Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Top 5 Wednesday: Assigned Reading that had an Impact

Top 5 Wednesday is a group on Goodreads hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes on Youtube.


So this whole month is freebie topics, you could go back and pick a previous topic all the way back through 2013, but I just don't have the time to wade through all those posts so I decided to come up with my own list.  Last week I talked about the Assigned Books I could have Done Without, so this week I wanted to share the assigned reading that really did have an impact on me.  Obviously if you have been around for any amount of time, you already know my obsession with Frankenstein, which of course would top this list, but I have opted to leave it off this list to give some of these other books a chance to shine.



So how about we get into the list . . .

I was totally absorbed by this book and it featured pretty prominently in many of my reports from early high school. It was a horrifying book to read but it was still so fantastic!


The Comedy of Errors was one of the first Shakespeare plays that I remember reading in Middle School and it totally opened the door for my love of his writing. I remember we loosely acted it out in class and it was one of the funniest things I remember reading.


I my first semester in college I took and Epic Poetry class and it was by far one of the best classes I have ever taken! Reading The Divine Comedy with class discussions was eye opening and challenging and one of the best school experiences ever!  (That class also featured Beowulf and Iliad, both of which also rank high up on my list)



I can't remember exactly when I read A Separate Peace, I think it was either 5th or 6th grade, and it definitely was not one of my favorite books at the time, but oddly enough bits of it have really stuck with me for many, many years.


It is funny that the same author appears on both of my assigned read list, but it just goes to show you the impact a subject matter can make.  The Crucible sparked such an interest in me, I went out and did a ton of my own research on the Salem Witch Trials after reading it (I know, I was that kind of nerd in school).




Honorable Mentions:

 
 




Do have an assigned reading that really made an impact on you? Or one that you really loved?



2 comments:

  1. Because I did homeschooling I didn’t have assigned reading (thank goodness) but I have read a lot of books that were assigned reading for family and friends. Of these I’ve only read two: Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies. I didn’t particularly like either but that’s not always the case with these classics.

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    1. That is too bad, I loved reading both Animal Farm & Lord of the Flies, I loved the discussions that I could get into with the teacher (because let's face it most of the high school kids didn't care nor did they read the books).

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