Into the Light of Reading

Just something I wrote for school. It basically centers on my love of reading over time.

It was such a foreign thing for me to take heed,

               Picking up a book to sit down and read.

       I was under the television’s cogent spell,

       Entranced by cartoons and live action as well.

       Indeed, I judged a book by its humdrum cover,

       I thought that there was very little to unearth or discover.

       Then one day a teacher opened the gate,

       Into uncharted waters I’d not seen as of late.

       I refused her request of flipping the first page,

       as I had never left my technological cage.

       She promised that I’d never have to read again,

       But insisted this attempt would not go in vain.

       So I flipped the first page and eyed the first word,

       And then a newfound passion had suddenly stirred.

       I’d read into the day and into the night,

       Reading had lured me into a whole other light.

       I never stopped reading, and I hope I never will,

       It was different from television, yet it had so much thrill.

Reviews

[Maria]

This was such a great inspiring piece. You truly have talent, and I applaud you. I found this delightful and refreshing to read as well.

[Lighthouse guy]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it!

[emipoemi]

This is a great poem with a strong message! The musicality grows to be a bit of a mouthful in a few lines, particularly in the last two of Stanza 1, but the story is quite enjoyable. Well done!

[Lighthouse guy]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[/]

TV depicts the scenery for us. Reading involves our own imaginations as we read, therefore, making the world we read about our own making. I like the fact that you pointed out the joy of reading and favored it over television. Reading is a wonderful thing.

[Lighthouse guy]

Thanks, Bo! I appreciate you taking the time to read this!

[M. Hassen]

I appreciate the subject you are tackling here because it made me reflect on the evolution of my own relationship with reading. My critique would be that I think the poem could be stronger by interacting more with Larkin’s thesis.

The narrator here wants to keep reading, “I never stopped reading, and I hope I never will,” but why? After all, Larkin’s persona claims that at the end of the day “Books are a load of crap.” He would say that your narrator has changed nothing by escaping into books instead of escaping into television shows. It’s equally a failure to live life. Your narrator could agree with Larkin by equating the “technological cage” with a literary one, or he could introduce the nuance that maybe there is some sort of distinction between the escape into television and the escape into books.

The message of the narrator seems to be “I used to do one thing: watch TV; now I do a different thing: read books; and, these things are different.” But, I’m left wondering, “So what?” I think you have a great opportunity to use the narrator's experience more as a way of addressing the implication of substituting television for books and speaking more directly to Larkin's indictment of escapism.