Strong Reading and reading with/against the grain

          Strong reading refers to understanding the reading you are given by using approaches that allow you to connect with the readings. Because most college readings are made for audiences different to college student, college students must use strong reading to understand what they are reading. Strong readers are able to make connection to the text, using their own experiences to understand the reading. As a strong reader you ask questions about your reading such as its purpose. Strong reading is not just reading it once but multiple times while being able to make notes such as underlining, highlighting, and circling key words. Being able to read content that you agree with (reading with the grain) and support and expand it and also being able to read content that you don’t agree with(reading against the grain) and being able to refute and build an argument against it makes you strong reader. Strong reading to me is being able to ask yourself what is my purpose in reading this, this allows to concentrate in the content of the of the reading.  Being able to look up information that I do not know such as vocabulary and historical contexts, eases in understanding the reading.

                One time I read with the grain was in my AP Literature Class, reading The Poisionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The novel was about how a man and his family ventures into the Congo during the 1960s trying to convert the natives to Christianity. The story paralleled the events that happened in the Congo during the 20^th Century such as being controlled by other countries and the United States supporting a dictator.  While the father insisted on bringing Christianity to the natives, the oldest sister Leah was able to realize that both her dad and other countries were damaging the Congo, her dad by being intolerant towards the Congo Culture and other countries by using up the resources of the Congo without helping the people. From my history class I had known the History of imperialism regarding the Congo and I agreed with Kingsolver’s argument.  Reading the novel with the grain allowed me to elaborate on its conclusions by supporting it with historical references.

                One time I read against the grain was last semester in my Latin American Class, reading an article By Samuel Huntington called The Hispanic Challenge. The article was about how Mexicans and other Hispanics were making United States a country with two Cultures. He viewed bilingualism and the incorporation of the Hispanic culture with the traditional American culture as negative. His article also expanded on how in some regions Hispanics outnumbered others. Overall he had a negative outlook on the increasing trend of Hispanic culture intertwining with American. Of course I being Mexican and being bilingual did not agree with his argument, in fact I disagreed 100%!!! Against the grain allowed me to write a counter argument that supported the intertwining of the Hispanic and Anglo culture and argue why Huntington was incorrect.