Blog Party

My question is this: With the popularity of video games, Internet, and various smart phones increasing by the hour, is traditional reading on its way to becoming extinct and books becoming an endangered species? If so what can we do as a society to reverse this phenomenon and still foster a culture that embraces technology and advancement?

You probably already know that young people today are watching more telivision, surfing the web, playing video games, and doing all of the above on their cell phones, and doing less reading. Changes in young peoples reading habits are taking place at unpresidented levels and if we are not careful, the simple act of picking up a paper back book and reading it may someday become irrelevant and perhaps not even an option for many people.

A report released by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2007 highlights some scary statistics:

Only 30% of 13-year olds read almost every day.

Almost half of Americans between ages 18 and 24 never read books for pleasure.

The average person between the ages 15 and 24 spends 2 to 2.5 hours a day watching TV and only 7 minutes reading.

Books are simply losing the battle for kids and young adults spare time and it is starting to show at an intelectual level. The same report cited above found that the more books that are in a young persons home, the higher the test scores in science and math. Even more provacitive was the claim that, regardless of income, levels of reading for pleasure correlate closely with level sof social life. Probably the most sobering statistic of all was that only about one-third of high school seniors read at a proficient level. How are we ever going to compete with a world-wide work force if we are actually becoming less intelligent?

So how do we as a society continue to foster an enviroment that embraces technology and still promote the act of reading books for pleasure and eductional purposes, even when it is less convinent or accessible than our laptops and blackberries?

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading

http://abcnews.go.com

Reading & Happiness By Lawerence Baines

Blog Entry 22

I dropped my absentee ballot in the mailbox yesterday and walked over to a nearby coffee shop afterwards to sit down and read the local paper. One of the articles quickly caught my eye. It was about the increased use of Internet by politicians to berate each other and sling the usual mud back and forth at eachother. The portion of the article that interested me was the part that spoke about the unregulation of facts and truths and that it was a virtual free for all between candidates and that when it came to cyber space, anything goes, regardless of validity. Apparently candidates know if they post a fact or make a claim in an newspaper article or interview that they can be called out on that at anytime, but the Internet is a little more murky. So whats the difference? I consider the Internet a reputable news source today, yes I know that anybody can get on a computer and post anything they want and rant and rave all day long. But what about official websites and personal pages like face book? Should they not be help accountable for the information they contain? With our increased reliance on the Internet and cyberspace growing by the hour we need to do a better job of holding people accountable for the information or misinformation that is contained in their websites and postings.

Blog Entry 21

For the scene response I chose a U-tube clip of Othello directed by Oliver Parker where Othello is played by actor Laurence Fishborn. The video begins just prior to Othello taking his own life where he is speaking to the group of men in the room and pleading his case and this is having a profound emotional effect on a few of the men who appear to have tears in their eyes as they witness the deep pain and sadness that Othello is feeling. Once Othello has said all he is going to say he abruptly stabs himself and crawls on the bed as the men all stand and watch. As we read the story Othello and watch the video clips we knew that the story was building up to a tragic climax and this particular video clip does a good job of showing us that dramatic conclusion. Laurence Fishborn also does a good job of projecting the anger, misery, and sadness that Othello must have been feeling that ultimately caused him to take his own life.

Blog Entry 20

"Had it pleased in heaven to try me with affliction, had they rained all kinds of sores and shames on my bare head, steeped me in poverty to the very lips, given to captivity me and my utmost hopes, I should have found in some place of my soul a drop of patience" (Shakespeare Pg. 987)

I think this moment in the play is important because Othello is reaching his breaking point and confronting Desdemona about his suspicions. The quote really sums up Othellos state of mind and illustrates just how depressed and angry he is at that very moment, and the reader gets a faint glimpse that things are about to get worse...

Blog Entry 19: Freestyle

My favorite reading subject is history. It has not always been that way, in fact I used to read exclusively fiction (King was my favorite) But as I grew older I found that fiction could not hold my attention like non-fiction subjects could. I am particularly fond of military history. I don't consider myself a big military buff, I am just really fascinated by how much war has shaped our world today and the unending extreme sacrifices made by men much younger than myself. It is for this reason that I feel kids should be required to study and read about World Wars I & II when they are in school. I was taught almost nothing in the public schools about those conflicts (and I actually liked history) Why is that? Whole Countries were created and eradicated, tens of millions of people were killed, and the worlds landscape was literally changed overnight from these two conflicts. I think the public schools could do a much better job of teaching history to its students, particularly military history, if for no other reason than perhaps it will help us avoid ever experiencing the horrors of a war like that again.

"I think my wife be honest and think she is not;
I think that though art just and think though art not."
(Shakespeare Pg. 967)

This quote describes the variety of emotions that are tearing Othello apart on Othello. He is now convinced that his wife is cheating on him and is wracked with anger and pain. I think this quote is important because Othello is not only angry with his wife, but he is tremendously embarrassed and feels like his reputation and name have now been tainted along with his wife.

Blog Entry 17

"I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be-for women. I tell you , its queer, Mrs. Peters. We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things-its all just a different kind of the same thing." (Glaspell Pg. 818)

I chose this quote by Mrs. Hale in triffles because this is the point in the story where the reader starts to understand that Mrs. Hale, and for that matter, the rest of the women, are going to watch out for each other and understand each others trials. Obviously the women feel guilty for not spending time with each other and watching out for each other like they use to and each one secretly is unhappy with their married lives and can relate to making your husband "disappear."