My approach to active and critical reading is through self-reflection and by asking questions.
Gilroy claims that active reading is “a way to have an ongoing conversation with yourself as you move through the text and to record what that encounter was like for you”. Gilroy’s perspective made me immediately think about how I actively engage with the text by means of a self-reflection. Throughout the numerous pieces we’ve read this year I have connected my personal life to the text, much like as shown through the selected annotation of a piece by Herzog. On the first selected page, about two-thirds down and in the margin, I briefly described a personal connection that correlates to the underline text beside it. Through self-reflection, I can relate to the text through my own life and make it more understandable. To see how my life connects to the text makes my attention more invested as I try to personally relate to the reading.
Another claim Gilroy makes is to “Get in the habit of hearing yourself ask questions: ‘What does this mean?’ ‘Why is the writer drawing that conclusion?’”. Gilroy’s perspective makes me think about how I ask questions about the piece to expand my thinking. Again, on the first selected page, halfway down in the margin, one can see how I question the ethics of pets. This inquiry allows for further thinking and considerations as I continue to read the piece. If information stands out or speaks to me, it is usually because I have questions or considerations about the work. This allows me to further inquire about the text and continue my thinking.
Many times, my self-reflections and questioning often coincide. On the top of the second selected page and in both margins, I further question the text in related to what I have underlined. These questions reflect both a personal connection and considering the writer’s conclusion. Similarly, halfway down the third selected page and in the margin as indicated by the star, my personal connection to the underlined portion of the text then leads to further questioning about the writer’s conclusion and other considerations the author either did not consider or mention.
Gilroy also claims that by reading, one should “take the information apart, look at its parts, and then try to put it back together again in a language that is meaningful to you…” Through informal responses we have collectively done this together in groupwork. This allows for further understanding of the work and for further thinking and learning. In selected page of my notes from class I have included highlights the notes taken in our group discussions of informal responses. As seen under Section 5, 2. and 3., my group considered tensions that resided in the text and questions that this piece evokes to make better sense of the selection as Gilroy claims “that is meaningful to you…”
Lastly, when conducting an individual informal response, I tend to respond with regards to the same criteria I typically respond to when actively reading; by self-reflection and asking questions. In Journal 17, we identified passages that related to Herzog’s argument and explained their significance. The following is a selection from my response; “Logistically, the idea of feeding cats that would be cremated to snakes makes sense, however, many humans would not agree with this practice because of the emotional attachment they have”. I’ve connected this to my active reading through considering the question I asked in the margin.
