Summary Of The Ethics Of Reading Jane Gallop

My initial response when I encountered “The Ethics of Reading”, by Jane Gallop, was that it was just going to be similar to one of the thousands of articles written by some professor that we have never heard of. However, after the first few sentences, I found myself engaged with the text that was at hand. Gallops introduced this new perception of close reading which, in theory, could benefit individuals in both their academic journeys and their relationships with people around them as well. Close reading is, “learning to hear what’s really on the page, listening closely to the other, and being willing to catch what the other actually says, and able to hear what we didn’t expect him to say”. Her ideas and results have proven to have impact on
I know that Gallops agrees with this idea and that is why she is putting such crucial emphases on her idea of close reading. When someone has a preconceived idea of a person or a situation, it is very hard for them to change their ways of thinking that is already established. They choose to do everything they are told to do, because they are not aware that there are other ways of going about things. These things I mention can be generalized and narrowed down in more ways than can be explained, however, it is very evident in the educational system. When a student is taught to pinpoint the main idea there whole life, it is easy to see where they would feel weird trying to look at minor details instead. My experience as a student has taught me that you never stop learning. While you continue to expand your academic knowledge, you also teach yourself new ways of learning, you learn to learn essentially. The way that Gallop teaches can be defined as merely untraditional in the educational systems. Untraditional can be defined as, “not very long-established”. I would use this word to describe her teaching methods because it is very different than how other professors teach their students. However, just because it is not known does not mean that it has no value. When introduced to something new one may be skeptical. It is crucial for an individual looking to expand their knowledge to be open and ready to try new techniques. Gallop’s makes an essential point in stating that, “most of [us] have been educated to ignore such elements”. (Gallops, 8) When she makes this statement she is referring to elements of close reading. Elements can be expressed by literature that involves a reader to temporarily ignore major details and focus on the minor ones. The reader must expose themselves to something that they are unfamiliar with. This is important because it can expand and apply to something even bigger than literature: