My Reflections On Reading

My Reflections On Reading

Have a look at the images and think about your own reading habits. Have they changed?

What kind of books or texts are the people reading? Did they choose the books themselves or did someone else choose for them?

In most of the pictures, it seems people are reading books (either in a paper or a digital format). While people read books for many different reasons, I think most of the reading we generally do on a daily basis tends to be shorter texts, things like reading Tweets, posts on social media, the information we see displayed in our surroundings, instructions, subtitles and so on. Though part of this reading may be for pleasure, there is also a lot we do out of necessity. It is difficult to fathom whether the people in the pictures have chosen their own reading material, although it is likely that the children in the classroom did not choose their book given that all the kids have got the same one. Like with most things, everybody has different tastes and so asked to choose, I’m sure the children would likely go for all kinds of stories. 

Describe how they might be feeling at the moment and give reasons.

In the first picture, the readers may be in the library because they are studying and so could be feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed at the thought of upcoming exams or coursework deadlines. On the other hand, they might have gone to the library for some quiet time to relax and unwind. 

In the second picture, it could be that the child and the parent share a common interest in gardening and are taking time away from other obligations to read about this plant. It is likely that the two feel comfortable, at ease and curious about their chosen material, especially as this photo was taken before the internet era when information could not be located so quickly.

The American woman reading on her iPad seems to be in a living room and so is probably reading for enjoyment. Given that she has most likely chosen the book, she probably feels entertained, but depending on the genre of the written work, she could be feeling anything from on edge, frightened and sad to hopeful, enlightened or cheerful. In contrast, the children most likely haven’t chosen their book and while some may be enjoying it, others may feel bored or distracted if it is not something they find stimulating. 

The boy reading the newspaper seems genuinely interested, he is leaning forward on the stool and is holding the paper close to his face. Despite whatever is going on around him in his surroundings, he doesn’t seem to be distracted by it. 

Focus on one or two of the photos and say how they relate to your own experience as a reader in L1 (Spanish) and L2 (English or another foreign language). Think about the following things:

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

These days, I don’t really have a preference as to what language I read in, especially when it’s something short like a news article or a social media post. While I have often read novels in Spanish (in my case, this is my L2), I do prefer to read them in English (my L1) unless the text was originally written in Spanish. The only thing I can think of that I always prefer to read in Spanish is the menus in restaurants and bars as many dishes are difficult to translate into English. 

While this is the case now, the first image reminds me of when I studied Spanish at university and I had to read things in this language, my level was not good enough and I remember finding the situation frustrating or tedious. I tended to read things in English and then I pretended to have read them in Spanish in class. 

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 read in English and Spanish everyday and what I read is not normally determined by the language, but instead what I am reading determines the language.  For example most of my work emails or other things related to my job as a teacher are in Spanish,  whereas I usually read novels and the news in English. The information in my surroundings tends to be in Spanish whereas a lot of the messages I receive on my phone are in English. 

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

For work I read things mostly in a digital format, either on my tablet or my laptop. Most of the reading I do for work tends to be emails or students’ work. 

When I’m on the train to work, I really enjoy reading the news online. I’m not too keen on physical newspapers as I find them awkward to read and hold. 

As I spend so much time already working from a computer or a tablet, when I sit down to read fiction, I much prefer a book. I find it a lot easier on my eyes and it sets apart reading for work and reading for pleasure. 

When do you read?

Like most people, I read numerous things every day at different times of the day from work emails, to online posts on social media to information on a bulletin board. Reading for pleasure is the kind of reading I do the least unfortunately. I tend to read novels when I am on holiday and I have plenty of time to sit back, relax and not worry about other things or when I know I can’t be carrying out other obligations for example when I am sitting on a plane.