Read to Expand Your Horizons

HAVE you ever wanted to travel to faraway places; meet people of different cultures; see and explore natural wonders like awesome waterfalls, majestic mountains, and mysterious jungles; and learn about strange birds, animals, and plants? Or would you like to dive to the bottom of the ocean; soar into outer space; peer into the microscopic world; study the marvels of the brain, the eye, and the heart; or witness the miracle of birth? Perhaps even turn back the clock and delve into the past through history and archaeology?

All these exciting adventures are open to you through the printed page. Without having to leave the comfort of your home, you can experience all these things by reading books and other publications that are a storehouse of knowledge from every field. As the Bible says: “To the making of many books there is no end.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12) Good reading will enable you to draw from this storehouse at will.

A Handicap Worth Overcoming

Sadly, worldwide more than 800 million people over the age of 15 cannot read and write. This severely limits their ability to learn and to communicate. It suppresses their thinking ability and makes them dependent on those who can read, thus exposing them to the danger of being manipulated or exploited.

Even basic daily activities can become pitfalls for those who are illiterate. For example, traveling is, at best, confusing if one cannot read street signs and directions at bus terminals, railway stations, and airports. There is also the inconvenience and embarrassment of having to ask someone to read and write personal letters and documents or even to fill out simple forms. Mothers who cannot read instructions regarding food or medicine run the risk of giving their children things that can harm them.

Clearly, illiteracy is a tremendous handicap. Yet, with a little help, it can be overcome. The situation is much like that of Marthe. At 70 she had been blind for over 20 years and had only memories of what the world of light and color looked like. Then a surgeon performed an operation. This reopened to her the marvelous world of sight​—and the pleasures of reading. Then there is Kalu, who is now 70. As a young man, he was “blind” to the printed page​—he could not read. But he enrolled in a literacy class. He now reads and writes in three languages.

There may be few people like Marthe, but there are thousands like Kalu who have overcome their handicap by learning to read. Of course, it does not happen overnight. It takes time and effort and, above all, a great deal of encouragement and help. Can you help someone? Jehovah’s Witnesses in many countries conduct literacy classes such as the one that helped Kalu, and this has contributed to the high literacy rate among the Witnesses. In Nigeria, for example, the literacy rate among Jehovah’s Witnesses is more than twice as high as among the general population.

Become a Better Reader

Perhaps you have no problem with illiteracy. But how good a reader are you? Maybe you read laboriously and make regressions, that is, you habitually stop halfway through a line or sentence and go back to reread it. Or perhaps you mispronounce words or have difficulty getting their meaning. Can these problems be overcome?

Thirteen-year-old Beatrice could associate words with ideas but had difficulty pronouncing them. She would read “person” as “somebody” or “building” as “house.” Someone taught her the phonetics of words​—how the sounds of vowels and consonants combine to make other sounds—​and how to pronounce words by syllables. He also encouraged her to read My Book of Bible Stories while listening to a recording of it.a Her understanding of words and their pronunciation improved, and she now finds greater pleasure in reading.

Perhaps you too need to improve in your use of phonetics. Since you are reading this article, you already know what syllables are. Put this knowledge to work in pronunciation exercises. Take a word, break it down into syllables, and pronounce each syllable. (Example: pro-nun-ci-a-tion) Then put the word back together and pronounce it as a whole. Practice doing this with other words, and then try to read them without isolating each syllable. Learn to recognize whole words without physically pronouncing them.

Good readers do not read word for word. They see whole phrases and grasp words in thought groups or complete ideas. So instead of stopping and looking at each word, try to see several words at each fixation of the eye, and each fixation should be just an unconscious pause of the eye, a brief glance. With practice you will be able to do this. But watch out for any tendency to regress. Backing up to reread parts of sentences will break up your flow of thought and hamper your comprehension. So practice reading straight ahead.

Even when you are able to read fluently, there are other factors involved in being a good reader. Comprehension, ability to recall, and a rich vocabulary​—all of these are worthwhile goals to pursue. The accompanying boxes give some hints on how to achieve them. Why not check yourself against the suggestions?

Choose the Right Reading Material

With improved reading ability, a world of knowledge​—a wealth of information on the printed page—​becomes accessible to you. Of course, you can learn some of these things through TV and videotapes, but reading stimulates and improves your thinking processes, your imagination, and your ability to express yourself. It gives you both words and mental pictures with which to remember, talk about, and write intelligently on many subjects, making you a more interesting person with whom to associate.

However, with so many subjects to delve into, where do you start? The Bible verse that says, “To the making of many books there is no end,” also says, “Much devotion to them is wearisome to the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12) You cannot read everything​—and not everything is wholesome and truthful. So be selective. By all means read material that will mold your personality for the better and that will help you on the job, in school, or in caring for your family responsibilities. You can expand your horizons immensely by reading international publications like Awake! In the space of a few pages, you can enjoy information gathered from around the world.

Selectivity will make your reading purposeful and bring you practical, intellectual, and spiritual benefits. So choose well, and buy out time to read at home, during break periods at your workplace, while waiting, when traveling, and on other occasions. Read​—it will expand your horizons.

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How to Improve Comprehension

● Think actively while reading, asking questions and drawing conclusions.

● Keep in mind the theme of the article and any subheadings.

● Try to see how each paragraph ties in with the main theme.

● Relate the material to what you already know.

● Apply the material to your life and experiences.

Build a Larger Vocabulary

● Mark unfamiliar words while you read.

● Note how such words are used in the context.

● Consult a dictionary for word meanings as you read.

● Learn to pronounce words correctly.

● Practice using new words in conversation with others.