BODY

In the article, "reading, the most dangerous game". the author explains the importance of

reading in his point of view. it tackles about how reading a book can actually change a person's

emotion, thoughts and beliefs. He compares reading to a few meaningful things in life such as

love, marriage and pregnancy.

He calls reading "an intimate act" because he thinks that when a person reads, his or her

mind is exposed directly to another. when you read, you have acess to other person's mind,

feeling and thoughts

Harold talks about the importance that reading has on a writer. In order for you to be a

good writer, you must also read.

brodkey also mentions that "a fundamental part of writing is to give the reader a reason to

keep reading". I believe that it is important for the writer to learn how to write if you want people

to read your stories. "if the writer does not have anything to give and the reader does not find a

book interesting in the first sentences, the reader will not read it". most of the people do not read

books if the first couple lines or the title itself do not catch their attention. you must be able to

keep a reader interested through out the book.

whereas, there is a personal bond forming throughout the reading between the readers and

the book which affects their emotions as it involves emotional connectivity unlike watching a

movie, reading involves attraction, attachment, and obsessiveness that you cannot feel with a

movie. It requires commitment and without it, it is impossible for a book, no matter how great a

book is, to change and affect the readers.

Not only that, but it diverts ones' attention from the absurdity that is reality and takes
them for a spin to an emotional rollercoaster from bliss to misery to any kind of feelings just by

well-crafted words and wild imaginations as it unfolds them to words they’ve never encountered

before. It helps with a person’s critical thinking because reading is not just comprehending

words, it involves reflecting on what they’ve read, reading beyond the text and understanding the

true meaning that the author is trying to convey. Moreover, the "One can marry a book" states

that when reading a book, there is a commitment formed by finishing the book, whether one likes

it or not, he/she have to finish the book. Apart from it, the statement, "if the reader is not at risk,

he is not reading. And if the writer is not at risk, he is not writing" which means if the reader
does not find the book interesting, he/she will not continue to read it, which is the cause of the

writer having no interesting topic or story to give for his readers.

Harold Brodkey describes reading as something that brings such wonders, but failed to

criticize reading. He failed to explain the true dangers of reading. The New York Times article

didn’t mention how reading can drive someone into abandoning their reality. Reading can send

someone into a panic mode-from reading news from a media outlet to reading a fiction book

about a man being unfaithful- reading can trigger so many ugly emotions that not everyone can

manage to handle. Emotions can be amplified just by reading a sentence and this may drive

vulnerable readers to who knows what. Harold Brodkey overlooked the true dangers of reading

by not providing precautions towards the reader especially the vulnerable ones. Moreover, his

method makes the article difficult to comprehend in just one sitting. It takes time to understand

the meanings behind all of his main arguments as he used many types of figures of speech,

idioms, and highfalutin words which made it looked more complicated in one's point of view. It

should have been more understandable if the author did not use too much idioms as it cannot be

comprehended by the people who has lower comprehension skills as deeply educated people can

only comprehend it easier than the others, and judge it. Therefore, how about the ones that does

not have the high comprehension skills like them that wanted to read his works.

CONCLUSION
 The essay’s point pertaining to the state of booklessness means ignorance means that a

person who doesn’t value reading is someone that lacks experience, comprehension, critical

thinking, and creativity. This void can only be filled if one, picks up a book, reads it and

understand it. Forasmuch as, reading can influence others as it gives knowledge to sharpen their

minds, and subjects them to change depending on the books that they pick. It's easy to pass on

these thoughts when we only inadvertently read a book and continuously neglect its context and

understand its substance. He perceived reading to be dangerous because it exposes us to the mind

of another and can build tendencies that may ruin our reality. Despite this, not all books deserve
an indulgence from its readers, and therefore, not all of them are capable of changing its readers

regardless of how well the reader committed to the book.

References:

Brodkey, H. (1985, November 24). READING, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Retrieved

from https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/24/books/reading-the-most-dangerous-

game.html

Smith, D. (1996, January 27). Harold Brodkey, 65, New Yorker Writer And Novelist, Dies of

Illness He Wrote About. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/27/us/harold-

brodkey-65-new-yorker-writer-and-novelist-dies-of-illness-hewrote-about.html

Salgary. (2010, March 2). Harold Brodkey “Reading, the Most Dangerous Game”. Retrieved

from https://www.google.com/amp/s/salgary.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/harold-brodkey-

%25E2%2580%259Creading-the-most-dangerous-game%25E2%2580%259D/amp/

Svalle. (2010). “Reading the Most Dangerous Game” By Harold Brodkey. Retrieved from

https://svalle15.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/reading-the-most-dangerous-game-by-harold-

brodkey/amp/
Paul, C. (2015). 11 Reasons Why Reading Is The Single Best Hobby In The Universe. Retrieved

from https://www.bustle.com/articles/100468-11-reasons-why-reading-is-the-single-best-

hobby-in-the-universe

Dali, K. (2014). On the Dangers of Reading. Retrieved from

https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/on-the-dangers-of-reading