The Magic of a Book Response

Reading is important. This idea is well-known due to the myriad of established authors with works that we know to be valuable. Unfortunately, the act of reading has become a chore to young generations and reading will continue to lose its popularity to other forms of entertainment. As much as I would like younger kids to have the momentum and willingness to read, I don't believe that the children will invest the time that a good book is owed to appreciate it. The internet has made our attention spans short. For example, the average teenager spends 2 seconds on an internet page before clicking away. If an author cannot capture his or her audience quick enough, the reader will stop reading. Although Hesse argues that “the cinema will be no more able to damage literature than for example, photography has hurt painting,” he neglects the difference in the experience of watching a movie versus reading a book. By telling a story with audio, video, and words, a movie cuts out the work of imagining the story. This allows the audience to watch passively and sit back to watch the world that has been created for them. Also, it only takes two hours out of the day, so it is easy to commit. Movies are easier than books to enjoy because it doesn't take up as much time or mental stamina, and younger kids have already begun to notice this.