Parks+Journal+Entry+Three

Question: What have you discovered that has made you a better reader?
There are several discoveries I have made that have made me a better reader. One significant discovery is that the more you read, the better your vocabulary. While this may not always be completely evident in the way a person speaks, it is evident in the way they write. Which is another discovery that I have made – the more you read, the better writer you become. This is largely due to the fact that individuals who read more have more examples to use as models for their own writing. Whether readers are aware of it or not, the reading that they enjoy or prefer greatly influences the way they write. For instance, I can see both my preference for Kurt Vonnegut and my love of historical novels in the way that I write.

For me, personally, reading has made me more culturally aware, because I like to choose books that are going to teach me something a different culture, lifestyle, society, belief, etc. Every book that I read has something for me to take away or learn from it, and I believe that realizing this has definitely made me a better reader. That is the main reason that I chose to do my Summative Unit on Marjane Satrapi's //Persepolis//. I read it this past summer and it ended up opening the door for me to do a lot of reading and research into the Middle East. However, I never would have done it if I hadn't chosen to read it.