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The Importance of Reading Essay

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The Importance of Reading

“Why do you read all the time?” A frequently asked question of my past and I still find it repeated even now as I have entered a higher class of the educated. Whenever posed with this blatant criticism of my preferred free time activity, I simply answer with “Why don’t you read all the time?” Of course I might sound like the biggest geek that ever walked the face of the earth, but the fact of the matter is that no matter what negative stereotype is attached to those who read, it has never stopped me from continuing to pursue my joy of literature. I am a firm believer in the power of a book and that the fact that the more well read you are the better chance you have of relating to entirely different groups of …show more content…

Jane Austen is the main reason why I love to read and through her books I entered such a wonderful, long-dead, society of chivalry and protocol, where the characters feel so real and you only wish you could be Elizabeth Bennet falling for Mr. Darcy and becoming mistress of Pemberly.

Not only is my love for British literature born from Shakespeare, but also from my love for history. I have been enamored with the past for as long as I can remember. History has shaped every aspect of our society today and is something to be reverenced and remembered. When I was nine years old my family moved from South Africa to the former Soviet Union, more specifically to a little country called Latvia. This might have been the best move to better ignite my passion for history as the country is ancient and so is its culture. I visited every ruin and castle I could in the four-year span I was there. And as a result my writing blossomed as my imagination and knowledge of the ancients expanded with the combination of my extensive reading.

I remember when I was in fourth grade we had to write a short children’s book. At first the idea scared me and I had what I call baby writers block. I could not think of a good topic to write it on and for the first time in my young life I was at a loss for words and ideas. After communicating this to my teacher she simply gave me a look of “ Well, what do you want me to do about it?” and went about her

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