Rick Carol Shields
Enthusiastically and Joyfully Curling up With a Book Millions of people enjoy a good book and a good read, but does everybody enjoy reading for the same reasons? The answer to that question lies in the words of two incredible authors. Author Rick Moody’s enjoyment he gets from the freedom and thrill of reading a book and Carol Shields love for indulging in a book and entering another reality both shows how everybody can love reading in their own ways. Moody loves reading due to the feeling of freedom and being able to come to his own conclusions and Shields enjoys reading because it allows her to enter a state of relaxation and depth while exploring another reality. Some people may view reading a book as a hard and boring task, but Rick
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Moody challenges that idea. Moody sees reading as a way to make up his own mind on their meanings and challenge the opinions of others. His love and infatuation with analyzing a books meaning originates back to two of his high school teachers and some of his college professors. Moody’s teachers taught him that the meaning of a text lies in the readers mind and that a reader should have a relationship with the read. Moody also came to his own conclusion that there is no right or wrong way to read a book and that all of the critics who fight that idea, have had their own adventures leading them to their opinion. Moody believes that anybody could spend a lifetime thinking about the meaning of a sentence and making it their own, and that this gives us all the freedom to see literature in our own ways. The author says, “I believe in reading up on what others have to say about this difficult book, and then making up my own mind” (Moody 3). This freedom and the thrill of it lead Moody to the ultimate love of reading. Carol Shields is a strong believer in the idea that reading is not just a task, but also a journey.
And because of that, we should dedicate time to experiencing that journey. Shields sees reading as a way to open our senses, and be invited into a reality beyond our own. This complexity and ability to “be in more than one places at once” is what draws Shields into the love of reading. She also believes that to be able to truly enjoy books content, a person needs to dedicate a block of uninterrupted time and give every ounce of focus and attention that they have to that book. Shields states, “When we read with attention, an inner circuit of the brain is satisfyingly completed. We feel our perceptions sharpen and acquire edge” (9). She see’s the phrase “being lost in a book” as actually being “found” in a book. Shield’s strongly executes the idea of electronic information and believes that it limits our ability to expand and learn from a book. Literature in a text, she believes, allows us to imagine more deeply, discover our own experiences more vividly and become more in touch with ourselves. In her own words, Shields says, “We need literature on the page because it allows us to experience more fully, to imagine more deeply, enabling us to live more freely” (10). While she discredits the enjoyment of electronic text, Shields gives much credit to the enjoyment of
reading. Both authors view reading from different perspectives, one being a critic themself and the other being against criticism in reading. Rick Moody sees reading as a chance for a person to develop their own ideas and find a sense of freedom while doing so. Moody believes that nobody can tell a person how or how not to read a book. Carol Shields seeing reading as a way to find yourself in a book and be in tune with your senses while joining another reality. Shields believes in correct and incorrect ways to read a book and is not afraid to say so. Both Moody and Shields find joy and love in reading and hope that others feel the same way as well. Rick Moody’s love and passion for reading originates back to his younger days. Moody admires the ability to freely interpret and challenge a book. Carol Shields encourages readers to read with absolute awareness in order for one to open their senses and become part of something greater than where and what they really are. Being able to piece together words on a page and explore another reality, while being able to come to ones own conclusions and find challenge in the book is what will bring readers to loving reading the same way that these two do. By doing so a reader will be able to fall in love with a book by simply curling up, bringing challenge to pages, indulging their senses, and learning to enjoy what they are taking in.
Works Cited
Moody, Rick, The Joy and Enthusiasm of Reading. Actively Reading Our World. Ed. Deanna Davis. Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 3-4. Print
Shields, Carol, The Case for Curling Up With a Book. Actively Reading Our World. Ed. Deanna Davis. Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 8-10. Print
Moody challenges that idea. Moody sees reading as a way to make up his own mind on their meanings and challenge the opinions of others. His love and infatuation with analyzing a books meaning originates back to two of his high school teachers and some of his college professors. Moody’s teachers taught him that the meaning of a text lies in the readers mind and that a reader should have a relationship with the read. Moody also came to his own conclusion that there is no right or wrong way to read a book and that all of the critics who fight that idea, have had their own adventures leading them to their opinion. Moody believes that anybody could spend a lifetime thinking about the meaning of a sentence and making it their own, and that this gives us all the freedom to see literature in our own ways. The author says, “I believe in reading up on what others have to say about this difficult book, and then making up my own mind” (Moody 3). This freedom and the thrill of it lead Moody to the ultimate love of reading. Carol Shields is a strong believer in the idea that reading is not just a task, but also a journey.
And because of that, we should dedicate time to experiencing that journey. Shields sees reading as a way to open our senses, and be invited into a reality beyond our own. This complexity and ability to “be in more than one places at once” is what draws Shields into the love of reading. She also believes that to be able to truly enjoy books content, a person needs to dedicate a block of uninterrupted time and give every ounce of focus and attention that they have to that book. Shields states, “When we read with attention, an inner circuit of the brain is satisfyingly completed. We feel our perceptions sharpen and acquire edge” (9). She see’s the phrase “being lost in a book” as actually being “found” in a book. Shield’s strongly executes the idea of electronic information and believes that it limits our ability to expand and learn from a book. Literature in a text, she believes, allows us to imagine more deeply, discover our own experiences more vividly and become more in touch with ourselves. In her own words, Shields says, “We need literature on the page because it allows us to experience more fully, to imagine more deeply, enabling us to live more freely” (10). While she discredits the enjoyment of electronic text, Shields gives much credit to the enjoyment of
reading. Both authors view reading from different perspectives, one being a critic themself and the other being against criticism in reading. Rick Moody sees reading as a chance for a person to develop their own ideas and find a sense of freedom while doing so. Moody believes that nobody can tell a person how or how not to read a book. Carol Shields seeing reading as a way to find yourself in a book and be in tune with your senses while joining another reality. Shields believes in correct and incorrect ways to read a book and is not afraid to say so. Both Moody and Shields find joy and love in reading and hope that others feel the same way as well. Rick Moody’s love and passion for reading originates back to his younger days. Moody admires the ability to freely interpret and challenge a book. Carol Shields encourages readers to read with absolute awareness in order for one to open their senses and become part of something greater than where and what they really are. Being able to piece together words on a page and explore another reality, while being able to come to ones own conclusions and find challenge in the book is what will bring readers to loving reading the same way that these two do. By doing so a reader will be able to fall in love with a book by simply curling up, bringing challenge to pages, indulging their senses, and learning to enjoy what they are taking in.
Works Cited
Moody, Rick, The Joy and Enthusiasm of Reading. Actively Reading Our World. Ed. Deanna Davis. Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 3-4. Print
Shields, Carol, The Case for Curling Up With a Book. Actively Reading Our World. Ed. Deanna Davis. Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 8-10. Print