Throughout this year, I have read many different works of early English literature. From reading these works and following the rules of Vladimir Nabokov, I have grown tremendously as a reader since the beginning of this year. From reading Alice in Wonderland to now, I have grown to appreciate literature much more. I have developed a better sense of the English language through the use of a dictionary and the difficult sentence structure of works such as the Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Le Morte D’Arthur, and the Fairie Queene. Because of the difficult sentence structures, the different word usages, and the deeper meanings wrapped in each of these works, I have learned to reread to better my understanding of the text and to see if I …show more content…
With Alice in Wonderland, I had no intentions of using a dictionary for words that I did not understand, and as a consequence, I had no idea what a portmanteau was. This hindered my understanding of the entire chapter with Humpty Dumpty and also the portmanteaus throughout the book. Learning from my mistakes as I started Beowulf, I began to use a dictionary as I read, but I only looked up words that I had never seen before. Because I did not look up words that looked out of place to me due their meaning now, I misinterpreted many parts of Beowulf. As I began the Canterbury Tales, I started to write words that I did not understand or that looked out of place in my journal with a question mark by them. After I was finished reading, I would go back and look up the words I wrote down. Then, I would reread the passage to get a better comprehension of it. I continued to do this throughout the year on most of the other works I read. I used the difficult sentence structure of the literary works I read this semester to give me a greater understanding of the English language. Before this year, I had read little to nothing with any form of Old English sentence structure, and when I came to Beowulf, I found it difficult to read. I had to read a passage three or four times before I finally understood what was happening. In my journal, I would write why could we not have a better translation. Now I know why. As I became
The purpose of Beowulf shines through it’s Old English roots. While reading the novel, the reader may notice the use of Old English on the left side pages. Although this may be confusing to some, to others it connects the book to the original ancient story that was portrayed in song form long ago. This connection to the past creates a sense of urgency to the new writing, as if the Old English writing, though meaning the same thing as the new writing, has importance to the overall story as a whole. Without the use of Old English in the novel, the overall purpose and importance of the story that was once told hundreds of years ago would begin to fade. The use of Old English also brings a seriousness to the novel, as though to remind those who read it that the words were once true to those who believed the stories. Thus leading the reader to believe that the story of Beowulf was made and explained out of honesty and made to inform the people that it was told to.
From start to finish, English this year had been unlike any other I had. From start to finish, each and every book had a deeper meaning than I, before, could possibly resolve from the text. The exposure I had to this deeper level of thinking forever changed the way I see literature. Less about “what” than “why”, Literature distinguishes a meaningful story from another. While what makes a book “good” is different for everyone, what makes a story meaningful is what it teaches. Each book I read this year had a story and logic behind it. Every story was real enough to have actually happened because the plot points are supported with real speculation backed up by the nature of humanity. I, personally, have never gone as deep into literature as I have this year, giving me a new appreciation for the genius behind the speculation these books present.
The language of Old English, a harder language to understand than modern day English, makes people work harder to figure out what it means. Doing this will help people understand the harder papers, essays, and books they read later on in their lives. So, if people ever read more challenging texts than Romeo and Juliet, they will prepare them to take on the challenge. Also, with the tough vocabulary that occurs throughout the story, it helps enhance students’ vocabulary usage from using mono-syllable words to tri-syllable words. “Tempering extremities with extreme sweet” (Shakespeare act 2 prologue). This sentence, filled with difficult words, shows how great this story can help people strengthen their vocabulary. This also helps them seem more prepared for the future; by understanding words that people speak and able to have an intelligent
Coming from CP World Voices to Honors English II pushed me to work hard as a result of my fear of falling behind. However, the jump made me grow as a writer; my strength in analyzing literary texts grew and so did my love for the literary works we read. Because this class pushed me to become a more focused and serious writer I have experienced many pivotal moments that caused me to become more aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Looking back on the work we have covered this year I have concluded that my pivotal moments were a series of realizations that came in intervals. Close to the beginning of the year, I discovered that I enjoyed understanding and analyzing literary works to the smallest detail. To successfully do so I focused on my
Every word written or read is a chance to better yourself or someone else. Our words carry an enormous significance with them. Even if a person doesn’t enjoy reading or writing, they can not deny that fact. I bring this up because reading and writing has shaped me into the person I am today. So it is no surprise that I am willing to rant about how great reading and writing can be.
My life as a reader has been like a rollercoaster, I had ups and downs. There had been times where I would read regularly and my reading level would go up and there had been times where I completely stopped reading and my reading level dropped drastically.
Our cohort is nearing the end of its secondary education and therefore it is important that we reflect on the ways in which it has shaped our attitudes, values and beliefs. For example, over the past five years, we have read, analysed and evaluated various literary works such as novels, plays, poems and films in our English studies. These texts have expressed various ideologies, explored interesting themes and introduced us to fascinating characters. These elements have left a lasting impression on our attitudes, values and beliefs. In addition to this, English literary texts have provided us with historical knowledge as well as a thorough understanding of the role that aesthetic devices
In the words of T.S. Eliot, “We can say of Shakespeare, that never has a man turned so little knowledge to such great account” (Eliot). The works of Shakespeare are known throughout the world as classic literary pieces. The lessons learned through reading Shakespeare have carried themselves and remain to be true although they have been around for hundreds of years. The style in which William Shakespeare wrote has influenced a great amount of the literature that has been written in the more recent past-- books that are read throughout schools in the United States today. It is necessary to read the work of William Shakespeare in schools today, not only because of the lessons in his work, but to understand the roots of some of today’s literature.
As a reader and writer I always faced given assignments with the intent of doing exceptional jobs and take a sense of pride in my work to complete my tasks. As a reader, I will bore myself through out an entire book and realize I didn 't understand a single thing. Although as a writer, I can go on for so long losing myself on a topic because it feels more interactive. Reflecting on my experiences as a reader and writer have been very bold, I never really found a joy or an interest to become the exceptional student who stands out amongst others because, I always felt ok with myself and my results with the way I did things.
When I was a younger I don’t remember if I was read to or not, but I read a lot of books. I enjoy reading books because they allow me to reach new heights in my imagination. At my age many kids say that reading is boring and is for losers. I think it’s cool to read and will continue to read throughout my life. I have read many different types of books from fiction to biographies. The longest book I ever read was a book called Dragon Rider by Cornella Funke. It was five hundred and thirty five pages! When it comes to reading I am a superstar! When I’m reading I am able to get a moral lesson from what I read, so it ends up helping me in the long run of my life
Memory is a powerful concept. Often when an individual undergoes a traumatic situation, the ramifications of these actions seep into an individualfs psyche unknowingly. In effect this passes through memory and becomes sub-consciously buried within a personfs behavioural patterns generally. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink explores the concept of a young mans subconscious desire for a woman whom he gcanft remember to forgeth (1Memento) as she is so deeply inlaid within his soul.
I wouldn’t say that I am a good writer, and I really don’t like to read books either. Through my years in school I became literate in these two categories. I was and still am not interested in writing, or reading books in my spare time. The only writing I have ever done is for school. Writing just does not interest me, and the only reading I do out of class is reading about sports in magazines, or reading the news, or looking at web pages. I have only read a couple of books on my own, 95% of all the books I have read have been for school. The reason for not writing out of class is probably attributed to the fact that I am a very impatient person, and I have a short attention span. I have no interest in writing and reading so when
If I had a time travel machine, I would love to go back to our class’s first meeting. It was such a memorable day. I was so nervous that my first piece of writing seemed less than mediocre as I reflected on what I had written that day. While being happy that my name was randomly chosen to be added to the class, I was very scared of this class. The last time I wrote an essay was two years ago, and before this class I had forgotten how to write one. I believe good writing requires lots of practice, and I have not practiced my writing for a long time. In addition, my reading was not even up to par since I only read books required for my classes. I did not
The beginning of my interest in reading goes way back, although I don’t have any defining “aha!” moment, where I all of a sudden enjoyed reading books. There were always books around when I was growing up, if I was at my grandparents house it was the books they kept from their youth; classics like Treasure Island or any Hemingway book, the hard covers permanently infused with dust; plenty of History books, particularly World War II history; and the children’s books I always received as presents when I visited. My mom also read a lot, but more modern books, like supernatural or light horror books, nothing too difficult (or scary). I spent a lot of time reading magazines, mostly Video Game (note: spent more time creating stories off the
Reading has at all times and in all ages been a source of knowledge, of happiness, of pleasure and even moral courage. In today's world with so much more to know and to learn and also the need for a conscious effort to conquer the divisive forces, the importance of reading has increased. In the olden days if reading was not cultivated or encouraged, there was a substitute for it in the religious sermon and in the oral tradition. The practice of telling stories at bed time compensated to some extent for the lack of reading. In the nineteenth century Victorian households used to get together for an hour or so in the evenings and listen to books being read aloud. But today we not only read, we also want to read more and more and catch up