading? Do you think reading for pleasure differs in any way from assigned, in-class reading? If yes, how so? If not, elaborate. Are there "better" or "worse" ways to read for pleasure? Are there "better" or "worse" ways to read for class? If yes, give examples. If no, explain why you think that. What is your favorite color? Why do you think professors assign reading in their classes? Is there a kind of reading for class that you would be pleased to do? Is there a kind of reading for class that you would refuse to do, no matter what? How are reading and writing connected? How are they different? Who would play you in a movie about your life? Why do you think I had you read the assignment for today? What did you take away from it?
Devote some serious thought and effort to this, and then make sure you write quickly, because, come on, we're on a schedule here.
The days that I’m really bored and have nothing to do I will sit down and maybe read a book, reading does not interest me that much. I am not the type of person to sit down and read a series of books just for the fun of it. I think many of kids put off reading what the professor tells them to because in a college class you usually discuss what the reading was and kid think that they can just come to class and during that time will get a summary of the story. Some kids can sit down and read 6 chapters at a time and not even think about it. Now when I am told to read I will start reading and then get side tracked by something else and then forget what I just read. The reading material for this class is important to read because it gives you writing styles to help you write. I did not read the material I was assigned to read for class because I kind of forgot about it and just figured we would discuss it in class.
ReplyDelete-And my favorite color is blue. :)
i read for my own pleasure as often as i can. i like to read all kinds of things not just science fiction novels. i always do assigned readings in class or that are given by a proffessor because more often than not i find that i enjoy the readings or i learn alot from them. i think it differs only in the way that if im reading for pleasure ill go into the book wanting to read it and am interested and with assigned readings ill not want to read them at first but then they peak my interest and i enjoy it. my favorite things to read are historical things and non fiction. i enjoy stories that actually happened and learning about the way things used to be. now as for reading and writing being connected. i believe they are strongly correlated because if you read alot then you areexposed to all kinds of different writing styles and will be more aware of your own.
ReplyDeleteI used to read a lot when I was younger, like 5th to 10th grade. Nowadays, I hardly read at all for pleasure, let alone for classes. Often times, if it is just readings in a textbook, I rarely read them. My reasoning for that is that most classes go over the material anyway sometime before or after the reading was assigned. I tend to learn more from hearing a lecture than reading a chapter in a book, even just a class handout of condensed materials works better than books. The exception to that would be classes that assign novels, like this one. I read through this class's assigned book in approx. 5 hours, 2 weeks before class began. Reading for pleasure, for me, is usually reading a novel, but reading anything would be a boon nowadays, where the most some people read in a day are a hundred text messages or facebook updates. I would assume that the readings assigned in classes, those that assign them, would be to be familiar with the material before discussions, so to better solidify the materials. I don't have a favorite color. I would refuse to read, as I have in the past, any books about a person's past, hardships, trials and tribulations. I HATE those kinds of books. So your life isn't as great as you want it to be, as you feel it was entitled to be, as you feel it needed to be, or how you feel that that means you get to put a book out to hopefully inspire those in a similar situation...all of that is just crap. Crappy stories, crappy writing, and a crappy read. Li
ReplyDeleteI love to read for pleasure and i read whenever i get the chance. Because of school i often read more for school and cant read as much of what I like and i would prefer to read more for pleasure than assigned work. The reason being when its assigned it is not always what i like to read and i am not interested. If its for pleasure it is something that I picked out and I can stop if I do not like it halfway into it. There are better days to read for pleasure usually when im bored or just want to indulge in something other than tv or the computer and then there are worst days to read like in the summer when you want to go outside or to cedar point. When it comes to assigned reading depending on what it is and for what class it is i might skip the readings but only when i know it wont effect me as much. There are also better days to do assigned reading usually i do them when im in a homework mode. My favorite color is any shade of blue. I think teachers assign readings becasue your HAVE to read theres no way no to be able to learn without reading
ReplyDeleteI never read for fun really. The only things I read are like sports articles online and sometimes a newspaper or magazine. I don't find books as fun or as enjoyable as some people say they are it just seems like reading words and more like work than pleasure to me. I read most of the time for class the only time I don't read is when I forget it is due or over the weekends because I never remember to do the homework or barely any homework over the weekend. When i skip an assignment the thought process is nothing because i forget about it. Reading is not fun for me no matter what whether its an assignment or a book the someone reads for "fun" i think it is boring and a waste of my time when i could be going somewhere or doing something not sitting in a house staring at paper for an entire day. I feel like reading is a waste if someone asks you what you did over the weekend and you say oh i read three books the person will obviously think wow get a life.....favorite color is blue.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading very much for pleasure more then assigned reading most of the time. Reading for pleasure gives me a chance to relax and open up my mind to new concepts and ideas. I choose not to do assigned reading only when I don't have time and can no longer keep my eyes open at night to finish the assignment. I try my best to keep up with assigned reading because I feel it helps you keep with a class a lot. Also you never know what things you might learn from an assigned reading or you might even really end up enjoying the subject. I've read many books in my other english classes that have become favorites of mine. I think reading for pleasure differs a little because some people feel forced to read and don't absorb as much information because they're thinking of other things they could be doing or need to do. I think reading for pleasure should be done when you have extra time and can relax and just enjoy the content I think class should be that way too. Obviously you have a deadline to read the content by but you should try to not force read yourself with a small amount of time so you have time to digest what you're reading. I think the worst way you can read for school assignments are right before you go to sleep while you are so tired your not really absorbing anything. I don't have one favorite color...I have three blue, green, and yellow. Professors assign reading to help you understand a topic.
ReplyDeleteReading for me is more of a chore than anything. I am what you call a slow reader. Sometimes I need to read things more then once to be able to digest it. I am able to read limited things that really do hold my interest. I am able to read books that I already know something about and also ones that were made in to movies I have already seen. That might be a horrible thing to say, but reading for enjoyment is really not my forte. Reading for classes is a bit different. I really do try to get all the readings done for my classes. I feel that I need to read the information to better myself in the class. I might miss out on something and hurt my grade. However, I do not read very much other than that, which is probably hurting me in the long run anyway. Reading for class is not the most enjoyable, but it will help me in my class and help me better understand the topic at hand. When reading for my own enjoyment, I often start reading something and then find myself to never go back and actually complete the book or article. My writing really does not suffer from the fact that I do not read for enjoyment nearly as much as I should which is surprising. I would think that I would not be able to write half as well as I do considering my reading is so poor. I absolutely hate reading in old English texts. I lose concentration quite quickly and end up dreading the rest of the reading. My favorite color is hot pink!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't ever read for pleasure because I never really get interested in books that I read. I barely read the assignments that I'm supposed to read for my classes and when I have too, I usually wait to the last minute and am forced to read spark notes or something to that nature. My thought process when I skipped the assigned reading, is to immediately go online and look for the book on spark notes and read the summary of the book on there. I believe that reading for pleasure is 100% different from assigned reading because you are reading about a book of your own interest instead of one you are being forced to read which most likely is not a topic you would like to read.
ReplyDeleteReading and writing are connected by the phonics of the English Language. such as this class allows to write academic arguments, so has the writers in the world and of the past argued about life itself. i have read certain literature that argues about life, religion, and myth that has NOT been assigned to this class. However, it is mostly in script, but it does give a clear understanding of the presence of literature.
ReplyDeleteCharacters have been identified within the story as certain religious symbols or as certain political figures. and just for the enjoyment and for my amusement, revel in their discord.
I love to read for pleasure, when I find the time. It's a nice escape for me. Lisa Gardner is my all-time favorite author, I have read all of her books. I have never choose to not do an assigned reading for classes. I don't quite understand why anyone would choose to not read an assignment and be in the dark when it comes to a classroom discussion. Reading for pleasure is however more enjoyable. Most assigned readings from textbooks are very dry, whereas a Lisa Gardner book I don't want to put down because it's so exciting. A better way to read whether it be for pleasure or for class for me, is to be in a quiet room by myself where there are no distractions to break my train of thought. My favorite color is red, because it is a powerful color. I would have Catherine Zeta Jones play me because she's just absolutely incredible. Professors assign reading in their classes because there's not enough time in class to in detail discuss all of the material.
ReplyDeleteYes i read for pleasure , i do this because most times the characters lives in the books seem to be a lot more interesting than mine. I choose to skip an assigned reading about a fourth of the time.My thought process is ussually that it will be covered in class and then ill understand whats going on. Reading for pleasure is different because there is nothing overtly educational about it and if im going to learn anything its not because i was asked later to look back and think critically. There isnt a better way to read for pleasure the worst way to read for pleasure is to be drilled on it after each chapter is complete. blue
ReplyDeleteReading for me is usally a very enjoyable expierence if I am interested in what I am reading, when I was younger I was a bit of a book worm but as I aged I found myself interested in other activities and soon neglected reading for fun. I usually pick up reading for pleasure during times of bordom, the summer, vacation or while babysitting. When a teacher assigned to do a reading assignment in high school I was very adimite about not only completing the assignment but understanding it as well, but when I progressed to college my work ethic has been lacking and I tend to skip the occasional reading assignment. I have yet been assigned to read a novel instead just chapters in a text book, or a online article. considering that I do enjoy reading novels and try to give every genra a try I do believe that when I am assigned to do reading of a book that I will most lilely perticiapte in the assignment more then I would if it was a text book. I think orange is a great color and it is certainly my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI rarely read for pleasure. I don’t know the last time I read for pleasure. I don’t really like to read, it takes me way too long to read because I’m a really slow reader. I guess I just don’t do it because not many books intrigue me enough to make me want to take time out of my busy life to read them. There are a few times I skipped out on reading for classes but got summary’s and answers to papers from friends. I don’t like being made to read books that I don’t find interesting, it’s as simple as that. I kind of feel bad skipping an assigned reading but there are some readings that are just so boring I just dread picking it up. Reading for pleasure definitely differs from assigned reading because if I want to read for pleasure I get to pick my own book with a topic I like rather than a tedious book like Dante’s Inferno. Better ways to read for classes are to get ahead! I never have time to read so I try to get ahead in assigned books whenever I have time to spare. My favorite color is pink, maybe because it’s so girly. I used to be a big tom boy and blue was my favorite color. I think when I realized I was a girl I just adapted that pink was my color. My favorite color is not very important though because I’m not 10 anymore. Professors assign readings to make their students expand their minds. There are no readings I would be pleased to do in class. There is no reading I would just not do, just because. It just depends how I feel about the reading.
ReplyDeleteI have read for pleasure quite a bit in the past, but not so much anymore. In my senior year english class my teacher had a room full of great books, and although we weren't ASSIGNED to read them, he encouraged it, and I read more than anyone in the class. After I left the class, though, I really haven't read much since. I read a lot online though, mostly articles on CNN or just random articles on (Yeah, I know) Wikipedia. Although a lot of people hate on that site there really is a lot of solid information on it. I can spend hours just clicking from link to link on that site, learning new things that I never thought I would have cared about before. I'm not gonna lie, a lot of the time when there is assigned reading I don't do it. Normally if it's for a history class or something I will just read the summary at the end of the chapter or skim through it. I think this is because through grade school, the only thing that really mattered was the "points", and the reading didn't count for points and we could get the points on the tests by simply reading the vocab/chapter summary. Reading for pleasure differs from assigned reading because you actually take the initiative to read for pleasure, so it sinks in more and is more effective.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite color is green.
Professors assign reading in class because I think a lot of people, including myself, learn best from reading. Not only that, but usually the textbook has everything that the class will cover inside of it, so if you read the textbook you can learn easily. I came in late so I didn't really get to answer much of this but now I have to stop.