Did you know...

[lola_siannodel]

That although the nuber of people who can read is at an all time high, the people who do read is at an all time low. I heard that before, and I have to say, I can believe that. I mean, most kids would hear of a book adn say "I don't wanna read that gonk !" And stuff. Most kids my age would rather read a magazine on fashion or sports than a novel or even a collection of short stories. And when they read, they are very monotone. I'm the only kid in my Speech and Drama class that knows how to pronounce "Archaic". It's not like people are naive, too. They make lame, perverted puns all the time. It's below my intelligence, and below my pervertedness (Not to brag). Your opinion on where literacy and society is going?  

[[Amonie]]

I point at least one finger of blame at schools. I think that if the schools were to select better books, students might not slip away from reading so fast.

So far in this school year my class has read; Away, Macbeth and, Catcher in the Rye. Now I'm not saying these books suck. But they aren't aimed at the average student today. Most of the students I've talked to have hated at least 2 of these three books.

So perhaps if schools selected more "average teen friendly' then the world would be a more grammaticaly correct place. ;P  

[lola_siannodel]

[Amonie]

I point at least one finger of blame at schools. I think that if the schools were to select better books, students might not slip away from reading so fast.

So far in this school year my class has read; Away, Macbeth and, Catcher in the Rye. Now I'm not saying these books suck. But they aren't aimed at the average student today. Most of the students I've talked to have hated at least 2 of these three books.

So perhaps if schools selected more "average teen friendly' then the world would be a more grammaticaly correct place. ;P

That is true, but some of the stories the kids say are bad, I think are good, at least ok. They should choose beter books, though. Also, once they hear something about an aurthor that may be unpleasent, they only remember and care about that, instead of the works teh writer did.  

[JTequila]

There's no incentive for kids to be reading anymore. Before, people read because there wasn't much else to do. Now kids have video games, computers, the internet etc. No room for books anymore.

I don't necessarily think it's something for the schools to solve either. Parents could do a lot better at parenting nowadays. They need to stop trying to be their kids' best friends, and be their kids' parents.  

[Shrocomemos]

I think it's partly the school's fault because they usually pick really boring books or books written in the 70s that have either boring plots or bad writing. Then they make you analyze(can't spell that word. XP) it, which makes it worse. I've always hated English class for that reason.

I also think it's kind of ironic that my parents force me to get offline when I'm reading an extremely well-written fanfic to read a book and I end up reading a manga to piss them off.

@lola_siannodel: You're the only one who can pronounce that? Sad...

 

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

I think they should let students pick the books they want to read instead of assigning them. The only books I read assigned that I even remember now are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Red Pony and a story about a kid named Jesse who runs away to live in the Catskills Mountains and tames a falcon.  

[lola_siannodel]

Shrocomemos

I think it's partly the school's fault because they usually pick really boring books or books written in the 70s that have either boring plots or bad writing. Then they make you analyze(can't spell that word. XP) it, which makes it worse. I've always hated English class for that reason.

I also think it's kind of ironic that my parents force me to get offline when I'm reading an extremely well-written fanfic to read a book and I end up reading a manga to piss them off.

@lola_siannodel: You're the only one who can pronounce that? Sad...

My parents don't really force me to read. I usualy am not told to read a story at home, and my parents know I like to read any way. It's kinda like I just stay in my room and they leave me alone, I leave them alone. The only thing like that that ever happened was when I wanted to read "A Child Called It" for my summer reading, but my mom wouldn't let me, so I ended up reading "Flowers for Algernon" (It was still a good book, but still). My problem is that I can't just sit down and read a novel. I have a short attention span, so I usualy read it, thenm do something else, then continue reading it, then get distracted, and so on untill I finish it. I guess that's why I tend to lean more toward short stories.

Shinobi 1977

I think they should let students pick the books they want to read instead of assigning them. The only books I read assigned that I even remember now are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Red Pony and a story about a kid named Jesse who runs away to live in the Catskills Mountains and tames a falcon.

That would be beter. That really would get kids more interested in reading.  

[Sachiko13]

Caine1035

There's no incentive for kids to be reading anymore. Before, people read because there wasn't much else to do. Now kids have video games, computers, the internet etc. No room for books anymore.

I don't necessarily think it's something for the schools to solve either. Parents could do a lot better at parenting nowadays. They need to stop trying to be their kids' best friends, and be their kids' parents.

very true. this is also why i am one of the few polite people at my school: my mom is my mom, not my friend. there is plenty of time to be your child's best friend when they are grown, but when you're raising them, you need to have some guts. people who can't say "no" to their kids make me sick.  

[lola_siannodel]

Sachiko13

Caine1035

There's no incentive for kids to be reading anymore. Before, people read because there wasn't much else to do. Now kids have video games, computers, the internet etc. No room for books anymore.

I don't necessarily think it's something for the schools to solve either. Parents could do a lot better at parenting nowadays. They need to stop trying to be their kids' best friends, and be their kids' parents.

very true. this is also why i am one of the few polite people at my school: my mom is my mom, not my friend. there is plenty of time to be your child's best friend when they are grown, but when you're raising them, you need to have some guts. people who can't say "no" to their kids make me sick.

Yeah. same here.  

[[.Cold.As.Ice.]]

The only book I found interest in reading and analyzing was "Of Mice and Men." Very good book. Incase you don't know the plot, here it is.

One man, and his friend. George, and Lenny have been chased out of town, for an alleged[sp?] rape on a woman. Although, little did the woman know, that Lenny was mentally challenged. He liked to touch soft things, and this ladies dress was indeed, silk. So they hid out in a trench for around 2 days, then go to another town, looking for work. George, is like an older brother to Lenny, always looking out for him.

When they get to this new town, they meet a fellow named Curly, who was determined to kill Lenny. Lenny is of course, the main focus, because it makes us understand slightly what it's like to be mentally challenged. Anyway, check the book out. You all should find it pretty interesting.  

[lola_siannodel]

xFyRe

The only book I found interest in reading and analyzing was "Of Mice and Men." Very good book. Incase you don't know the plot, here it is.

One man, and his friend. George, and Lenny have been chased out of town, for an alleged[sp?] rape on a woman. Although, little did the woman know, that Lenny was mentally challenged. He liked to touch soft things, and this ladies dress was indeed, silk. So they hid out in a trench for around 2 days, then go to another town, looking for work. George, is like an older brother to Lenny, always looking out for him.

When they get to this new town, they meet a fellow named Curly, who was determined to kill Lenny. Lenny is of course, the main focus, because it makes us understand slightly what it's like to be mentally challenged. Anyway, check the book out. You all should find it pretty interesting.

Oh yeah. My sister read that book. So far I like the Edgar Allen Poe short stories that we read and Fahrenheit 451.

In case you don't know that plot, it's about a Furtureistic society, where reading books is illeagal. If the govenment find out you own any books, their Firemen, like the protagonist Guy Montag, are sent to burn the books, and the police arrest you. At first, Montag loves his job. He loved burning the books. That is, he thought he loved it. Then he meets a young, 16 year old girl named Clarisse, who tells him about how people never take time to look at the world and ask questions, adn they drive at 1000 mph, and bidboards are so long so people can read them. Then she asks him is he's happy. That's when he realizes how unhappy he is. That's when life starts changing for him. Soon, he's stoeing away books and planning with an old man named Faber to help change the world by hiding books in other fire men's homes. Soon, he gets found out, and the firemen ggo to his house. After burning his home, he walks out, adn the ear peice he was using to communicate with Faber fell out, and Beatty, his boss,threathened to arrest him. That;s when Montag snaps, adn points his falmethrower at Beatty. He lights his boss on fire, and knocks out teh other fire men. Then he goes to his back yard, grabs four books, hides them in another fire man's house. He goes to Faber's house, adn gets some clothes and stuff. Then he makes a run for it. He goes to teh outskirts of teh city, and sees a group of hoemless intellectuals sitting around a fire. One of them,. Granger, takes out an mini TV and shows Montag a live video of the chase, adn then the ppolice tke a guy who looks liek Montag and kills him. Whiel they were taking, a bomb drops on teh city, killing everyone there. Then tehy start their plans for a new world. The end.  

[SilverMaple]

The books we have to read at school are horrible. My teacher once picked a book on ***** that apparently won some sort of prize. It's about a sixteen year-old boy in military school during World War II if I remember, who falls in love with his teacher's wife, and they end up having sex... a lot. eek My classmates were mortified at how... I believe he was describing an orgasm at one point, but I am definitely not sure sweatdrop Now that's why my classmates didn't want to read the schoolbooks any more. confused  

[LaForet]

Once I was reading a philosophy novel (Sphie's World -- excelent you should read it) and my friend was standing next to me. She asked me what I was reading and I told her it was an excellent novel. Then she said:

"How can a novel be excellent? Books are crappy, why read them when you can go see a movie?"

Then I told her gonk : "Books are fun! Books make you smarter movies don't ! "

And she stared stare at me like I was some kind of alien. Nowadays reading isn't in anymore !? crying  

[lola_siannodel]

This has turned into a discussion of why people aren't reading hasn't it? Well, here is a post I've made in another thread (Loss of Literacy in Modern America, I beleive it was called). I just copyed and pasted. I think it's a mixture of things, now please read on, and you will hear my little rant on what's wrong today.

Television deffinately has something to do with it. Now, I don't think it's evil, and I watch alot of TV, but not as much as some people, and at least I read along with it. Now, TV has done alot of good things for me. For example, if it wasn't for tv, I would have never discovered my love for drawing anime, for I would have never been introduced to it. I got some good out of it. But, the problem is, most people are far to influenced by what they see and hear. I am smarter than to do stuff like this, and in a sence it is the kid's own fault, but many children have been put into hospitals for immitating their favorate TV shows. Not only that, but TV only reinforces the idea that stupidity is good and lovable, and does tend to make the intelligent seem like geeks. Even though there are stupid people out there who are kind, and very friendly, not all us intelligent people stay inside all day, not all of us are nerds, and not all of us are weak. There are shows that give the impression that certain behavior is ok. Some of these shows also give people the wrong idea on how things are. Life isn't easy or happy, and, at the same point, not everyone smokes pot, or drinks, and when someone acts alittle happier than usual, it doesn't always mean they're high or drunk. At the same point, people's intelligence and the intelligence of the jokes do seem directly connected. You will notcie taht as time goes on, humor seems to get lower and cruder. People are laughing at stupid sexual puns that seem like things a child could think up. Kids, also, haev more knowledge of sex and drugs than they are ready for, and child hood innocence, at least when I was growing up, ended at 6. If even that late. Along with that, they hear these jokes that they don't understand, and laugh because the parents laugh, or a audience laughs, without knowing what it means or why it's funny. Thus, every one has such a similare sence of humor, and whatever the TV says is funny, is funny.

Schools can also be to blame. I will make a quote from a book, Fahrenheit 451, I've read

Beatty

Soon, the schools where turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual' of course, became the swear it deserved to be.

The sad thing is, it's true. Test grades are sharply dropping, and the government does things to these school that they think wil benifit them, but only makes things worse. The test minimums have been dropped sharply, so the schools don't seem like an embressment. Most kids in college prep classes, suposidly somewhat higher classes, can hardly even read. It's not cool to read, or draw, or write. No. You must be like every one else. You must dress in teh latest fasions, watch the hottest shows, all lacking real intelligence or meaning, you must do this you must do that. If you don't, you have no friends. And don't even think about watching this, or reading, or knowing anything about this. Alot of the populare kids don't know this, but it takes balls, in high school, to be different. There are kids getting jumped because they wore their hair weird, or something dumb like that (Not exagorateing, that really happens.) It takes balls for a guy to admit he's gay, it takes guts to read. Those who show any true independence from their peers are rejected and alone, the fair sex not even giving them the time of day. In high school, one's worth is determined by how populare they are. Cliqs are a huge problem, and there are people, like me, that hardly have one because they're are so few people who have the balls to acctualy take part. People who don't really care about what every one else in teh school are wearing, who don't care what some kid who your never going to see after graduating, except at high school reunions, thinks about a certain show, and I don't care if every one thinks I'm a freak. I'm one of those people, who, no matter what I do, will always be a freak, because of one thing I did wrong in kindergarden. Some weird thing I did in first grade. How I dressed in 6th. When one reads, that person is seen as weird. Wheather it's jealousy, veiws based on how TV potrays us, or teh fact that most of the popluare kids can't, and thus you aren't clones of them, I have no idea.

I seriously agree with Ray Bradbury, that soon, reading will even go to the extent fo being a crime, and violence and manslaughter will be seen as less evil than reading a poem. Kids will run people down for kicks, and overdosage will become so common, that it is looked as like an every day thing. I mean, some of the things he described do exist, like "Sea-shell headphones" and the TVs he described are eerily similare to huge, plasma screen TVs that every one either has, or wants. The way Beatty described how the world came to be the way it was seems like things that have happened. And his time came in the 50's, maybe 60's. It will probobly happen later than he first predicted, but it'll probobly still happen. Unless, of course, the world was to do something about it, before we start making libarys illegal, and, at one point, blowing oursleves up.

And here's alittle added part. people aren't patient. Entertainment has to be instant. I tried reading a ghost story to my friend, and she got impatient because I had to describe things to her. All books will become tapes and movies. Cds, Mp3s, and the such will soon make reading 'Obsoliete', and we will no longer feel we have a use for it any more. Thus, we don't and won't read. People also don't have imagination any more. They can't picture what is going on, while I can picture it very well. Whether it's TV, or just the generation, I don't know. In Shakespeare's plays, at the beginging, he would tell people to imagine horses when they speak of horses and stuff. Mainly beacause they didn't have the props, and couldn't bring in horses. But still, people had an imagination. Now, not to insuklt science, but we're coming up with to many explinations. I mean, peopl no longer ask, because they believe that they know. No one's couriouse about the world around them. No one asks questions, or anything. If somebody does something, we don't wonder why. We just believe them a freak and move on.  

[La Diavola]

-nodnod- What people have said about the books and analyzing (don't mock my bad spelling) of the books in schools is true. Making kids to lengthy reports and lots of short-answer questions kind of turns them off to reading. The books tend to be historical, too. We read one book about this kid in a war in the 1700's or something... I can't even remember the title, but it sucked! It was so boringl no one gave a s**t that he fired a rifle! We want to read something with an interesting plot, interesting characters, and maybe something that we can understand or relate to. Sheesh!

But schools aren't entirely to blame. Parents are blameable (haha, new word), too. They raise their kids not caring about books. Perhaps if parents read bed-time stories to the children at night and told lot's of stories and always tried to put some emphasis on thinking, then maybe, maaaaayyyybeeeee, a few more children would read. When you grow up in an environment that tells many tales, you'll probably end up wanting to hear more; books are ******** perfect.

I don't know why some people hate books so much. There are always interesting books. Maybe my book isn't their book, but there is always something to suite one's interest. I like analyzing characters, sometimes. Especially the ones like Bevvy in It (Stephen King). I had a huge self-debate over her. Naturally, being a teenager, the word 'whore' comes to mind easily for me...

(I read Flowers For Algernon, too. I loved it. It's a really cute, sweet story. His m,other and sister suck, though. Even at the end I think his sister was only nice because she knew he knew the difference. -_-;; )