Read, write, read

We need to make a multi-media project about the book Into the Wild. Specifically, we need to create a website with a specific theme derived from this book. Everyone in our group needs to write something equal to five pages of words accompanying one kind of media to illustrate one aspect of the general theme of our website. For example, you can create a painting, and write a five page explanation of how this panting illustrates a specific idea from the book. There is no requirement about how we should write, but the writing is expected to render an in-depth thought on its subject.

After spending two nights pondering what should be my angle of addressing this book and having browsed through the entire 200 pages twice, I finally started typing some original text from the book to my laptop and formed a very obscure idea about my topic. I am going to observe the way people interacted with Alex in his adventures. I hope from this observation some insight about the general attitude of the society can be gained, and in turn how that might have influenced Alex.

Every time when I have to write an argument paper on a book, I have to go through the book several times before I can eventually hit on a point that makes me feel "this idea might work". This sort of writing is not something people can finish in a two-hour leisure time after dinner. Writing, in general, is something that can be delved into and take up considerable time. Writing a simple essay can cost several days. Now I am gradually developing skills about how to create an argument well supported by evidences throughout a book, but I also understand I need a lot, lot of practice before this skill can be refined to a level of reasonable height.

I was also reminded that I once read someone relating that his teacher said "One has to read at least 2000 books before he can form his independent thought." Then this man started gorging books, but some how, as he recalled, in a way of reading books just for its own sake. He read books just to hit a number. He reproached himself that he did not really hold an opinion of himself when he read, thus he was doing a really passive reading. I think probably few people would really just sit and meditate for several hours after finishing a book. More, I suspect, would have gone through the process that while reading they simply accept what is given, and once in a while they will run into ideas in contradiction with what they already know, possibly from some other reading. It is at this moment that they start evaluating which of these opposing idea is of more merits. In this way, gradually people grow sharp in their thinking. Actually I feel this should be a common process for all people -- even for those who do meditation after finishing a book -- as who, at the beginning of their learning, would be able to form opinions about a book with reliable evidences drawn from other books or resources? Thus passive reading always comes first.