Justin Watts

Walden
UWRT 1104
November 2, 2015
Leisure Time reading
Introduction:
To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains
of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries ( Moyer ).
Books can get people through rough times and even make good time better. They have the power
to push your analyzing ability and can take you to places in your mind youve never thought of.
Reading has the ability to reduce stress and relax people in chaotic situations. No matter how
much stress you have at your work place, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues
you face in your daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great book. A well
written novel can transport you to other realms and let tensions drain away and allow you to stay
calm and relax.
My love of novels and books came from my childhood. One of the first books that I truly
connected with was the book To Kill a Mockingbird. I thought it was a fantastic book and
thought that everyone could relate to it. I always paid attention to great detail in fiction books
and the more I looked at books, the more I enjoyed reading. Books such as the Hunger Games
and the Maze Runner mesmerized me with the creativity throughout both novels. As I grew, I
was able to appreciate what leisure time reading did for me. I wish for those reading, to
appreciate and understand the benefits of reading and how it can transform the way you perceive
and think of things.

The effects of reading is quite evident with everyone, just about every person
acknowledges the fact that positive factors coincide with reading. There is however a question
about the effects of leisure time reading. Reading plays many important roles in peoples lives.
Without reading entirely, it could have many harmful effects. There are so many things to
explore through reading and literature, and I wish to know more.

Literature Review:
A topic that I found regarding reading was support groups of reading. One of the articles
discuss taking surveys of high schoolers and talking to them about the statistics related to leisure
time reading. They talk about the test scores and benefits towards high school factors. There was
a survey where ninth graders were to determine attitudes toward reading and identify factors in
the lives of older children and teens associated with the development of a love for reading. The
article demonstrates the pleasures of reading and discusses interesting and engaging books for
young adults. The second topic relates to science fiction texts, written for young adults, which
deal with the tenets of the post human age. Another topic expresses feelings about characters in
books. This study investigated the extent that adult writers experience with the characters they
create for their works of fiction. This speaks of an authors version of why they create characters
the way they do in fiction. This relates to my topic because I want to know why young adults are
so intrigued by reading fiction.
My assignment one was on the film/book the Maze Runner. I noticed that many people
are intrigued by the weird apocalyptic genre of books and movies that have been coming out. I
really enjoyed this movie and it made me want to explore the idea even more. I can use
assignment one to compare to the types of fiction books that young adults are interested in
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reading in their leisure time. One article talks about what young adults do in their leisure time. It
gives facts and statistics on leisure time reading as well as other activities young adults engage
in. It also shows more detail in the aspect of what types of books they are reading (fiction,
romance, nonfiction, science fiction, and many more). I could use this study to provide more
detail and add more numbers and statistics to my paper. Lastly, the final topic talks about culture
and history. These sources use a combination of surveys and interviews to analyze the outcomes
of leisure reading. I could incorporate these statistics they argue that from leisure reading. One
can learn about people and relationships, countries, life enrichment, and different perspectives. In
my paper I want to explore why leisure time reading is becoming more popular and what people
can benefit from it.
Entering the Conversation
The thought of reading too many teens can be thought of as boring and a waste of time.
With homework, extra-curricular activities, clubs, jobs, and sports many cant find time to
incorporate reading into their schedule. Certainly, learning to read is valued by many cultures,
and the ability to read is regarded as the most fundamental goal of education (Strommen).
Reading is a huge benefit to those that do. It has many effects on a person that they might not
even know about. These effects that reading can have on a person could change their life. Some
of these effects are that reading can reduce stress, gives a higher sense of tranquility, improve
ones own analytical skills, increase your vocabulary, improve your memory, expand your
writing skills, enhance your brain, and help with prioritizing ones goals.
Studies have found that analytical thinking is boosted by reading. Readers improve their
general knowledge, and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker. If you can spot
patterns quicker, your analytical skills will rise. This being just one of the benefits of leisure time
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reading. Fiction texts outline the ethics of biotechnology, such as the creation of a superclass,
and crossing the boundaries between human and animal, human and machine. Most of the texts
place nurture above nature and promote a "safe," traditional vision of humanity despite the
potential of biotechnology to change the human form (Ostry 6). When reading fiction, one can
see the patterns in such books like the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and the Divergent series. I
found them all to be very similar and more times than not could predict how the book was going
to end. Even though the endings were predictable, the books were still fun to read. Fiction
strengthens your imagination and creativity. Your imagination gives you the view of what the
world could potentially be or just a different perspective from another person. When we are
facing lifes hardships seeing the world in a more optimistic view could help to show how things
can turn out for the better.
In a popular cartoon called The Simpsons there is an episode where Lisa (the daughter) is
upset and Marge (the mom) asks if one of Lisas book characters is having problems. When
youre reading you become extremely attached to the characters and this in return helps you with
the emotion of empathy. Empathy is the ability to see and value what another person is feeling or
experiencing. When you read you see the world through the characters eyes and can see a whole
new light. This empathy then comes off the page and comes into to your daily life. It helps us to
relate emotionally with other people, to recognize the difficult hardships of others, and to have an
open mind. This can make us more sensitive and compassionate. Our relationships with others
will be enhanced by genuine sympathy, and well inevitably be sympathetic to people we dont
know because we realize the depth beyond the unfamiliar face.
Fictional Reading brings out curiosity. One of the most important aspects of learning is
being curious. When you're curious about something in the world, you seek it out and learn
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everything you can about it. As it turns out, fiction is a great starting point and can enhance ones
curiosity. Fictional reading also makes people more comfortable with ambiguity. This is because
fiction books dont always have clear endings. I believe it makes more people comfortable with
the feeling of not knowing everything all the time. This is a valuable trait to have because one
can learn to live in and enjoy the moment.
Fictional literature can help us explore abstract human experiences. Writers of
different eras, cultures, and even worldviews can connect with us at a profound level. Fiction
gives people an idea of foreign ideas through books. Fictional literature can deepen our
appreciation for concrete human experience. By retelling life stories with words, we can heighten
our sensitivity to common human experiences. Fictional literature gives a depth to human
experience and natural beauty. Fiction reading can focus our attention on things that we take for
granted and these images intensify our experience of the world we see around us.
Conclusion/ So what:
Books have the power to change peoples lives. Aside from the effects it has on the brain,
reading can have dramatic effects on human experience. Some of these effects are that reading
can reduce stress, give you more peacefulness, improve your analytical skills, increase your
vocabulary, improve your memory, advance your writing skills, enhance your brain, and help to
prioritize your goals, and so much more. Reading plays such an important role in peoples lives.
Without it, it could potentially have some harmful effects.
When you read, empathy is an underlying emotion that you improve on. Empathy is the
ability to see and value what another person is feeling or experiencing. When you read you can
learn about different people and see the world a lot differently. This empathy then comes off the

page and comes into to your daily life. It helps us to relate with other people. Fictional Reading
brings out curiosity. As it turns out, fiction is a great starting point and can increase ones
curiosity. This can make people want to learn and can really benefit the individual. Fictional
literature can help us explore abstract human experiences. Writers of different eras, cultures, and
even worldviews can connect with us at a profound level through books and leisure time reading.
All of these factors are important because they can influence ones life for the better.
Whether reading is reducing stress in your life or is making you more curious about the world, it
is important and adds benefits to your life. The benefits are there for everyone to take advantage
of and people should really incorporate reading into their free time within the twenty-four hours
that we all share all day, every day. Literacy is the bridge that connects human feeling with
human logic. Desultory hearts would surround the globe without the intermediate passages of
empathy which can truly be expressed by a mere pen and paper. Reading makes all of us more
human. When we actually take the time to sit down and read a story we can feel emotion and
connection with an outside world and a different perspective.
Reading and writing gives us a way to write down and record so many things, from
history, to songs, literature, and important events. All of these contribute to what legacy we leave
and pass down to the next generation. Our culture, history, and values would not be remembered
if writing and especially reading did not exist. It is also important for health and even
recreational purposes. Many people use reading as a tool to escape from an unfortunate reality.
Mental health experts say that reading is always recommended for progress in poor mental
health, and even stress related issues.
Some new ideas that were brought to mind during this process was that with the way our
society is now, regarding technology, how can this negatively impact reading? Today, most
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people would much rather pick up their smart devices, watch TV, and listen to their iPods than
pick up a book and read. Most of this comes down to pure apathy and convenience. If we think
about past generations, reading books was sometimes the only fun past time available. There
wasnt many distractions and this may be why many older people are able to read, write,
empathize, and even communicate better compared to our generation today. Is technology the
main contributing source of why reading is not as popular as it used to be?

Works Cited

Bean, Thomas W., and Helen J. Harper. "Exploring Notions of Freedom In and Through Young
Adult Literature." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: 96-104. Print.
Greaney, Vincent. "Factors Related to Amount and Type of Leisure Time Reading." Reading
Research Quarterly: 337. Print.
Moffitt, Mary Anne S., and Ellen Wartella. "Youth and Reading: A Survey of Leisure Reading
Pursuits of Female and Male Adolescents." Reading Research and Instruction: 1-17.
Print.
Moyer, Jessica E. "Learning From Leisure Reading." Reference & User Services Quarterly:
66-79. Print.
Ostry, Elaine. ""Is He Still Human? Are You?": Young Adult Science Fiction In The Posthuman
Age." The Lion and The Unicorn: 222-46. Print.
Strommen, Linda Teran, and Barbara Fowles Mates. "Learning To Love Reading: Interviews
With Older Children And Teens." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: 188-200.
Print.
Taylor, Marjorie, Sara D. Hodges, and Adle Kohnyi. "The Illusion Of Independent Agency:
Do Adult Fiction Writers Experience Their Characters As Having Minds Of Their
Own?" Imagination, Cognition and Personality: 361-80. Print.

Watts, Justin. "Assignment One." Lecture.