A reflection about reading

 

Have a look at the images and think about your own reading habits. Have they changed? Describe how they might be feeling at the moment and give reasons.

The pictures show different people reading different kind of books or literature.

In the first photo, there are many people reading in a library. Therefore, they must be reading for different reasons: studying, pleasure, work…  

In the second photo, we see a woman reading with a child. They are probably looking at some didactic or school book. They are reading together and maybe the woman is helping the child with the content.

In the third photo, there is a person reading an electronic book, which is a new type of electronic device that has changed our way of reading. The person could be reading something for pleasure.

The fourth photo shows some children reading the same type of book, a school book for a specific subject. In this case, this reading is something compulsory that all children must do as a part of their education process.

In the last photo, a man is seating reading a newspaper outside in the street. This type of reading is usually carried out in order to keep informed about news happening in the world or in a local area.

Feelings about reading can be deeply different. For example, children at school in picture 4 could feel bored about the reading if they are not motivated. However, in picture 5, the man is possibly interested in getting to know the last news. In picture 1, people at the library can be relaxed and enjoying their reading or be concentrated if they are studying. Finally, in picture 2, the child seems to pay attention to the woman as they are reading the book.

There are many purposes related to reading: educative, informative, reading in our free time…. The book is the traditional tool used for reading. However, as we have seen with the previous pictures, the channel for reading has changed currently. Now we can use the electronic book, which is cheaper and more practical as it is less heavy than a book and it allows you to have all your books stored in this device. There is no doubt that our way of reading has significantly changed throughout the years. For instance, we need to read short things in shorts periods of time.

 

 .- What texts do you enjoy reading in each language that you speak?

I love reading many kinds of books. I specially love reading poetry in the native language it has been written. I like narrative too and enjoy interesting stories about different people or culture. But I also love reading historic or political essays about current issues that affect us today.

- Do you choose the same kind of texts or do you read very different things depending on the language? What factors determine your choice? 

I do not have any preference of genre depending on the language. If I know the original language in which a book has been written, I always tried to read it in it. I believe it is especially important in the case of poetry. As the quote says “poetry is what get lost in translation”.

- In what format do you read (paper, e-reader, online etc.)?

I really like physical books. I am not used to read electronic book when I am reading a novel, for example. In the case of newspaper is different. I usually read about news in websites using the computer or the mobile phone. However, when I am reading longer stories or essays, I like turning pages and having a book on my hands.

- When do you read?

I read whenever I have time to do it. I love reading so I read a lot during holidays or in the weekends if I do not have a lot of work to do. Besides, I sometimes read before going to bed if I am not very tired. It really relaxes me.