Reflection on reading September 02 2019 

In the past year, I haven't read as much as would like to since finding interest in books has been 
very challenging for me. I believe it is very hard to satisfy my interest. I re-read the book series 
‘The Mortal Instruments’ by Cassandra Clare. Furthermore, I read ‘The Secret River’ by Kate 
Grenville which explored some themes such as colonialism and poverty. Otherwise, my reading 
mostly consisted of poems given in class to analyze for preparations for my exams. In my eyes, 
this list of reading portrays me as a person with a short attention span for reading. Since I find it 
hard to be hooked on a book I understand that I am missing out on a whole other world of 
literature and hidden meanings. Also, my lack of interest mirrors my lack of vocabulary and 
seeing things through other people's view and opinion. However, if I positively approach this list, I 
could say that I am a busy person who drowns herself in studying and doing extracurricular 
activities. 
 
I, personally, hold constantly changing values on the subject of literature. Sometimes I can find it 
very uninteresting and an annoyance because of the related school work I get with it. On the 
other hand, at other times I get completely mesmerized in a book or a poem and try to analyze 
the author's intentions and messages in the text. I find literature to be a general necessity in 
one's life because it opens up many doors into others lives and thoughts. A person can feel 
emotions through a simple text and experience someone’s life after finishing a book. Other 
pieces of literature could be very helpful in guiding a person's life which to me holds a lot of 
value. Others could feel lost in a particular situation in their life, literature could provide helpful 
advice and have answers to people's questions on how to continue in their lives or face certain 
problems.  
 
In the seven ‘habits of mind’ of performative literacy I believe that number two (willingness to 
suspend closure - to entertain problems rather than avoid them) describes me well. I always 
confront people when I think they are wrong or that they are being rude. Moreover, number three 
also describes me very accurately (willingness to take risks - to offer interpretive hypotheses, to 
respond honestly, to challenge texts, to challenge normative readings). I always question others 
work and the reasoning behind their word choices or specific phrases etc., I especially love 
debating with my peers on their point of views. The most challenging habit for me would be 
number four (tolerance for failure - a willingness to reread and reread). I get very irritated when I 
don't understand something and usually end up moving on in the text. However, in the future, I 
believe a way to overcome this would be instead of feeling agitated I should calmly look back at 
the text and maybe find my interpretation or ending. In addition, number four (a capacity for 
sustained focused attention) is something I struggle with daily, specifically reading. Possibly, a 
resolution could be to take breaks after reading a certain amount of pages or reward myself after 
finishing a book.