Alexander Kokhno, PD2, 9/29/22

 Alexander Kokhno

11/13/22

Period 2

Literacy & Learning

The interpretation & absorption of literature often quite varies from person to person. First of all one must look at the person (the reader) themselves. Everything from the reader’s beliefs  & views to general knowledge to  simply their desire to read will result in some variation on the reading experience. The content & circumstances of the reader come into play as well. An avid reader might detest a book for being forced to read it, a reader short on time will gloss over details or a tired reader might read 3 pages, but remember null.

How much water a sponge can absorb obviously depends on the sponge itself. Same for a reader; different people absorb different amounts of the same literature. I can use myself for example; reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm in 5th grade, 8th grade & 10th grade yielded different levels of understanding. One might think that me as a 5th grader would understand little, but they couldn't be more wrong. I loved to read books as a kid and had quite an understanding for the book and its setting despite my age. But let's say that a glue eating kid from the back of the classroom would have read it, he would have understood hardly anything. In other words, prior knowledge is a significant factor. 

While discussing prior knowledge, one must consider the reader’s critical theory lens. Most readers obviously aren't going to be pouring over the text to fully analyze it with a lens on purpose. However, simply by having an opinion, be it political, religious or something else entirely, each person will read the literature with not a 100% critical theory lens but a semi lens; a mixture of or weaker lens. Bias one could call it, for the reader inevitably will seek to interpret what they read using their own lens.

Similar to Bias, prior knowledge is a factor. The reader will generally seek to conform to what they think they already know and thus be more willing to contest or scrutinize any contradictory literature. This is most evident (and innocent) in reading myths. As mentioned prior, I love to read and over the years have read a lot of mythology. I use what I read as a reference to any mythology I encounter.And since mythology by its very nature is quite varied from author to author, I think some of the mythology we read in this class seems off or downright wrongly interpreted by the author. A similar situation could be seen in a history class when the school text book says things that don't align with the 300 page documentary the history nerd read (also me).

Willingness to read is quite an understated factor in absorbing literature. A book is absorbed by a reader who simply enjoys reading that a reader that does not. Technically, its that simple but… various factors also come into play.

Looking back at my example of the sponge and water, a worn out/new, a damp/dry or a swipe/soaked sponge will all collect different amounts of water. A reader with coffee in hand and a good mood will simply have a more efficient session of literature absorption than a person who is fighting to keep their eyes open. A reader who is reading the book due to a school assignment will generally strive to remember the literal details on the surface of the book rather than try to truly understand the book’s message. It must be mentioned that a person reading for fun does not guarantee a better understanding of the book as they might be simply reading to read, not to  understand. A reader skimming through the text is also a major factor in absorbing literature as they are concerned with the easy pickerings rather than complex interpretation.

Ironically ( or perhaps not), essentially all of what was listed above holds true when creating literature, not just indulging in it.