Inkhorn Perspective

Silang Mga Idol
Here is a group of nonreading college students. The class section was dominated by Architecture students and few from various Engineering and non-Engineering programs. It was a course in Rizal and the discussion was the hero’s writings which cannot move on without citing the novels.
To start I asked if anyone in the class has read a novel. However, the question brought us to a lull of silence. They looked back at me in blankness, then those in front looked around hoping one would raise a hand and break the dullness of the moment. A girl dared to do it; she raised her hand and said yes, then she named a title. Another raised a hand, a guy he said he read the Odyssey. In my mind it is an epic poem and not a novel, but it is okay. I counted 40 students with two claimed to have read a novel.
If all the rest in the class do not read a long narrative which is done for entertainment as reading of literature in general is for entertainment, then it is safe to say they do not read anything at all that is outside of entertainment. On that day in the said class this claim was confirmed.
We read together orally the summary of the Noli Metangere of Dr. Jose Rizal. One student led the oral reading then all us followed him with our eyes. The led-reader can hardly read the words persuaded, sabotage, forlorn, fray, litigation, counsel and many other words. When I called other students to lead the reading, the same reading defects are repeated. A series of reading leaders were called and the consistency of the defects persisted.
I wanted to discuss issues like hegemony and counter hegemony in the Noli, intellectual revolution, emerging Filipino consciousness of the Nineteenth century. But I could not imagine students in that level of reading skill can find meaning in these discussions. Enough time had to be provided to convince them the importance of reading particularly of long narratives and the habit of doing it. These students need to understand that people’s enthusiasm to read is what differentiates the educated and from those haggard looking standbys hooting at passers-by they see every day in some streets of the city. I do not remember anyone who is able to reach the top his career without reading as part of his routine.
College students of the century must know the great minds at the back of the technology they patronized today. Marc Zuckerberg is not simply a book lover. He founded his own book club, and he made it sure to himself to complete a reading of a book per week. Remember the advice of Bill Gates; pick up a book he said as he himself is a voracious reader. He loves fantasy novels. The late Steve Jobs was also a prolific reader, the kind of attitude demonstrated in his early life that increased in his adult life as book was the discussion of the family at dinner. Among the fathers of computer Allan Turing was a mathematician, a genius and a reader. According to the library records at Sherborn School he borrowed 33 books between 1928 and 1931. Among the subjects Mathematics and Physics there are titles of books on fiction.
It is clear; the greatness of technology is product of the reading minds. Sophistications and intricacies of producing technology became possible as there were minds also with sophistications and intricacies. Simple mind cannot produce anything great. It may come up with something good but not great. And the greatness of the mind is not given for free. It is a product of a voluntary reading.