360 Degrees: Literature in the 21st Century

There has been a lot of controversy lately in our class about reading. Mr. Allen has mentioned many times before that the books that we read that were written over a hundred years ago will challenge us, but exactly how much of a stretch is it for our brains to go at this pace?

So, what exactly is the problem? Why can't we adjust to this different way of life? Considering we have been raised in this brand new world where everything is available to us within seconds due to the internet, cell phones, etc. we are used to a very fast pace. So, when we sit down to read, after our long day of activities, between our math homework and social studies project, it is hard for us to devote the kind of time that is necessary to truly appreciate a book like Jane Eyre.

Even if we do find the time to sit down and read, how many of us are actually 100% focused on the book? This is another problem we face with our generation: multitasking is something that is encouraged from the time we are young, it is seen as being efficient. So, we have been raised to think that we can do things just as effectively when they do not have our full attention, but this is just not possible when reading a book from the 19th century.

So should we just give up and accept that these books are just something that are not possible for us to fully absorb? I don't think so. If we disregard all classical literature as being outdated and unnecessarily detailed, then we will just be going backward in our knowledge of language. It is up to us to be able to learn and to teach future generations that sometimes we need to slow down and allow ourselves to be immersed in a world that is different than our own.