To Read or Not to Read

Do you love to read? I know I do. At least...I think I do. Well, I thought I did until high school English class.

One day, your teacher hands you a copy of The Odyssey. The next thing you know, you're writing papers on The Odyssey. You're taking tests on The Odyssey. Your notebook is filled with notes on...The Odyssey. When will it end? Why was Homer such a cruel man? Surely enough, you begin to hate Homer's epic.

This was common for me in high school. There were so many classics I developed negative feelings for: Wuthering Heights, The Scarlett Letter, The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, Animal Farm, anything Shakespeare wrote, etc. Maybe it was the pressure of reading these great works in a small time frame. Maybe it was the fact that we talked about the same aspects for never ending weeks. But, these works are classics for crying out loud! Era after era, people are still discussing them, adapting them, living them. And I hated them all.

Lo and behold, here I am, a junior in college...majoring in English. I'd like to think I've matured since high school. One obvious sign being that, when I start a new semester, I can't wait to find out what literary works we'll be discussing. Not all professors view texts in the same way, so that's always fun.

I would like to thank my high school teachers. I've realized that if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have ever read those classics. If not for them, I wouldn't have branched out my literary interests. I honestly would not be in my major if not for the lessons (both literary and literal) I received back then.

Actually, wait a minute. I could've dealt without reading Of Mice and Men. It's such a good read, until the ending. I cried in the middle of class, and no teenager wants that.

Ultimately, these works are famous for a reason. They can be entertaining, controversial, relevant, or unique. Try taking the time to read one outside of class; you might see things differently.

Do you love to read? I know I do.