Why Read?

By Chris Wilcox

When looking at the question “why read?” a number of answers immediately spring to mind. I would argue however that to get a more in depth answer to the question, one would have to shave off the outer layer of the word “reading”. So, more importantly than why read, is to what purpose does reading serve? I believe that having an answer to the latter of the two will in turn answer the first. Going back to the question “why read?” I would say that there is no easy answer. Simple answers such as “because we’re bored” or “because we have to” don’t seem to cover it, though I would say that there is a common theme present in all attempts to answer the question.

Goodbye Traditional Reading Process; Hello E-Lit

By Julie Lam

Literature underwent a radical change due to the rise of Gutenberg’s printing press in 1439, which ushered in a new era of literacy among the laity. Since that defining moment, the process in which we use to read has been relatively unchanging. That is, until the birth of computers. Now, the reading process is undergoing an extreme transformation once again as the primary components of literature, which we have been accustomed to since preschool, is being warped by a new age of writing known as electronic literature.

Frivolity in Modern Times

By Owen Stewart

Modern life is full of amazing technological advances. Hybrid cars, e-mail and fast food have all had a hand in furthering humankind. Along these lines, reading has been integral in lifting us to our current standing in history, but is losing it’s strangle hold on society. Losing its place, reading is being shut out by superior art forms that are easier to understand, are more popular and more comprehensive.

Why Read?

By Joseph Gunulfsen

Certainly, everyone reads for different reasons or motives. Some use reading as a form of procrastination, while others procrastinate and avoid the dreadful chore by all means possible. While reading is a drag for some and an escape for others, I feel it has much to offer us all. It allows us to see and attempt to understand the perspectives of others and think more flexibly. At the same time, it strengthens our ever growing vocabulary which, in turn, provides us with a more precise way of expressing ourselves. I often fail to arrive at the exact word for which I am searching. In a moment such as this, I think to myself that if I read more regularly I would not draw as many blanks while looking for the most appropriate word.

Why Read?

By Jamie Cue

In a time when it is a rarity to see someone without a cell phone glued to their fingertips and headsets cemented into their ears, it is even more rare to see an adolescent with a book in their hands. Most adolescents may not even be able to tell you the last book they read, other than maybe the stack of textbooks laying by their bedside. However, unlike cell phones, video games and mp3 players, books offer things that these technologies can’t: from expanding the imagination to helping kids become socialized into the world around them.