Alliteracy

Alliteracy is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so. I, myself, am an example of the definition Merriam-Webster gives. I am fully competent of picking up a book and reading it. When I have spare time available, I could easily walk over to the book shelf in my house, where my wife has many books ranging from romance to science fiction, pick one out and read it. However, it is not a something that draws my attention or seems of interest to do. I only read when it is required of me, such as work related text and school related text. On the contrary, Mortimer Adler was a man who loves books! In his 1940 essay, “How to Mark a Book,” Adler defines how reading is more than just reading. It is the act of active reading- a skill- that requires using certain strategies in order to remember and understand what you read by highlighting, underlining, and make annotations in the book to help you remember and understand what you’ve read. Adler states, “Marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love.” (Adler, 1940) Adler’s form of reading requires putting forth effort that people who are alliterate may not see as relevant for reasons such as technological advances and an expensive hobby during a time of recession.
One technological advance that has replaced books is through the invention of the television, which was a modern day marvel of its time and still continues to be. The invention of the television brought news and entertainment to the general population easier and faster than any book or newspaper ever could. People started relying on television more and more and reduced or eliminated reading from their daily activities. Between 1955 and 1975, when television were predominately introduced, a study showed that the average amount of time a person spent reading fell from 5 hours a day to 3.6 hours a day. However, as time went on and a larger variety of shows became