Bloggingmyproclivities

Bloggingmyproclivities

Saturday 5 November 2011

On being a literary critic, oh, and TimTams

Reading To Kill a Mockingbird at the moment, have been for what seems quite a long time now. I never seem to get it finished, possibly because it’s 30 something chapters long. It may be the longest book I’ve ever read . . . oh no, that’d be Moby Dick. (And after I got through reading it, like wading through mud, I failed to go to the ONE tutorial we had on it.)

Anyway, I’m a fast reader and can generally knock over a book in a couple of days so I keep checking to see how far through it I’ve got but I never seem to make much progress. It’s sort of like swimming really fast but just treading water.

Or, like a never-ending pack of TimTams. (They had an ad once where a woman found an old lamp, rubbed it, a genie popped out and granted her three wishes. One was a never-ending pack of TimTams- all in all a good wish.)  

I am enjoying the book, maybe not as much as a pack of TimTams, and while I do enjoy it when I pick it up, really, I think it needs to be edited down a bit. Surely that amount of detail is not necessary. Afterall, how much insight can someone less than 10 really have? And I’m only reading it because a girl I tutor is studying it at school. (I think it’s a bit of an ask to assign it to Year 10’s though.) In a moment of weakness I agreed to read it so I could help her, but only if she actually read it too - like she’s meant too. I bet I’m the only one who keeps her side of the bargain.

Right, 6 chapters to go.

4 comments:

  1. I tried reading Moby Dick once. Just couldn't get interested. So, I am very impressed with you. Super sweet of you to help her. :-)

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  2. Loved To Kill A Mockingbird. First read it when I was in form 3; a recommendation from my brilliant English teacher, Mr Mullins. Didn't struggle with it. Have 'taught' it, with varying degrees of success. It was standard year 10 stuff, back in the day. No problem teaching it then in my 'westie' high school. As English coordinator, dropped it from the course at my current school, cos the kids couldn't read. It's now a set text at year 11. And they struggle.

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  3. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird. It is actually one of my favourite books, and I've read it once a year since 1999. But you're right, it's probably too heavy for a 10 year old.

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  4. Angelia, Yeah, 'Moby Dick'- not even tempted to see the movie. . . ever.
    Fraudy- well, I'd expect nothing less of a teacher of your calibre. Our ESL girls must just about want to slit their wrists struggling with it though. And last term we didn't do them any favours as they had to wade through 'Ellie'. (Spelling right? Am too tired. . . )
    Terra- actually they're in Year 10 so they're about 16 but as Fraudy says English skills seem to be dumbing down of late.. . . And, "really?" every year?

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