The Importance of Reading

Why is it important that children still read books during their school education? The movie
Detachment with Adrien Brody describes the reason why in a powerful monologue by an English
teacher, a substitute teacher at that; something I can relate to.

The character starts by reacting to something that happens in class; a comment is made to a female
student by a male student. The boy presumes that the teacher hasn’t overheard. Part of the
monologue is on how men are taught to mistreat women, to see them as objects, but this
objectification is elaborated on to include the whole of society; people are being dumbed down by
the powers that be.

The media are simplifying and dulling the reality we perceive. They are making people into flat
characters; teaching us how to interpret things and not to go in depth when it comes to subjects of
grave importance.

This is why we have to read; to build or own consciousness, to grow our imagination, to have our
own set of beliefs; not ones that are handed down from others. Most of all, we must read to
preserve our minds from the onslaught of constant media bombardment.

The monologue touched me, because it is true. People tend to go with what the masses decide is
right. In the Netherlands a lot of what is seen on the news is a copy paste of American broadcasting
agencies. I think this is a shame. Of course, people who are well read, have the right education and
the mind to discern the difference between propaganda and proper research see through this
charade, but how are teenagers supposed to do the same? Or how are people who haven’t had
proper education supposed to be critical of what the media shows them?

Well, it’s almost impossible. If you don’t know you’re being played, you won’t see it’s only the
shadows in the cave. If you can’t work out what the trick is, the mind gets lazy and just believes what
is there.

A terrible example of this is the 3 year old toddler who died during his flight from Syria. The image of
a young child went viral and suddenly the general opinion changed; refugees were welcome again in
Europe. If one had followed the discussion from the start, one would have come across many bodies
of children floating in the sea, but those weren’t shown worldwide and one had to be willing to look
at those gruesome images to be aware of the tragedy taking place.

So people like to be told what to think about the news. I think this is laziness at its worst and I agree
with the teacher that people should build their own set of beliefs and grow their own consciousness;
don’t wait for the image of a drowned boy to change your mind, but seek information about what is
happening in the world.

Reading books is the best way to get to know the world in the broadest possible way there is. Writers
play devil’s advocate to subjects they disagree with in real life, they use irony and sarcasm. They
write from many perspectives; portraying heroes, victims and perpetrators. One can read about
cultures that have died out, learn about different religions and laws. This is something children need
to broaden their scope. Without reading their world view will become passive and they will believe
anything they see.
Other wonderful things about reading are that it takes you into a different reality, a different time
with different people and different landscapes. It builds one’s imagination to see these places in the
mind’s eye. It stimulates the imagination to read dialogues between characters and to perceive the
feelings these characters evoke within you, the reader.

So please don’t let the Dutch educational system dumb down your children. Let them read books,
learn languages, go to museums, theatres and cinemas. Let them breathe culture and let them travel.
A country should never save money on education. The time is short in which these values can be
instilled. Reading, being critical of one’s environment and speaking up, are things that are
undervalued at the moment and should be taken more seriously by adults who can guide the
children to a more mature and responsible way of thinking.

Karolina Grenczyk