PEERS RESPONSE: In all four of the articles and videos we encountered in this assignment, they all stated variations of the same thing: reading and writing are symbiotic, they are separate sides of the same coin. I wholeheartedly agree. One cannot read without at least a basic understanding of writing, and one cannot write without having read. The relationship is one of familial ties, both activities so closely entwined with one another that they might be mirror twins. Placed in an academic setting, especially this academic setting, where we do not have face to face interactions or assigned times to be present in a classroom, reading all the materials is an essential and invaluable part of our education. These assignments do not seek to punish or frustrate us as students, they are providing a window into our area of study, or a way to better adapt our thinking and comprehension for the world as a whole. As discussed in the chapter , ” .” In order to understand, to fully absorb what we are learning and internalize it into our own theories on the subject matter and how it affects our lives and careers, we have to read the material. For
example, would you feel confident seeing a doctor who has not read Grey’s Anatomy, or more modern texts, and allowing them to do surgery? Would you accept an English teacher who was not familiar with a thesaurus, or a Literature professor who had never read Shakespeare or Austen? In order to know, to become knowledgeable and reliable members of our fields, we must do the work. As I was watching author Jacqueline Woodson’s TED Talk about reading slowly ( ), I was strongly impacted by her statement referring to her ancestors struggles with being forbidden to read or write as “The Danger of a Literate People and Their Stories”. That was so powerful to me-if we are literate, if we are educated, if we are critical readers who process what we read and create our own beliefs through that-we are dangerous. Reading has always been an act of rebellion, it was forbidden for women, People of Color, and other marginalized identities for most of human history in various cultures. So, by being an active reader of class materials and completing your reading assignments, you are a dangerous person! Because, as the old adage goes, Knowledge=Power.