Who bothers to read these days?

Reading helps improve writing

Undoubtedly, we have never been overloaded with information as nowadays. News on TV and magazines provide us with much information. Sometimes we even feel we are losing our grips because of so many subjects to keep in our minds. The problem is that people have been replacing good books for either poor programs on TV or tabloids talking about the private lives of celebrities.

Despite the fact there is a wide choice of programs cable channels, such as sitcoms, news, good films, researches carried out show that people have been much more interested in reality shows. Big Brother is a good example – millions of people switch on their TV to see a group of people who joined a contest, exhibiting their intimacy, in order to win a good amount of money. What is more, the audience makes phone calls to choose the winner, spending money on these calls or spending their time chatting to contestants. What’s happened to the habit of reading?

There is no doubt technology brought many advantages to our lives. We are connected from our home to the whole world through the Internet, which made it possible to talk to relatives who live far from us, chat with virtual friends, research using the PC. Nevertheless[1], there were many drawbacks. Students, for instance, take the advantage of the Internet to copy texts rather than using it as a good tool. What I mean, they do not even quote what they take from the net. As a result, teachers are asking pupils to write instead of typing.

Students are asked to read books when they are studying Literature, however, you can find a summary of them, or even an analysis ready to be parroted when a research is assigned.

A book enriches our lives, especially if it is a good one. When we study Literature we have the opportunity to know the society from different periods and we can relate the different periods with ours. In a nutshell, we get aware of our background and our heritage[2].

I miss the time I used to read classical novels. When I was at university I had the opportunity to read from Brazilian writers to foreign ones. My favourite writers are still the same - Machado de Assis, Edgar Allan Poe and Franz Kafka are some of them. I had a great influence of my Literature Theory teacher. We read great novels and whenever was possible we watched a film based on this book. Thus, you can see that it is impossible to transpose fiction to TV screen. The quality will depend on the director’s point of view.

Researches have shown that reading helps improve writing. Students who read a lot usually write well. Therefore, it is necessary that the habit of reading is brought back.

468 words

[1] nevertheless: (adv) in spite of sth that you have just mentioned: There is little chance that we will succeed in changing the law. Nevertheless, it is important that we try.
[2] the history, traditions and qualities that a country or society has had for many years and that are considered an important part of its character.