When you are assigned reading in school, does that make you less likely to enjoy it? It just seems that of all the great books out there, schools choose books that are uninteresting or even boring. This discourages kids from reading. I hear all the time people saying that they don't like to read, and then I will ask them what they have read, and they say nothing except for the stuff I have to read for school. I know that for me personally, I hate being forced to read, even if it is something I would otherwise enjoy. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Assigned Reading
- Thread starter Karina42
- Start date
Love4OneAnother
kickbox
I usually like the stuff I get to read, at least this year. 
In the past I have had teachers who took good books and absoluetly killed them, but for the most part I never minded it. Then again, I'm always that kid who reads the whole thing the night the book is given out.
In the past I have had teachers who took good books and absoluetly killed them, but for the most part I never minded it. Then again, I'm always that kid who reads the whole thing the night the book is given out. 
Geenh
New Member
When I was in school, we had summer reading lists and I read them all. Loved it! Introduced me to books I may or may not have found on my own. I lament the fact that here in Australia, my daughter isn't asked to read any book in particular. If she were to be asked, maybe one might tickle her fancy. As it is, she doesn't read because the school system doesn't care whether she does outside of standard textbooks. Sad, really.
I loved the books my primary school teachers leant me (and even more that they had their maiden names in the front cover. That was funny... at the time.) but most of the books I've had to read for school, I haven't really enjoyed. In the lower levels they were pathetic about kids 3 yrs younger than me, and predictable too. Now they are... "deep and meaningfully depressing".
Rather, being made to read a book takes all the fun out of it.
Rather, being made to read a book takes all the fun out of it.
Robert
Active Member
I didn't like reading when I was in school. I think it a combination of what was assigned and the fact that we had to read it.
The worse book I was assigned in school was Gone With The Wind. It's a good book, but it took several hundred pages before it really got interesting. If it wasn't required reading, I would have put it down after the first 100 pages and would never have picked it up again.
The worse book I was assigned in school was Gone With The Wind. It's a good book, but it took several hundred pages before it really got interesting. If it wasn't required reading, I would have put it down after the first 100 pages and would never have picked it up again.
novella
Active Member
Assigned reading in high school is often problemmatic because there is some didactic purpose attached to the choice besides learning about and enjoying literature.
For instance, Robert was assigned Gone With the Wind. If that was chosen on the basis of literary merit, I'd be very surprised. I suspect it was chosen as a way to discuss Civil War issues, probably along with other books set in the period? It's just not a very good book.
I studied literature at university and many many of the books in the syllabi opened my eyes to relationships and influences among works. Many I never would have read otherwise, like Restoration drama, theater of the absurd, Lytton Strachey, and Walter Pater.
To me, studying literature is not *just* about enjoying the story; it's about exploring the history and depth and breadth of the written word, which sometimes entails reading things that you are not automatically attracted to. It's like developing a palate that appreciates all the aspects of taste: the bitter, sweet, salt, sour, umami.
To tell the truth, I read Shakespeare for years and years, went to live productions, read plays aloud in school, studied the structure, the jokes, the subtleties of the language, but I didn't really take it into my heart until I saw Kenneth Branagh's Henry V. All of a sudden, wham!, I knew the greatness of that play, and I could extend that to some of the others. For all it's wonderful cleverness, the work just didn't live for me until then.
For instance, Robert was assigned Gone With the Wind. If that was chosen on the basis of literary merit, I'd be very surprised. I suspect it was chosen as a way to discuss Civil War issues, probably along with other books set in the period? It's just not a very good book.
I studied literature at university and many many of the books in the syllabi opened my eyes to relationships and influences among works. Many I never would have read otherwise, like Restoration drama, theater of the absurd, Lytton Strachey, and Walter Pater.
To me, studying literature is not *just* about enjoying the story; it's about exploring the history and depth and breadth of the written word, which sometimes entails reading things that you are not automatically attracted to. It's like developing a palate that appreciates all the aspects of taste: the bitter, sweet, salt, sour, umami.
To tell the truth, I read Shakespeare for years and years, went to live productions, read plays aloud in school, studied the structure, the jokes, the subtleties of the language, but I didn't really take it into my heart until I saw Kenneth Branagh's Henry V. All of a sudden, wham!, I knew the greatness of that play, and I could extend that to some of the others. For all it's wonderful cleverness, the work just didn't live for me until then.
Eliza
New Member
I must have been very lucky in school, because I never felt forced to read, neither for Dutch, nor for the foreign languages (English, French, German). Although I didn't like everything I tried, I managed just fine, probably also because we were given lists to choose from. There wasn't a single truly force-read book. However, I absolutely hated literature at uni, and majored in Linguistics instead. The problem for me was that the teachers in university didn't leave any room for interpretation except their own, and none ever asked what we thought of a book/story/poem. After the first two years of forced uni reading, I didn't read a normal book for about five years . I never stopped loving books though (oh, the smell of new pages!), I just couldn't read them. About two years ago I finally started reading literature again, I'm now part of a reading group, and even read more than my reading group requires!
. I never stopped loving books though (oh, the smell of new pages!), I just couldn't read them. About two years ago I finally started reading literature again, I'm now part of a reading group, and even read more than my reading group requires! 
Halo
New Member
Libra6Poe said:
I completely agree. Out of school, you choose what you would like to read. In school, the choice is made for you. Worse still, you are forced to analyse and over-analyse the book until you are heartily sick of it. Whoever chose the books for our O and A level English literature courses must have been a right bundle of joy - they were all bloody depressing (or had many depressing parts to them), e.g., King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, (yes, I know these are tragedies), Far From The Madding Crowd. I can't remember liking any of them. I am amazed that despite all this discouragement, I still love reading.
Krys
Member
I'm in the same boat as Halo and Libra6Poe. I hated the assigned reading in school. In fact, I remember my sophomore year in high school, I refused to read the assigned Catcher in the Rye, and during the summer, I chose to read it on my own free will. It instantly became my favorite book for many years.
Luckily, I had a good relationship with the school librarian who constantly fed me good book suggestions. I read and read and read, but rarely the works that were assigned to me.
If there had been a class for BS in high school, I certainly would've aced it.
Luckily, I had a good relationship with the school librarian who constantly fed me good book suggestions. I read and read and read, but rarely the works that were assigned to me.
If there had been a class for BS in high school, I certainly would've aced it.
Hollis
New Member
I was assigned both books I enjoyed and books I ended up really not liking at all. The fact that they were assigned didn't really matter when it came to if I was going to enjoy it or not. I was exposed to some amazing books that I probably wouldn't have otherwise have picked up. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" was one of them...I LOVED that book and have since recommended it to others. Had I never been assigned to read it, I would have missed out! I was in a G/T English class where the emphasis was on reading and dissection of the books. I was lucky because our teacher really assigned a variety of books (and even more luckily, I had her 2 years instead of 1). And considering I already loved reading as it was, English was my favorite class during high school.
Now assigned textbook reading, such as in college...now THAT'S a different story. Blah!
Now assigned textbook reading, such as in college...now THAT'S a different story. Blah!
Rigana
New Member
I used to hate them. My teachers chose mostly children's fiction, totally boring. It was all about the problems discussed in the book - prejudices, cloning, euthanasia.
But finally we got to read some classics, of which I liked a lot. Kafka, Schiller, Eichendorff, Büchner, Sophocles, Lessing.
In English and Latin I liked the assigned books right from the beginning. In English lessons we started out with Nick Hornby, closely followed by Shakespeare.
But finally we got to read some classics, of which I liked a lot. Kafka, Schiller, Eichendorff, Büchner, Sophocles, Lessing.
In English and Latin I liked the assigned books right from the beginning. In English lessons we started out with Nick Hornby, closely followed by Shakespeare.
Kookamoor
New Member
Geenh said:
Really?? That seems odd that there's nothing required? What are English and Literature courses about?
As for me, I'm not sure if it was our school system or my school, but we had some really great books. I've tried to recall them up from the murk of my memory, but obviously this isn't complete:
Yr 7:
- Bridge to Terabithia - I actually heard this was on a banned books list because of 'witchcraft' or some such crap
- The Watertower - a picture story book, would you believe, but it had themes and another story within the illustrations
Yr 8:
- Obernewyn - Isobelle Carmody
Yr 9: No idea
Yr 10:
- The Old Man and the Sea - Hemmingway. Not a huge fan, but I did appreciate that the writing style was different
- Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare. Typical teenage-aimed shakespeare.
- Poetry: Pablo Neruda. Mmm!
- Some kind of book of fairy tales. We went through looking at the way a fairy tale is written. I think they were the original Grimm ones. It was really interesting, actually, as some of them were very very violent!
Yr 11 (Literature and English):
- 1984 - George Orwell
- Short Cuts - Raymond Carver
- Hamlett - Shakespeare. My *favourite* shakespeare!!!!
- The Picador Book of the Beach. A collection of short stories, that I really liked.
- The Riders - Tim Winton. Australian book - LOVED it!
- Othello - Shakespeare. Truly horrendous, my least favourite Shakespeare. Although this one was also my least favorite English teacher, so there's probably some correlation there.
Yr 12 (Literature and English):
- The Cherry Orchard - Anton Checkhov. Never thought I'd find this amusing.
- Tirra Lirra By the River. I adored this book - it's imagery is gorgeous.
- Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence. Uurgh!! Only book I wish I didn't *have* to read.
- Coonadoo - Susan Pritchard. Educational, eye opening, although it's not my usual type of book.
- Robert Frost Poetry. Loved it!!!
- Fly Away Peter - David Malouf. Initially confusing, but then I 'got it' and loved it!
- Montana 1948. Surprisingly good, actually! Albeit a bit simplistic.
- The Great Gatsby. Bluk.
We also used to do a film text each year. Some of these included 'Strictly Ballroom', 'Blade Runner (Directors Cut)', 'The Simpsons' (my teacher was a huge fan!) and 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' I know that's not really on-topic, but did anyone else do film texts in English class?
Kookamoor said:
"The Old man and the sea" *shudders* I thought I had forgotten that book. Our teacher insisted on reading to us in grade 5 and we all thought it was as boring as all heck!
I've just finished studying "Strictly Ballroom" for Literature, and "Montana, 1948" in English - we do "what's eating gilbert grape" later in the year.
You are so lucky to do Bridge to Terabithia!!! I love that book. I read it... probably when I was in year 7, and would have much rathe studied that than "hatchet" which I hated because i thought the boy was an idiot.
And you did Obernewtyn? I've just read that - loved it. No fair, why can't my school choosen some some decent books...
lorrekarloff
New Member
I hated very much being forced to read, so much that I can hardly recall any required reading. Worse still, was the picking-apart analyzing of the book chapter by chapter, and the very worst was the dreaded "Oral Report". That would eat at my mind all through the book! And since I would read the book in a day or two, I'd have to "dumb down" & pretend I didn't know the end. It was an all-around pain! The only ones I can recall are:
8th Grade - A Seperate Peace-John Knowles
- The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
9th Grade- Othello and MacBeth
I probably would have enjoyed all of these had I picked them myself.
Also in 10th my English teacher was obsessed with death and Emily Dickenson. We spent most of the year analyzing her poems and reading depressing books.
The ONLY good book I remember reading in high school was "To Kill a Mockingbird".
My daughter loves to read also, but she has always complained about the assigned reading, and I can't blame her. The books she's brought home I wouldnt want to read either.
The only ones I can recall are:8th Grade - A Seperate Peace-John Knowles
- The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
9th Grade- Othello and MacBeth
I probably would have enjoyed all of these had I picked them myself.
Also in 10th my English teacher was obsessed with death and Emily Dickenson. We spent most of the year analyzing her poems and reading depressing books.
The ONLY good book I remember reading in high school was "To Kill a Mockingbird".
My daughter loves to read also, but she has always complained about the assigned reading, and I can't blame her. The books she's brought home I wouldnt want to read either.
water faerie
New Member
If the book is *really* good, I'll like it, but I usually don't because I don't like being forced to read stuff I don't want to read.