While the books I read as a child lacked diversity in the strict sense, they didn't lack values. Reading, I didn't see me externally, but I felt me - my humanity.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of values in literature, suggesting that personal connection and humanity can transcend diversity.
Jewell Parker Rhodes reflects on her childhood reading experiences, noting that while the books may not have represented a diverse range of characters or backgrounds, they still instilled important values. She highlights that the essence of reading is not solely about external representation, but rather about connecting to universal human experiences and emotions, allowing one to feel a sense of humanity that transcends race and identity.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of literature in shaping values during childhood.
Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else's business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.
It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.
I just love learning. I think learning is how you live. The verb of my life is learning.
We don't care really about children as a society and television reflects that indifference to children as human beings.
Once you teach people to say what they do not understand, it is easy enough to get them to say anything you like.
Well, I don't know about objectivity, but I know for certain that it's always possible for a professional journalist who understands what he or she's up to to be fair, and that's the key word. Fairness to individuals, fairness to ideas, and to issues and whatever - that is critical, and that is also part and parcel of what the job.
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