Sometimes, words can be difficult to understand. From the viewpoints of a writer and of a reader, Samuel Johnson and Marilyn Chandler McEntyre explore different qualities a reader needs to fully understand what writers attempt to convey.

Johnson says that it is the duty of the writer to make the words engaging. He points out that according to human nature, we are naturally drawn to things we can relate to in words. Johnson also shows the power of detail. He states that the more details the writer can put into words, the more likely that the reader will find something that engages them. A good writer will make it easier for a reader to relate to the words, and help to create an emotional response.

Good writing can help to engage a reader, but the writer is not solely responsible for this. McEntyre says that the reader should be reading responsibly, receptively and fruitfully; finding words or phrases that interest them, finding points in which to “enter” the text. She states that having an intimate relationship with the words is essential---so essential, in fact, that the reader is in effect abandoning the reality around them and being completely immersed in the story.

From both of these works, I learned much about how to read. Many times in the past, reading was a chore; an unpleasant task that was to be quickly finished and put away. However, both of these writers proved to me that reading should be done slowly, looking for connections and trying to enter into the plane of the text.

A good reader needs to attempt to engage the words, just as a good writer needs to make his words engaging to read. Both work together to seek purpose in words, because without purpose, words are nothing. Hopefully, I can use these techniques to help me read; not just throughout the duration of this course, but throughout my life.