Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them

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AiyaBoudica143
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Re: Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them

Post by AiyaBoudica143 »

Having read a lot of the "classics" when I was younger, I can honestly say i'm a better person than i might have been, had i not read them. I was (am) a bit of a wallflower as a kid, and the books I read were my escape from loneliness. Some of the books dealt with realities and situations we only read about nowadays in history books, and that makes it hard to appreciate the difficulty of those time periods. Reading about the lives of people from those time periods really helped me better understand the limitations of those eras. It also helped me to better understand my own lot in life, and to be humble about what i have. That being said, I can understand the appeal of 'modern' literature for people my age (19) and younger. Literary novels can sometimes be dull and dry. Teenagers don't always have the patience to drudge through the dullness to reach the best part of the novel. "The Grapes of Wrath," for example, by John Steinbeck, was one such book. It was dull, and boring, and received a load of complaints from the group reading it in my American Lit class (otherwise known as Junior English). The ending, however, was (for me) what made it all worth it. That last image resonates with the reader, and it lingers: A poignant symbol---a simple symbol---of hope, and renewal. I think that's the biggest appeal for the 'classic' novels. Sure, they may be written in antiquated language that "ho-hums" its way along; nonetheless, they leave something behind. A diamond in the rough, if you please. Every 'classic' novel I have ever read, even if i hated it, taught me something. Even if i had to be dragged---kicking and screaming---i saw the point the story tried to make. I saw each one, and i remember them, and those images have made me who I am. They allowed me to appreciate who i am. I'm not saying that today's novels don't resonate, only that that feeling is harder to find nowadays.
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Post by aliciawilson »

I believe it is very important to have kids read classics. I think a lot of the core ideas from the classics are still important today. It is also important to read books from other time periods so that we can learn from them and grown within our own society.
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Post by TrishaAnn92 »

We read some classics in High School ( Scarlet Letter, Lord of the Flies, Shakespeare, Odyssey and a few others) and I'm really glad for it! I completely agree children should be encouraged to read the classics!
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Davidc1470
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Post by Davidc1470 »

I agree that we should encourage kids to read, but why the classic's? I agree that there is much to be learned and gleaned in many of them, but is it realistic to think that kids will actually read them? Though some kids might, most kids aren't concerned with reading classics, and the sad fact is that most kids do not want to read at all. So though I love many classic books, I think the greater and more basic principal should be that we create an environment where kids want to read in the first place.
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Post by shockernot_mc »

I grew up around the classics because that's what my dad taught. I agree than children should be encouraged to read these pieces of art. So many modern books and movies are based on the classics so why not use that as an introduction for this generation that seemingly has no desire to read anything predating themselves.
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Post by petsitter113 »

One main reason I encourage my children to read the classics is because of language differences from times past and now. Books like: Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Secret Garden, and Of Mice and Men have such strong dialects that are difficult to read but important to read. Reading these books has taught them that not everyone speaks like they do (they know that, but...) and has taught them to figure out what the words are by how they are written. I'm glad I taught them phonics so strongly!
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Post by Dream Catcher »

They usually have a moral. Very Influential.

-- 23 Jan 2014, 06:06 --

Increase cultural capital.
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AGilliam200
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Post by AGilliam200 »

Any thoughts about a good first classic for a child? One of my favorite childhood memories is my father reading Treasure Island to me a chapter at a time. What are other good books to read to younger children?
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Post by Aussie-reader »

Marg wrote: For example, I loved the full. unabridged, illustrated copy of Pinocchio. If an adult read it to every child, or the chid read it, in Chicago, there would be no gangs and no gun shootings. .
I don't have a strong opinion on the value or otherwise of reading classic books as opposed to modern books - but Wow, here is an astounding leap of logic :shock:
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Post by Fran »

Aussie-reader wrote:
Marg wrote: For example, I loved the full. unabridged, illustrated copy of Pinocchio. If an adult read it to every child, or the chid read it, in Chicago, there would be no gangs and no gun shootings. .
I don't have a strong opinion on the value or otherwise of reading classic books as opposed to modern books - but Wow, here is an astounding leap of logic :shock:
Would that it were that simple
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A world is born again that never dies.
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Post by sophiachic »

I agree children should be given classic books to read. They will open the world to them for reading.
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Post by a_mon_avis »

I've always loved the quote by Einstein which is floating around the Internet: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." Not that all classics are fairy tales, but I think it's to the same point. There is so much to be learned from reading in general, like Ray Bradbury always advocated. He went to his local library instead of college and he became a really great writer. Which leads me to what Stephen King says, that you have to be a good reader to be a good writer. I think books are some of the best teachers, and most classics have timeless messages every child and adult could learn something from.
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Post by luluMoon1940 »

I consider myself so fortunate in having an extremely well read Mother whose passion for books she passed on to me. I learned to read very young. I was submerged by "the classics", fascinated, empowered and stimulated by the diverse worlds they opened up for me and books and reading have been one of the greatest pleasures throughout my life. Sadly my daughter is quite severely dyslexic and reading has always been a struggle and something she would rather not do. My grand-daughter however is not dyslexic but despite all my efforts in providing books,audio tapes,reading aloud and discussions I have found that my influence has been minimal. She is a well balanced intelligent thirteen year old who is very proud to show her friends "Grandmas ginormous collection of books". However buying, borrowing or reading a book is just not in her nature and a source of great regret to me for all that she is missing. As the old saying goes "you can lead a horse to water.........."
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Post by saviolo »

I think the word here is 'encourage' - not force. Schools do a lot of damage by insisting that children read books 'because they are good', rather than equipping the reader to understand whats actually so good about them. My son is a very ambitious reader and at 13 he's read a lot of stuff which really surprises me (Lord of the Rings AND Raymond Chandler?) But even he is going to baulk at some of the things his school will ask him to study.

-- 21 Apr 2014, 06:00 --
a_mon_avis wrote:There is so much to be learned from reading in general, like Ray Bradbury always advocated..... I think books are some of the best teachers, and most classics have timeless messages every child and adult could learn something from.
True, true - but I note that the two authors you cite are Bradbury and King, not Proust or Tolstoy. There are a lot of people who would throw their hands up in shock that a 'sci-fi guy' and 'one of those awful horror types' are being used as examples. That's my big problem with the classics - people can be very snobbish about what books fall into that category. Especially in England.

.ps - one of the things I really love about Stephen King is that he's clearly read everything and whatever books an interviewer want to talk about, he can, in real depth.
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Post by samanthas2686 »

I believe the Classics have lessons that should be learnt in them that at times the newer books lack.
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