When I was growing up, I viewed history as boring and something in the past which did not affect me. Part of this might have been because of the history teachers, but a more valid explanation might be my age, a lack of life experiences, and a limited amount of reading. (Yes, even I did not do much reading unless it was assigned, something my friends were reading, or an extremely popular book.)
As I got older, my views about history started to shift, partly because I matured, but also because I encountered literature which made me think about the past. Works like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath are only two of many works which have given me glimpses of the past and piqued my curiosity to learn more. I will admit I am still far from a history buff, but if a writer can weave a little history with a good fictional story, then I am "all in."
In fact, my love for historical fiction has expanded to include cultural or global pieces to help me grow and learn about the people and places which make up the world. Reading works like Cry, the Beloved Country or Copper Sun can show readers places they will probably never visit. Seeing these places on television or in a movie might offer some idea of what these places are like, but we all know it doesn't compare to the ability to walk in the person's shoes that reading can offer.
Readers can also learn an awful lot about Nebraska from reading pieces written by authors from here. It could be a fictional piece like My Antonia or a biographical piece like Old Jules. However, the point is if we don't read such things, then how else can we learn about these things? Much of Nebraska history is covered in elementary and middle school while the high school focuses on national or global events.
For your blog response, I ask you to reflect on your own experiences with learning about the past and other cultures. What role has literature played in helping you grow as a reader, a person, and a learner? How do you think literature will play a role in shaping your views in the coming years and throughout your life?
I agree that readers can learn so much about a place just by reading a book that is based in a certain area. When reading The Things They Carried, I learned not only so much about what soldiers went through in the Vietnam war but also what the geography of Vietnam was like. Reading has also taught me that each person takes in what is said/written very differently. When reading books readers perceive the words in many unique ways. This will play into shaping what I say to others. I now understand that I might say the same thing to different people but they will probably take it differently just like we perceive the words on a page.
ReplyDeleteReading books based in other places or in another time period helps readers see what has happened in history. For example, when reading the book Number the Stars, the readers see what Jewish families had to do to not get taken to a concentration camp. I gives insight about the geography of Europe because they flee to Denmark. Literature has helped me have more compassion for people who lived through hard times such as these in the past. Literature will shape everyone's life because each book will teach you something new, such as sympathy or curiosity on a new topic.
ReplyDeleteReading is a cheap way to travel to other places and learn about history and cultures. Reading "Pride and Prejudice" in middle school, taught me that people's view on marriage was much different than what it is today. Seeing characters marry for titles and money opened my eyes to see that not all women had a choice in who they married. I believe that reading helps me learn about the past more than sitting in a history class because it is more enjoyable. Reading has made me more aware of the problems and injustices our world has gone through. In years to come, it will make me more educated on current and past events that have helped shape our world.
ReplyDeleteReading books in other time periods can help educate readers on what life was like back then, how people lived, the land, and how people survived. The Grapes of Wrath has also helped me learn more about farming in the old days, because I come from a family that used to farm and my grandpa and dad would always talk about the hardship that struck in the 1980's with farming and now I understand that better. Literature has helped me learn and grow as a reader by teaching me about the past, such as the Little House on the Prarie books for example. I think literature will help shape my views throughout my life by making me think more open minded, because there is two sides to every story. It also makes me feel grateful because times are less difficult today than they were back in the old days, and it makes me realize how much things have changed.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading for as long as I can remember, but mainly fantasy or science fiction books. Freshman year was the first time I had to really read and dissect a piece of literature written before I was born. One of my favorite books from the past is The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I loved this book, not just because of my obsession with the television show, but because the language was so different from young adult novels that I normally read. I was able to learn more about the language and the setting, which I found to be the most interesting part. I also really enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because it allowed me to walk in the shoes of someone from the past. It taught me a little more about how things were done back then, which I found to be really educational. Reading these pieces of literature have made me more open-minded whenever a book is assigned for a class. I no longer hate the idea, but look forward to discovering a new favorite book. In the future, I know this will help to not just turn something away because it isn't something I would normally do or read, but to accept it with an open mind.
ReplyDeleteHistory has always been one of my favorite subjects in school. I enjoy learning about the past and how things changed over time. Reading is a gateway to the past for me. Most of the books I read either have a retrospect to the past like the longest ride and the vampire diaries, or they are rooted firmly in the past like black storm comin and loves long journey. Books like the Kite Runner and The things they carried, carried me into different cultures and gave me new knowledge at a global level. Reading these kinds of books have helped me grow not only as a reader, but also as a learner. Often times there is old slang or sayings that I have to decipher which I find very fasinating and wonder why some of these terms are no longer used. The more books I read whether they be based in the now or the past, continue to change my views on things. Even though most of the stories are fantasy, they open my eyes a little more with every page flip. I hope to continue soaking in as much information as I can, so that the mistakes of the past won't haunt my future.
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ReplyDeleteA lot of my knowledge of history and culture comes from school and from books that I have recently read. I have learned most of it in my classes when we read a lot of the books that we do. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Kite Runner are both good examples of books that I have learned culture and history in. These books have helped grow my education and I have grown to appreciate different history and cultures. I think that literature will open my eyes to new things and help me grow as a person and view my past and future in a better way.
When reading books that talk about the past I feel like I understand the past more than if I was listening to a lecture in history class. When books have a historical plot to them, I have to know the past and what it is like to understand the book fully. Reading has grown me in understand different places and people instead of meeting them in person. While reading I can feel the landscape and what it looks like, and how people act down south, or people in other continents. In the coming years I feel like reading will continue to help me learn new things and help my mind stay creative and young.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading books that were set in the past I feel as though I have reached a better understanding of the circumstances during that time. Historical literature in the form of a novel is much more appealing than if it were in a history textbook. Literature has helped me grow as a reader, a person, and a learner in many ways. Through reading I have developed a larger vocabulary from encountering many different types of sophisticated language. Literature has also taught me about people, obviously some of the scenarios in books are too far fetched to occur in real life, but they have still taught me about certain interactions. In the coming years I believe that reading will continue to widen my understanding of the world and also sustain my interest in learning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I read many books to my sister and myself in my free time. My sister Miya and I would get involved in the Lincoln City Libraries' summer reading challenges. I remember there was one book I checked out more frequently than others. This book was called The Road To Paris by Nikki Grimes. The main character in the book was Paris. Paris was a black foster child that moved from home to home with her brother Malcolm. At a young age, I was already learning about segregation and what the lives of African Americans were like. With all the chaos of school, sports, and friends, my reading window closed and I began to dislike books.
ReplyDeleteNow, I only read in English class usually when it is assigned. I have enjoyed most of the books we've read, but history does not interest me. In my future, I plan to read more for enjoyment. However, reading books that involve history will have an effect on my point of view. I am not far in The Grapes of Wrath, but maybe this book will increase my interest in history.
When reading books that talk about the past I feel like I understand the past more than if I was listening to something in history class. When books have a historical plot to them, I have to know the past and what it is like to understand the book fully.Like, "hey I read about that once." While reading I can feel the landscape and what it looks like, and how people act down south or back in the 1700's. I hope I can continue to read so I can learn and understand other cultures and time periods.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read books about the past, it gives me an appreciation for how people lived during hard times. One book that I read was a nonfiction about the life of a typical cavalry soldier during the period between the civil war and the turn of the century. Since that book took place in the United States, I can mostly understand the culture as it is shown by people from the time period. From other books that are set in other parts of the world, I can learn about the culture and what was going on at the time in other parts of the world. Sometimes it astonishes me as to how much some people went through and what little technology they had to help with their problems that they still overcame.
ReplyDeleteMost of the history and culture that I have learned in my life is mainly from history class and documentaries that I have watched on TV. Personally I think that literature has helped me grow as a learner in quite a bit. Most of the books that I read are non-fiction and are stories from people who have been through what happened. I mainly read war and war history books because I feel that it is something that we should all learn about, even though it is gruesome in some parts. I think that it can help us learn from our past mistakes and better correct the flaws. I also think that it is something that we should learn about, so we can better learn what it was like for these men and women to fight for our country so we have a better understanding of what these people did for us.
ReplyDeleteI think that in the coming years I will probrably read more than I do right now. I think that it will help me better shape my views by learning and listening about what other people in the world view, even if it is hidden behind a story. With more reading I think it will help me shape my views in a better way that not reading at all. It may only help me in a small way as I like to make my views on my own without other people telling me about what I should think on things or also trying to make their side seem better than that of the other side.
History interests me. I love learning about how things used to be, such as the United State's history. I felt that learning about the past is important in today's society, as most people are too focused on the future to not make the mistakes of the past. Literature is a great way to learn history. Books like Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath allow a deeper insight in the past than any text book could give you. Literature is a great way to learn history. If the book is interesting, I will soak in the information allowing me to become a better individual. In the coming years I hope to become accustom to reading these types of novels to shape my future for the better.
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