Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, writes a letter outlining her opinion of the importance of literature and reading. She writes that, “[we live] in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms.” In her opinion, the minimal exposure to literature and reading are the main causes of unimaginative and prosaic minds of people these days.
To begin with, she believes the amount of reading she does as a kid has an impact on the endemic precocity in her village of childhood. In the letter it says, “Reading was an accomplishment I shared with several local contemporaries. Why this endemic precocity? Because in my hometown, a remote village in the early 1930s, youngsters had little to do but read.” According to her, most children in her village are far more intelligent than children nowadays, because they read at such young ages.
Second of all, in the open letter, she briefly mentions the difference between the …show more content…
In my opinion, the minds of people nowadays can not be compared to empty rooms; if anything, they are full of activity. People put more of their effort into relationships, extracurricular activities and so on. In the text, Lee explains, “when I work to learn something, I remember it… We still keep in touch by telephone conversations of recurrent theme: ‘What is your name again?’ followed by ‘What are you reading?’ We don’t always remember.” From that one can conclude she does not work to learn the names of some of her childhood neighbours. In the 1930s, there are many different challenges to face, especially with the occurrence of the Great Depression. On the other hand, in the 21st century, people are not tackling anything nearly as challenging, at least in North America. In my opinion, the minds of people are not like empty rooms and the minimal use of literature and reading is as a result of the change of people’s
To begin with, she believes the amount of reading she does as a kid has an impact on the endemic precocity in her village of childhood. In the letter it says, “Reading was an accomplishment I shared with several local contemporaries. Why this endemic precocity? Because in my hometown, a remote village in the early 1930s, youngsters had little to do but read.” According to her, most children in her village are far more intelligent than children nowadays, because they read at such young ages.
Second of all, in the open letter, she briefly mentions the difference between the …show more content…
In my opinion, the minds of people nowadays can not be compared to empty rooms; if anything, they are full of activity. People put more of their effort into relationships, extracurricular activities and so on. In the text, Lee explains, “when I work to learn something, I remember it… We still keep in touch by telephone conversations of recurrent theme: ‘What is your name again?’ followed by ‘What are you reading?’ We don’t always remember.” From that one can conclude she does not work to learn the names of some of her childhood neighbours. In the 1930s, there are many different challenges to face, especially with the occurrence of the Great Depression. On the other hand, in the 21st century, people are not tackling anything nearly as challenging, at least in North America. In my opinion, the minds of people are not like empty rooms and the minimal use of literature and reading is as a result of the change of people’s