Andrew Burgert

Professor Jan Rieman

ENGL 1103-001

November 11, 2010

Inquiry Paper - Pre-Workshop Draft

[Introduction]

Why do people read? There are many reasons. When we first start school, we learn to

read to become informed. Many assignments are forced upon us by our school and teachers.

Many of these texts are things we may not have wanted to read on our own. However, as we

learn from these texts, we may learn to appreciate them.

As we go on in school, we do more reading for research. Whether for an English class, a

social studies class, or a science, we often do outside reading to learn more about our subject.

As we go on to higher education, we do on-going research in our major of study. After college,

we often have to continue our reading and research to keep up-to-date in our career. On a

regular basis, most adults read newspapers and magazines to remain well-informed about the

world around them, so they can participate in civil society. People also share knowledge by

accessing free information from sources such as the Internet, libraries, and doctors’ offices

Another reason people read is for pleasure. While we are in school, our pleasurable

reading is done during breaks and vacation. This reading can be non-fiction, but is most often

fiction. Popular genres include science fiction, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and The

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (of five books); fantasy such as the Harry Potter

septilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy; mysteries such as those featuring Sherlock Holmes
and Dr. Watson, and those by Issac Asimov; and thrillers such as The Da Vinci Code and Stephen

King’s The Dark Tower series.

Some people read to escape their every day lives. Many of the fiction genres previously

mentioned can be used as an escape, or to stimulate the imagination and be inspired. At the

end of our long, boring workdays, we can go home and enter a world full of excitement and

wonder!

A less common reason for reading is to hear others’ opinions, especially in an election

year. Every day, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet were ablaze with political fervor

towards one viewpoint or another. There are also many books being released that deal with

politics and politicians. Some of these we agree with; others, we do not. Others may read

one’s opinion in order to understand and empathize with it.

We sometimes read to help us understand ourselves better. In the library, bookstore, or

on the Internet, we look for self-help books. Some of these books may help us to develop more

knowledge about ourselves. Said knowledge can help us to develop as a whole person. We can

find this understanding and knowledge in other books, as well.

In all of our readings, in many different genres, be they fiction or non-fiction, we can

learn to understand others. We can connect with like-minded people via the Internet, and

other interactive textual channels. Through our readings, we learn about varied in-depth

topics, which in turn gives us something to talk about, which in turn makes us more interesting.

In learning about topics outside our usual comfort zone, we sometimes can understand and

empathize with others better.

 [Transition]

People read through many different forms. There are the traditional media that most

people consume today, as well as newer media formats that people both consume and

produce. For hundreds of years people, have read mostly through books. More recently,

newspapers and magazines have become a popular alternative. All these traditional media use

paper as the printing material. Modern media, which have only recently come into vogue,

represent a new evolution for reading as a whole. We can now enjoy our books in an electronic

format on comfortably-sized e-Readers. When our hands are busy, especially while driving a

car, you listen to audiobooks. Magazines and newspapers can also be accessed electronically,

either on a website or with a special application. In addition, there are blogs, not to mention

the Internet as a whole.

[Conclusion]