Your name is Janie Hannagan. You are a teenager who lives everyday as a normal girl, except for when you are getting sucked into dreams. You enter the library during your lunch period to sit down and get some work done, but you forget everyone sleeps in the library…. You slowly start to get sucked into a nearby student's dreams whether you like it or not. You manage to wake up from the not so pleasant dream to your vision blurry and limbs numb. It takes a couple of seconds but you are soon able to regain full control and feeling in your body. As your vision returns, you see an unfamiliar student wake up. As you are about to evacuate the library, you notice someone leaves you a snack as you regain consciousness. But who? Did they see what just happened? It doesn't matter. You must leave before another student decides to count some sheep during their lunch break. Reading ladies and gentlemen. This description comes from one of my favorite books called, ”Don't Close Your Eyes” by Lisa McMann. A miniscule description as small as that one produced loads of imagery and altered your sense of place. Not only does reading transform your brain to another dimension, but your brain also physically reacts in real time.
When I was younger, English and History were my least favorite subjects. I despised texts that had to do with American History. When it came to reading, I disliked informational articles as well as news articles. I wasn't able to connect to texts such as those. Then during my freshman year my teacher assigned the book,” The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas. I related to the main character and it held my interest until the book was finished. I then decided to branch into other genres. I discovered a newfound love for realistic fiction and sci-fi. Reading became my creative outlet and soon made room for more creative outlets to blossom. I started painting again and also started to make jewelry. I conclude that reading broadens your imagination and allows room for creativity to flourish.
On a physical level, reading comes packed with a variety of positive outcomes. According to healthline.com, “Speaking of sensing pain, research has shown that people who read literary fiction, stories that explore the lives of inner characters, show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others”. Being able to connect with people is a lifelong skill and reading can provide you with the facilities to perfect that skill. Reading has also proven to expand one's vocabulary. According to healthline.com,” Researchers have found that students who read books regularly, beginning at a young age, gradually develop large vocabulary.” Reading is a hub for positive outcomes and it is up to us to tap into it.
If chosen for this opportunity, my TED Talk will cover from how reading can benefit you in infinite ways to how reading can promote deep thought and creativity.
This piece is a proposal for TEDx and is focused on how reading shapes the mind. Reading can be misconstrued as a boring activity. In my opinion, the art of reading is completely misunderstood, and given the chance to read, people may find what they are looking for. Reading alters the mind on a day-by-day basis and is filled with positive outcomes. My love for reading has molded me into a bottle filled to the brim with creative ideas, and I would love for others to experience the same thing.