Manguel-Acts of Reading

When reading this section, I had no idea that reading was a predominantly an out loud experience until more recently. I know I certain would never choose to read out loud. Obviously it was customary for the times, but I can recall countless times in school when a teacher would be picking people to read to the class and I prayed she didn’t find her way to me. I would think to myself if I made it look like was really paying attention then she would just skip over me. This plan worked to no avail and I would be forced to display my less than spectacular reading abilities. Further yet into this week’s reading I came across a quote on page 58 that reads, “If men learn this (referring to writing), it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they will rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from with themselves, but by means of external marks…”. I believe this quote really holds truth with today’s society. So many things are written down, looked over and then discarded when there immediate need is fulfilled. Wow! Sounds a lot like a college education! I can’t point fingers here because I’m as guilty as the next, but students copy and copy, read and reread power points, lecture notes and the like until they can’t keep their eyes open just for that 2 hour test. Then if they’re lucky some of them, or should I say us, remember half of the technical heap we force-fed ourselves. Yet I would imagine if you asked someone to recall a book they had read for pleasure, even just one read through, they could conjure up intricate details of character, places and events as if they just set the book down. I truly believe retaining knowledge is all about whether you “want” to know, or give the material a chance. Many classes we don’t even have to “read” for anymore. Professors are becoming more inclined to give test on just lecture notes, stating, “if I didn’t cover the material in lecture it won’t be on the test.”, thus removing all together from the process of learning. Of course there’s a slothful part of me that enjoys this but when you step back and see how we continue to dumb down our standards, it’s a bit ridiculous!