jzen's Literary Guild Journal

This will be my journal for the Literary Guild lessons.

This is an interesting first topic to tackle. After all, I've been reading for many years now, and I don't think I've ever really taken the time to express what I think it means to read. Initially, of course, my understanding moves into language and how knowledge is stored and transmitted across time and cultures. However, reading with a critical eye becomes a different endeavor than the casual reading most of us do. When we read critically, it is like setting up an excavation in archaeology. We take account of what is on the surface and make note of any prominent features that grab our attention. Then, we begin to dig with the tools we brought with us. This digging allows us to unearth any hidden features or themes that are not readily apparent on the surface. After we finish our digging, we analyze what we have discovered and make connections to things that we have already learned.

This is the beauty of reading, and reading deeply. So much more than a casual past time, reading helps us to escape to worlds we never knew existed, explore ideas that others have spent their entire lives coming up with, and connect to those from eras long ago. When we read, we do this and so much more. Reading is an adventure and challenges us and our perspective in ways nothing else can. When we discover how to do this, books become some of our most treasured friends. We love their company while they are here and miss them terribly when they go. When we read, we step outside ourselves and grow in ways unimaginable.