The Magic of Books!

In every high school English class, students are required to read multiple works of literature--short stories, poems, long novels, etc. These students, who are often tasked with many assignments from their four or five other classes, tend to lose desire to read assigned books, viewing the reading as a burden and not as a joy. Oftentimes, students required to read to a specific section of the book a night, like "chapter four" for instance, see that marker as a finish line for the night. Cramming two hours worth of reading into a forty-five minute time slot, especially when it is late at night and one's eyes start to fade in and out of the light because of his/her exhaustion, does not allow for one to fully grasp the "magic" of the book. Some of my favorite books to read have been school assigned books that I have re read during a school break because I could fully enjoy the book without feeling overwhelmed or having my mind wonder to the thoughts of my incomplete math homework or my biology test the next day.
Reading should remain a joyful yet impactful activity that can be done in an academic setting or on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon. Reading allows people to reflect on their own lives, connect with characters, and imagine the plot coming alive in their minds. When reading is rushed and not read for meaning, the reader is not able to pick up on the important details that make the book and its message unique. As a result of rushed reading, the reader is also unable to really use his/her imagination to interpret the book as they please. This is one of the biggest points Hermann Hesse makes, as he believes that books are what is "keeping our imagination from dwindling away." So while assigned reading can seem unnecessary, extensive, and boring, we should all try to give the book and its plot or utmost attention so we are able to subconsciously allow are imaginations to translate the thoughts we develop from reading the book into an image that plays as we read in our heads. Everyone's "internal movie," the image one sees when reading a book, is original to each individual, and that's the special and magical thing about books! Allow them to take you where you want them to go. Read for enjoyment, to better yourself, improve your imagination, and expand your views. Experience the magic in each book, and do not just simply let it skim by!