Owning a book
Uploaded by snow_shoes31 on Feb 23, 2002
In order for a student to read a book and fully engage themselves in the experience, the student need to be able to “own” the book, both physically and mentally. Writing in a book is a part of the experience of reading and understanding a novel that Dr. Adler discusses in his 1940’s speech. In order to write in the book it is necessary that each student be able to have his own copy of each novel in order to engage themselves in the reading to mae it “active reading.”
Dr. Mortmer Adler made an excellent analogy when he compared the ability to writing in a book like: “Absorbing it into your bloodstream .” The reading of a novel needs to be an integral part of it. When a student is merely forced to read a book they are not able to think through the novel. Students need to be given their own personal copy of books to allow them to be able to “own” the book.
Also in Dr. Adler’s speech he points out that many times students read books too fast not giving themselves time to understand everything that is occurring in the novel. By literally writing in between the lines of the book they are forced to not only read and understand what happened in the story, but they will have to synthesize the information as well. It is through writing in the book that reading process is slowed allowing for aborption to occur
The benefits of students having their own books are numerous. Specifically, that in being able to physically own their own books the students will be able to better their understanding of the work. By gaining a better understanding of the novel, in the ways that Dr. Adler points out, students will be more educated persons. If it is the goal of the Board of Education of this school district to make educated adults out of these students, then it is integral that additional books be purchased so that each student may have their own copy.