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| Connor Tracy Class of 2016 |
“What’s the difference? It’s just easier to watch the movie.” I hear this all the time when films are made based off of a book. Of course there are frustrating moments when movies stray from the plot of the book, but for the most part, many people find movies just as, if not more, enjoyable than reading books. Also, I have to admit, it is much easier to sit for two hours watching a story unfold in front of you, rather than reading hundreds of pages. However, I feel the need to make a case against watching television shows and movies over reading books.
As a small child, I was obsessed with the old Scooby Doo TV series. I enjoyed each new mystery, and always loved the suspense that grew throughout the program until the criminal was unmasked. As I got older, my grandmother passed down a collection of Hardy Boys books that had been my uncles when he was younger. This greatly contributed to my appreciation for reading. When I opened up a new book, I had the ability to envision the story in my mind. My imagination constructed the images of each character, setting, and event. It’s amazing how vividly I remember the world in which those stories took place.
What I’m trying to say is that although watching movies may be easier than reading books, people sacrifice their creativity when they choose to push a button, rather than turn a page. Movies are crafted from the imagination of someone else. When you view them, you aren’t creating your own vision of the story; you are simply viewing someone else’s perspective of it. When you read a story, you can actually create the images in your mind and allow the characters to come alive in a way that you personally connect to. You experience the story in your own adaptation as your imagination is fueled by the words on the pages. Additionally, you can pace yourself, taking time to dissect each phrase, line, or word until it makes sense to you. You have the ability to seemingly become the characters in the story, and use their experiences to inform your future decisions, and even shape who you are and who you would like to be.
In A Dance With Dragons, George R. R. Martin writes, “ A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” Don’t allow laziness to cause you to sacrifice the creativity of your imagination and settle for accepting someone else’s vision as your own. Push yourself to live a thousand lives and in the process you will gain a greater understanding for who you are and who you seek to become.
Connor Tracy, of Mayfield, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He studies political science, Pan-African studies, and philosophy.