Emily Wolf
Non western lit
Blog
I think that everyone exhibits all three stages of reading development in some way at some time. I think to become an advanced reader you must take a little from each stage. Everyone questions whether or not they enjoy the text or despise it. I think that is a common starting point for most people when beginning a book. I think what matters is how the person reacts and in what way towards the middle of the book. I have found that when reading a book that remains extremely boring or does not interest me in the least I oftentimes examine it purely on the first level. I hate it. It is boring. The main character reminds me of a jerk I knew in high school. I have definitely had this experience with many books from previous semesters. I found many of the short stories that are required reading for beginning English classes uninteresting readings. “A&P”, a story about a teenager who quits his job at an A&P grocery store , comes to mind as a reading I would like or dislike and relate to my own life experiences. I feel that this course differs so much from other English classes I have taken it is almost incomparable. Symbol hunting and analyzing short stories forced me to linger at a level 1 reading level. However, in this class, I believe I have furthered my level of reading development into a concrete stage two and moving toward a stage three.
Non western literature is a completely different experience than any other English class I have enrolled in. Opening my horizons to unique cultures and authors has pushed my reading level beyond the initial one. Before taking this course I had lapsed in any outside reading. The love for reading I once had was replaced by chapter summaries and predictable pros. Authors like Roy and Murakami have restored my faith in enjoyable reading. I feel it is because I am enjoying what I am reading that I have progressed to level two and teeter on the edge of level three. I find myself enveloped in the ongoing stories these non western authors have weaved. I am interested in connecting the stories and characters to politics and history, that remains almost impossible with stories like “A&P”. After looking over my blog entries I am now aware of the levels of reading and can easily identify passages which exemplify my succession into level two. For example,” I enjoy the suggestion of a special mental bond between the twins. I think that over the years it has been proven that many twins do have a unique sense of each other that other siblings lack. This makes me think of the horrible twin experiments implicated during Hitler's regime in Nazi Germany. Many Jewish twins were kept in the camps and forced to assist the Germans in their horrific experiments. Torturing one twin and watching the others reaction for example.” In this passage from my latest blog entry I relate the connection between the twins, Estha and Rahel, to the infamous twin experiments performed during Hitler’s reign in Nazi Germany. I recognize that I form a connection between Roy’s writing and a politically turbulent point in history. I think because I enjoy “The God of Small Things” so much it remains easier to form real world connections to the text. I have found that while reading the three stories I research related topics. While exploring the “Wild Sheep Chase” I spent about an hour perusing the internet for any proof that Asian folklore about sheep entering people exists anywhere. Murakami obviously dreamed up this implausible idea, but I decided it may have been somewhat based on fact. My mind is now heightened when I read, constantly thinking about real world connections, whereas a semester ago I read to finish the story not to explore it.
I think that the specified reading levels can also apply to movies. After watching “Indiana Jones” I immediately thought of the connection between orientalism and the WWII induced Japanese camps. “I also thought about the Japanese internment camps of WWII. Because the Americans were so worried about Japanese power and so afraid of what could happen, they developed an irrational fear and hatred for all Japanese.” I think that this movie as well as the books, have taught me a lot about cultures I thought I knew. Although I feel that I have made progress in my reading levels, room for improvement remains. I feel that I need to learn to apply the concept of reading to form connections to the outside world with all texts, not just those that interest me. It remains inarguable that an interesting book is easier to form connection to or to create ideas about. If the material jives with what a person enjoys, it will undoubtedly cause their reading level to increase. I admit that, although I have made progress, I do still tend to begin my thoughts and blog entries with an “I” statement. For example:” I really like the "Wild Sheep Chase". I think Murakami definitely follows the unique detective writing style.” I need to work on developing my thoughts further than “I like it” or “ I don’t like it”. These responses exemplify stage one perfectly. I have noticed, however, that my tendency to begin my thought process with an I statement has lessened just over the past few weeks. I seem to be progressing past these initial observations and ideally diving right into the third stage.
Overall, I am pleased with the progress I have made in non western literature thus far. I feel that this course has really helped bring out my ability to examine texts at a second to third stage level. Because I am now aware of the different levels of reading my goal is to have one and a half feet into stage three by the end of the semester. I think that continuing to analyze these stories on a worldly level instead of an individual level will allow me to reach my goal. It remains helpful that I can draw information and thoughts from other classes I am taking. My 20th century history class brought the ideas of Hitler’s experiments and the Japanese camps into my head while reading. I also believe that moving past the physicalities of the texts is essential in becoming a solid level three reader. Focusing on the style of writing and not the ideas in the book only perpetuates the initial stage.