“The Slowest Reader” by Benjamin Percy

Her shoulder-length hair had been tied up hours ago, with wispy strands now falling across her face as she desperately attempts to concentrate. She had never enjoyed reading textbooks; the text is far too small, and the images are always painfully vivid. However, she had procrastinated as much as she could allow. She lazily drags her eyes over each page. Retaining minimal information, she longs for the embrace of her warm bed. The night grows older and her motivation dwindles. She gets up from her office chair and cracks her stiff back and neck, deciding to take a quick break. When she sits back down, she recklessly tears through the pages of the text and disregards understanding it. She has managed seminars and discussions with little to no reading before and intends to do the same tomorrow. As she flips the last page, her motivation falls with it. Finally, she is done and can go to bed. She sprawls out under her plush covers and tries to sleep, but the academic guilt sets in.

I would like to improve my attitude toward reading assignments, I usually view them as a task to check off of a list instead of an experience I need to absorb. I also tend to procrastinate on the readings I perceive as difficult or boring and would like to manage my time by scheduling dedicated times to read and enjoy assigned readings.

1. The central truth of being a college student is that you’re going to read A LOT of essays. Benjamin Percy panics when he encounters his first reading list. In the beginning, he tries to read too much and reads too quickly. What does he come to realize about the importance of “reading as a writer?”

Benjamin Percy realizes that as a writer it is his responsibility to thoroughly study each page of reading and gain useful knowledge from it. He emphasizes that reading is one of the most important things a writer can do and being "influenced" by an author is not negative and certainly is not a reason to avoid reading. Being influenced by skilled authors helps writers learn new skills or hone pre-existing skills.

2. What do you think it means to be “the slowest reader?” While we are not writing fiction in this course, how do you think being a slow reader and “reading as a writer” might apply to the essays we encounter in this class?

At first, I assumed that the title“The Slowest Reader” meant that Benjamin Percy would describe his inability to read a high amount of words per minute. However, after reading his essay about the importance of reading as a writer I understand that Percy calls himself a slow reader because he reads thoughtfully. Percy takes notes and pays close attention to detail and structure as he reads, which has increased the amount of time he spends on texts. I intend to implement this type of reading in my life and school bit by bit this semester.  Percy’s concepts will help me read essays in a detail-oriented way and expand my skillset as a writer. I would like to learn how to read to improve my writing like Benjamin Percy when he read Flannery O’Connor’s stories so he could learn how to “construct a causal narrative.”