Rebelling Against a Revolution

Like a successful author and critic, you forced me to question myself, my past experiences, and my views about technology. The act of reading deepens self understanding, and that you will be changed by what you read. The act of reading plays a vital role in the way people respond to things in the world. It was very interesting when you discussed the difference between the world of novels and the real world; in novels, everything happens for a reason and everything has a purpose, whereas events that happen in our lives often appear completely random. I often find that I relate to characters in novels I read. You provided me with the reason why this is; we have to use our experience to create the character’s experience. We assemble the character from ourselves. In order to do that, we have to suspend ourselves and leave room for the author’s creation.

We are charging forward in some kind of technological race, unaware if there could be any unnecessary or harmful consequences of new inventions. We assume that every new Apple product is a necessity, so we wait for hours in long lines to get the iPhone 4. We have little time to reflect on our lives and to think.

We spend less time reading, thinking, and daydreaming. We are consumed by technology. We read bits of headlines on online newspapers and we skim. We don’t just pick up a book, or now, a Kindle for pleasure; we read for snippets of information and to direct us to different sources of information. We have become vacuums of data. It is comforting to know that you feel the same way.

Literature is going to face new challenges, however, I believe great literature will always have an audience among the most educated in society and there will always be people dedicated to the craft of writing.

As my final years of high school passed, I began to notice that supervisors of many departments pressured teachers to incorporate more technology into the classroom whether it be videos, YouTube clips, or using “SMART Boards.” Education is beginning to resemble entertainment.

As a visual artist, I feel a similar pressure to utilize digital media and to abandon traditional forms such as drawing and painting. I want to hold onto the past and help keep those older traditions alive. I also recognize that there is no turning back. I must learn to integrate these new techniques with techniques passed down by the masters from centuries past.

After reading The Gutenberg Elegies, I am more conscious of how technology endangers the patience and depth required of the most intensive forms of literary creation like the novel. Similarly, our experience of our inner lives can be disrupted and altered by the frenzied pace of contemporary life. I will try to be less dependent on technology, use snail mail less often, perhaps send a few love letters. I mustn’t feel forced by society to participate in this revolution.