My Reading Journey in 2018

Before I started this school year, I had completely lost my habit of reading. Where I once was a kid who was so invested in his novels that I could not even hear my teachers calling me to start our day’s lessons at the end of our allocated reading time. Where once I was an avid reader, reading at inopportune moments, I had found that the pressures of high school had left no spare second for me left to read. Not only that, I had simply lost my appetite for reading; I no longer thought that this monotonous waste of time was worth MY time. I had found other pleasures in that time that I had lost reading, the stereotypical stuff that teenagers nowadays do; playing video games. Games appealed to me more than books ever could, or so I thought until the start of this year.
In the school holidays, I usually like to get my book list novels over and done with it so that I’m not struggling to read them in an already intensely packed schedule. But this year, the English teachers at MHS didn’t give the novel in the book list, rather, they withheld it for further discussion at the start of the year. That left William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” as the only book that I could read over the holidays, a task that I wasn’t really looking forward to. I had read other Shakespeare plays, and to be completely honest, they bored me out of my life. I didn’t care if Puck put a love potion on Titania just because she and Oberon were having marriage problems. How or why am I supposed to sympathise and relate with characters that were created by who has been dead for over 400 years? I had posed this question to my English teachers throughout previous years in high school and the answers that they gave me weren’t really convincing.
Because we have to.
It’s in the curriculum.
Deal with it.

So you can understand why I was hesitant when my English this year said, “trust me, you’ll come to enjoy Shakespeare at the end of this unit.”
But before that, the first book that we had to study this year was Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. It was a bit easier to relate with, the protagonist facing the same pressures and expectations as we do, albeit in a different time. Catcher in the Rye ended up being quite an enjoyable read, with our teacher helping us discover the hidden meaning behind the language and words used in the book, as well as the symbolism of different objects in the book, things that other teachers may not have shown us in other classes.
After that came Twelfth Night, the Shakespeare novel I had been dreading studying since the start of the year. But after the relative success of the Catcher in the Rye study, I still hung out hope that this time, it may not be so bad.

Twelfth Night ended up being quite a funny play, with multiple confusing and hilarious plotlines, along with the more deeper messages Shakespeare embedded about his personal views in the writing. However aside from being pretty fun to read, Twelfth Night really challenged me, especially in the deeper analysis of the play later on in our study. Theatrical techniques that were completely new for me soon became second nature, as we practiced it more and more, with different fun and engaging activities such as acting the play out and watching a version of the play that would be too dissimilar to when it was first performed.
After that, we were given the task that I am currently completing: The Wider Reading task. To give you some background, we had to choose 3 books, read them and show how they changed us throughout the year. The books that I chose to read were Hamlet by William Shakespeare, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Ransom by David Malouf. The criteria for choosing these 3 books were;
• One Pre-1800 book.
• One book written by a female author.
• One Post-2000 book.

After we studied Twelfth Night I became interested in reading another Shakespeare book, especially one of a different genre. After mulling over which Shakespeare to pick, I eventually came to Hamlet. I was interested in Hamlet’s gory reputation and decided to pick out a graphic novel version, which our librarians had recommended.

The graphic novel was an interesting take on Hamlet. It was drawn in a typical anime style, which usually would have meant that I would have run away from it, but this time I was intrigued and wanted to see more. The illustrations were very helpful to compare to my own imagination when I was reading, I as found it very fascinating to see the differences between my interpretations of the words and the illustrators. In some parts of the text, it also made it easier to understand what was happening as I could refer to illustrations if I found the wording and language used confusing.
Overall, Hamlet was a very fun read with an interesting plot line that I had not seen in any way or form before. Shakespeare uses many techniques such as asides and soliloquies where Hamlet reminisces and thinks to himself, revealing the inner tormented and torn nature of his character. Shakespeare shows the audience the dangers of revenge and greed, using characters that are easy to sympathise with. Usually, I would have looked at a text like Hamlet, and found its one-dimensional thematic aspects, but this time, I looked deeper into each scene, each character, and found small details that may have gone unnoticed. The characters that I once thought to be noble and brave, were now hollow, pitiful losers. I learned lessons from Hamlet as well; revenge is not the only answer, don’t be greedy.
David Malouf’s Ransom is a beautifully written piece which masterfully retells the story of the Illiad. He uses descriptive and engaging language to entrance the reader, making the book more interesting to read. Although I enjoyed reading the book, at times I didn’t quite understand the language that was being used, with words like “assuage” that I wasn’t completely sure of. However, I think that in the long run, reading a challenging book such as this could only do wonders for me as I can get to improve my vocabulary. Malouf uses clever wording to enhance the plot as well and shows each character’s emotions very clearly. Priam and Achilles, the two main characters of the novel, each have their grief explored in thorough detail, showing how they cope with the loss of one of their most beloved.

Overall, Ransom is a beautifully written piece which effectively displays the dangers of using revenge as a coping method and the impact grief can have on an individual.

To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, is an interesting read, as it is narrated by an adult Scout, thinking back and remembering her childhood and the case of Tom Robinson. The book gives you a sense of tragedy and loss, through the language that is used throughout. Obviously, Scout already knows what has happened, so you can suspect that she would have a sense of disheartenment when talking about her childhood and especially the case of Tom Robinson. The book clearly exhibits the racial prejudice that existed at the time of the novel, and Lee puts it aptly in her use of wording the novel. She also uses characters and side plots to teach important moral lessons throughout the books. Atticus teaches his children the importance of not using revenge as an answer and that two wrongs will never make a right.
After reading all three and comparing, I noticed that all three of the books had an underlying theme: revenge.
Hamlet’s quest is based upon his desire to avenge his father and to “take” back his mother from the hands of his uncle, who he felt had wronged him. But in doing so, he ends up making matter worse for himself, giving the story a tragic end.
Achilles sets out to avenge Patroclus and ends up bringing together to very different characters through the lessons learned from grief and anguish.
Atticus teaching his kids at any opportunity that revenge is not the answer, like when Jem destroys Ms. Dubose’s flowers.
Although I fully understand the importance of not using vengeance as an answer to whatever bad thing someone may have done to you, I have not really applied that in real life, yet anyways. However, after reading these books and many more throughout the year, I feel like I have learnt the importance of applying what you have learnt through books in real life.
Overall throughout the year, I feel like I have learned to read effectively and further between the lines, extending my knowledge of the key concepts you can learn from books and vocabulary.
I feel that throughout the year I have grown as a reader and that I am more confident in my ability to analyse and read between the lines.

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