One of my absolute favorite things about reading is how books can mean such different things to different people. After participating in a read a long where the questions was asked, "If there's a lesson to be learned from this story, what do you think it is?" and reading everyone's different responses, I was just blown away. I mean, check out my friend's responses.
...Suey from It's All About Books
"Don’t trust what someone tells you unless it’s from the source. Also, don’t be afraid to give people a second chance. Some may surprise you and others may not."
...Jenni from JenniElyse.com
"Be kind. Be genuine. Don’t act different in front of different audiences."
...Jessica from The Bluestocking Society
and my own thoughts...
"You can't spend your whole life making everyone else happy. At some point you need to think of yourself."
Crazy huh? And then my friend from Bookmark Dragon posted this thought...
Very true indeed.
I know! Bad childhood memories just resurfaced, right? Hopefully not. That's why required reading always bugged me. (now, technically I was home schooled and did not experience it myself but I have many a friend who did) You have this crotchety English teacher who insists you read a book. So, you read the book and, hey, maybe it wasn't so bad. You go to class all ready to discuss, or you write your paper on the book only to be mentally and verbally backhanded by your teacher who claims that She/He is the only one that knows what the author was really trying to say and what the book is really about! Well, I don't know about you, but that's not what reading is about. Not to me, at least.
Books are to be experienced. They mean something different to everyone that reads them and may even mean something completely different on a reread years later. That's why I love reading so much. It's why I love talking about books with other book lovers. Books are awesome! Am I right?!
So what about you, did you have a scary English teacher that insisted they and only they knew what the book was really about? Or did you have an awesome teacher that let you interpret books any way you wished?
And next time you are with someone that read the same book as you, ask them what they thought the message to the book was. It's pretty cool to get other's perspectives!
What a great post! I had some really great English teachers over the years, but one of them was the scary type. You had to put her interpretation of things in an essay or you wouldn't do well. She didn't like when people had unconventional interpretations of things - it was less about reading being an individual experience, and more about it being something that should be understood the same way by everyone. Plus, she was generally a bit odd. At a parents' evening once, she asked me what books I had been reading, so I gave her names and a list of authors. Then she just sort of sneered and said "I haven't heard of any of those". She proceeded to tell me I needed to read books by well known authors and basically implied the stuff I was reading was worthless! Not the most encouraging way to get a person to read or talk about books...
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Seriously?! See these are the types of stories that drive me crazy. Thank goodness you kept your love of reading inspite of this teacher.
DeleteLove this! We should do this more often too... all say what we thought a book means and compare. Another feature? LOL! You are full of the ideas these days!
ReplyDeleteWe should do it at book club. It would be fun to hear what others thought the message to each book we read was.
DeleteI love this! I think it's true that no two people read the same book, and that's what makes books so awesome! And leads to lots of great discussions.
ReplyDeleteAll my English teachers had expected answers. I can't say that any of them didn't accept/listen to other opinions as I was really good at knowing what types of answers teachers expected (the ones in Cliff's notes in case you were wondering) and if I was ever called upon *shudder* I gave the expected answer.
Yeah, it's sad that there's a expected answer.
DeleteI studied English Literature at school and it always annoyed me that I had to come to the same conclusions as the the teacher or the education providers. I was never allowed to just interpret the book on my own. I think that's why I have a bit of a complex about reading book reviews now! Because I need to know if how I felt about a book was "right"
ReplyDeleteSee? Drives me crazy! How boring would it be if we all thought the exact same thing about books?
DeleteGreat post. And, this is why I hated required reading because it had to fit within a certain experience to be right. Plus, who's to say the author really meant that. Sure, the ones that are clearly symbolical, but some are just there and we're all meant to experience it within our own experiences not the same way. Wow that was a long sentence. I love seeing other people's reactions because it shows me that we're all different and it helps expand my own mind.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had one of those teachers. You should be allowed to experience whatever you want when reading.
DeleteAs an English teacher... that is NOT best practices. That is like, the worst way to teach and the best way to limit learning and prevent students from being lifelong readers. :(
ReplyDeleteAgreed! So glad you're not one of those teachers.
DeleteI was very lucky, for the most part I had wonderful English teachers who loved books and didn't try to stifle our creativity or discussions. My one high school English teacher also taught drama and managed The Reading Team, the two after school activities I was part of.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a good one.
DeleteYes! Fabulous post!
ReplyDeleteIn high school, I was required to read The Great Gatsby one year and then to analyze it thoroughly. It completely ruined my reading experience, because I could never seem to understand what the teacher was saying about how this color he references means this and this other phrase means this. To this day, I still cringe whenever I see anything about that book, unfortunately.
But that is a good example of what you're saying because if I had been allowed to interpret it however I wanted, I wouldn't have the terrible memories about it. Because we DO all read things differently. It's one of the awesome things about reading in my opinion. And it's one reason I like to read reviews, especially of books I've already read, to see what stuck out to others. Plus it sparks conversations about books, which is always great fun! :)
I have been meaning to comment on this post for weeks. Forgive my tardiness! (In my defense, I did just have a baby, so there's that. I blame the kid.) Anyway, I love your thoughts here. One of the most difficult aspects of my English classes growing up was where we, the students, were supposed to decipher what a book "meant." I always took issue with that idea, because, as you said, books mean different things to different people. There may be a universal theme, but every book will mean different things to its various readers. That's why I love book clubs, because you learn a little more about *why* people come away with such diverse reactions. It's always fascinating to me to try and uncover the reasons behind those reactions. (Plus, I just love a good, heartfelt discussion.) I think that's why books always feel so personal to me, because they build on my personal life experiences and teach me, build me, and/or enlighten me. All hail books!
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