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An Anthropologist on Mars

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An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks is definitely unlike any book I have ever read before. The books that interest me are usually fiction/fantasy or romantic. I like to think of myself as quite skilled in the subject of English and Literature, so I figured I could just grin and bear it and get through this reading easily using my same old strategies. I immediately found out that this was not going to be the case. Sacks is clearly a well-educated and experienced man, and it shows in his writing. A lot of the vocabulary utilized stumped me to the point where it made grasping the gist of the reading difficult. Although I have to admit once I got past the boring introduction of Temple Grandin’s autism, I was quite interested in reading more. I was very interested in reading and learning about autism once I was able to focus. The reading is about Temple Grandin, a high-functioning autistic, who has accomplished a variety of things in her life. I had never heard of her before but after reading this chapter I was very interested in her and autism itself. I happen to know some people that are autistic so this reading definitely allowed me to empathize more with them now that I understood their condition. One specific thing I learned which I thought was interesting was that individuals with autism often experience other disorders. “The genetic form may be associated, in the affected individual or family, with other genetic disorders, such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or Tourette’s syndrome.” (248) When I learned that autistics have a common ground with animals that they can understand them better than humans. I thought what a fascinating concept; that having this disorder could make you more in tune with other things, most things that normal people would not be. The appreciation I have for this reading is great, and what makes it worthwhile to read for me, is how it pertains to my real life, and the people I know with autism. Although this reading proved to be worth reading, I had some issues with it initially, due to how complex the reading was. Vocabulary words and medical terminology used seemed to be my main problems. Our first assignment in class was to read the first 11 pages in the Anthropologist on Mars chapter. Immediately I felt overwhelmed because you had already told us this book was not very exciting, so in my mind that was 11 pages of pure boredom that I had to read in one night. As soon I got home I procrastinated doing everything else I could think of besides my reading. When I finally did start which was around 7 o’clock, I tried to get myself in that student mode, ready to read and comprehend. The introduction and background of autism was probably the hardest part, I had to re-read the first two pages because I found myself skimming or trying to read fast, and reading without really understanding what I was reading. Even though the reading changed its tone once I got half way through, I still found myself struggling to keep my eyes open and I had to stop to take a break. I decided to rest my eyes for half an hour, which turned into forty-five minutes. But as I hoped I was able to finish the rest of the reading. I was so proud of myself and thought “these everyday quizzes are going to be a breeze, I got this”. But the next day when that quiz rolled around, the very first question had me panicking because not only could I not remember the answer, but I had no recollection of even reading it. As the quiz went on the confidence I had in myself and my reading skills quickly diminished. You can imagine the relief I felt when the class voted not to have this first quiz count. Right then and there I knew I had to change my strategies. That night as soon as I got home I ate, and took a nap so that I could be refreshed and energized and began my reading, I even had a highlighter in hand. I had never used my highlighters since before this class, but I knew I was going to need them now, I knew I had to take these reading assignments a lot more seriously. I highlighted everything that seemed “treelike” meaning anything that seemed important in understanding autism and Temple in general. “I had to learn to be suspicious; I had to learn it cognitively. I could put two and two together, but I couldn’t see the jealous look on his face”(260) I also highlighted vocabulary words that I did not know such as “dissembling” and “pretense”. Normally I would just use context clues to try to grasp the concept of a word I didn’t know and try to continue the reading. I felt like not knowing the definition of a word was wasted reading time. But I realized that with a reading as complex as this, knowing exactly what’s being talked about is crucial. So I downloaded a dictionary application on my phone to look up these words. I looked up the definitions of these words and found out that they mean “to conceal ones true motives, feelings, or beliefs.” This helped me understand the reading a lot better. “Temple was at first a target for all sorts of tricks and exploitations; this sort of innocence or guilelessness, arising not from moral virtue but from failure to understand dissembling and pretense…” (260). This new strategy undeniably proved useful because you started asking definition questions on the next quizzes. I also started to read slower and really tried to understand what I was reading by trying to visualize it, like her squeeze machine. The idea and functions of the machine intrigued me. I know that during my academic career I’m going to have to read literature as complex and rich as Sacks’ so the strategies I develop now will help me in the future as well as the present. I have problems with reading that isn’t visual, and is more factual. When a reading doesn’t capture me and make me feel like I’m really in the story I get bored easily and start reading idly. I’ve found that a remedy to this problem could be to read the text out loud to myself, like a bedtime story. Hearing the words aloud instead of only in my mind helps me visualize what’s happening as if someone else was telling me. Also I have slight anemia so my energy is usually very low and I’m tired quite often, so having to read a boring text makes me fall asleep almost immediately. I’ve noticed that taking a quick two hour nap helps me feel energized and revitalized enough to get through the reading. Another future remedy to helping me understand my reading better is re-reading. Prior to this class I never re-read my work. It takes me a little over an hour to travel to school, so when I get on my last train, I take that time to re-read the assigned chapter. Since the chapter is already highlighted that makes it easier for me to know what I should focus on. This final review in the morning helps me feel more confident about my knowledge of the reading, and my quiz grades reflect that. Understanding my problem areas with this reading has made me determined to find ways to overcome and resolve these issues. I strongly believe that the new strategies I’ve acquired will help me with our future in class readings, and even literature outside the subject of English. Having these new strategies has allowed me to appreciate a whole new genre in reading, which is always a plus.

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