The first critical aspect differentiating reading written works and watching television is the activity factor. The activeness of mental activity between reading and watching TV is significantly different. While reading book, one can readily imagine the scene of the book in his or her mind and decode what the author means, which can help one improve his or her imagination. In contrast, watching TV makes one receive images passively, which means his or her imagination is controlled by others. Ordway (2010) states that compared to reading books, watching TV is noticeably less strenuous. In addition, when reading, one can control his or her time and activated more effectively than watching TV. For instance, one can either increase or reduce his or her reading speech, re-read pages or chapters he or she likes, all of which one cannot do while watching TV. However, both reading printed works and watching TV are involved in little physical activities.
Secondly, the similarities and differences between reading and watching TV can be demonstrated through the entertainment. In general, the target that both reading and watching TV aim at is to entertain people. People often either read books or watch TV when they have free time or want to relax after a hard working day. However, the levels of entertainment are not the same. Reading books requires one more power and time to transfer words into images; thus, one is more likely to keep in his or her mind the content of the books. As a result, it can be said that reading a deeper level of entertainment. However, every stick has two ends; certain kinds of entertainment may not be available in books such as live sports, news, etc. Meanwhile, one can watch a live football march or a performance on TV. Through watching TV, one can relax and enjoy many kinds of entertainment with fewer attempts (Rubenoff, 2012). In short, watching TV has greater variety of entertainment.
The last aspect displaying the similarities and differences between reading and watching TV is: social interaction. Both of them can be used as conversation starters. The information shown on TV or books can be a favorite subject for everyone to discuss with each other. Moreover, reading book and watching TV are activities that can ease the sense of isolation. When being home alone, one can lie in bed and watch TV or read books. The sound and images on the screen or books can distract one 's attention from the loneliness and the negative thinking. However, one is more likely to get addicted to watching TV; he or she may spend much time watching TV, become a couch potato and not feel like communicating with others. On the other hand, reading books is different. One can also enjoy a book himself or herself so much that he or she “gets lost” in it. “In other words, his brain simulates real experiences, just as if he were living them himself” (Hilary, 2012). However, unlike those who watch TV, readers are less likely to get addicted; when their eyes get tired, they can put the books down and go out for a walk or talk with friends. As a result, readers may interact with society better than viewers. To sum up, reading written works and watching TV have both similarities and differences in the activity factor, entertainment and social interaction. Through reading, one can extend the boundary of his or her imagination and relax without being afraid of getting addicted to it. In comparison, watching TV requires less thinking and is easier to become addicted to, but it can supply one with various kinds of entertainment. Taking everything into account, we can say that both reading and watching TV have pros and cons; the point is that we need to know how to balance between them and benefit from them the most.
References
Hilary, F. (2012, August 25). Getting lost in a good book can help you keep healthy. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2193496/Getting-lost-good-book-help-healthy.html
Ordway, H. (2010, Jan 17). Reading Versus Television: Which is better? Retrieved August 18, 2014 from http://www.hieropraxis.com/2010/01/reading-versus-television-which-is-better/
Rubenoff, T. (2012, October 23). Television vs. Book? Retrieved August 16, 2014 from http://tomrubenoff.hubpages.com/hub/Television-or-Book
References: Hilary, F. (2012, August 25). Getting lost in a good book can help you keep healthy. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2193496/Getting-lost-good-book-help-healthy.html Ordway, H. (2010, Jan 17). Reading Versus Television: Which is better? Retrieved August 18, 2014 from http://www.hieropraxis.com/2010/01/reading-versus-television-which-is-better/ Rubenoff, T. (2012, October 23). Television vs. Book? Retrieved August 16, 2014 from http://tomrubenoff.hubpages.com/hub/Television-or-Book
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Johnson, Steven. “Watching TV Makes you Smarter.” They Say / I Say with Readings. First Edition. Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, New York: Norton, 2009. 213-230. Print.…
- 1343 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
To begin with, televisions would give more graphic impressions to people. It means that, when we read books, sometimes we don't really understand what the authors want to express. For example, we cannot understand what does the sentence mean. Also, when we read scientific papers, sometimes readers would not remember the things even with the pictures. In contrast, if we get some information by watching televisions, we could wholly understand and watch the objects. When we watch movies or plays, we could understand the meanings, too. For example, when I read a famous novel called "Gone with the Wind" , there were some sentences that I couldn't entirely understand. That's because, I didn't have much information about the background. However, once I watched the movie, I almost understood what did the author want to…
- 618 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“We didn’t get along well until photography came into its own. Then- motion pictures in the early twentieth century. Radio. Television. Things began to have mass. […], they became simpler.” This is what Beatty says about the history of the elimination of books in the society. To him, he has realized that the reasons behind the reduction in popularity of books are the appearance of new forms of media which increase the speed of entertainment. Americans have become aware of the time they spent on reading and rapidly turned to TV, radios, because of not only their novelty as compared to books but also the speed at which they can satisfy human’s needs of amusement. For instance, each program can entertain millions of people at the same time and even in very short period. Almost every broadcast will not exceed one hour while most of the classic books can only be finished in at least two or three days. Furthermore, as the programs want to appeal to the most kinds of viewers, they are simplified; thus, the original intellectual properties inside the scripts are also reduced to almost nothing.…
- 4234 Words
- 17 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Reading allows for one to drift away from reality and opens a new door of an alternate fictional world. Once the reader has developed an emotional connection to the book and finds it intriguing, it is impractical to close the book. Reading allows a person to think creatively and take a break from life's stresses and worries. Whether one is reading for pleasure or for academic reasons, if enjoyable, the difference should be indistinguishable. Gratifying books teach lessons and try to get the reader to think deeply about a topic. Readers look for specific qualities in books such reader's interest, an opportunity for vocabulary, and the appropriate reading level for their age. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare Night by Elie Wiesel and Red Queen…
- 1192 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Johnson, Steven. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter.” They Say / I Say With Readings. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: Norton, 2012. 277-294. Print.…
- 617 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
I believe that watching T.V supported my literacy. Televisions helped me build my literacy by supporting my critical thinking, problem solving, reading and writing skills. Ever since I was younger I would watch a ton of television. Some of my favorite shows growing up are Sesame Street, Wish Bone, Reading Rainbow and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Because of television, I would always be inquisitive and drive my family crazy with questions. However, I had to face a several barriers as a reader. My First barrier as a reader is that I’m a slow reader. Second barrier, is my reading comprehension is terrible. Ultimately, reading has become very time consuming.…
- 214 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Most people who watch television watch it for two reasons, information such as the news or documentaries and mindless shows to waste time not thinking about anything else. While reading you are using your imagination and your brain to engage yourself into the book and think of the scenarios in real life. In television it is shown to you and there is not much room for imagination. Once you start a movie you are committing yourself to…
- 474 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Some of the authors argue for intellectual value in the various media, depending on the consumer’s use or approach, while others see harm to both intellectual and social development. You should read the introduction from pages 211-12 and review the questions at the end of each reading, as well as review the notes from class discussions, to understand the issue. I have divided possible topics into the social and intellectual arenas, though you may prefer to overlap, and suggested several potential argumentative topics based on the readings:…
- 736 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Many parents are guilty of blaming the television for making their kid obsessed with the wrong things, or for distracting them from school. On the other hand, National Public Radio suggests that television actually makes children better readers. They argue that literacy not only means being able to read, write, listen, and speak, but also to understand the different dimensions of these features. These dimensions include digital media and complex skills building to create a more well-rounded individual. They state that to achieve this, television can be used as a medium for kids to experience the “new” literacy while their parents help them achieve the “old” literacy goal. National Public Radio also believes that adults need to get past the more traditional approach of "no screen time" and use more modern approaches for their children to understand since they live in the 21st century. This shows that the author believes that the parents are at fault at times for underdeveloped children literacy, which is the opposite of what other people believe. Television should still be used in moderation, but adults have to understand that keeping their child from this device only hinders their development of what is called a “21st century” literacy. “21st century” literacy refers to being able to interpret other things such as images and emotion, not just being able to read, write, listen, and…
- 1644 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
My first argument for the book will be about the family, it talks about how “TV Keeps Families From Doing Other Things”, which it explains how a child that spends too much time watching TVs will miss out on a very important part of their learning development, because in the home its where much of the child learns an if the child is watching TV and not learning and bonding with their family, the television will turn off the process that transforms children into people.…
- 418 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In today’s age, we have become more and more demanding of interactive tasks, which is why we may feel that a book is too stagnant and less conveying than other forms of modern media. The “older generations” understand this, up to an extent, but then go onto think that the other forms of media, such as social networks, video sharing sites and digital devices distract us from the task of reading and get us hooked onto unproductive and non-beneficial tasks such as chatting, blogging, and social networking. This is not untrue, but it must be understood that these tasks consist of exchange of information which is done through reading and writing (or typing) which inevitably improves one’s proficiency in…
- 1128 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
"We all have slumbering realms of sensibility which can be coaxed into wakefulness by books." [Robertson Davies, A Voice From the Attic: Essays on the Art of Reading 13 (New York: Penguin Books, rev. ed., 1990)]…
- 1030 Words
- 5 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Television viewing requires little brain activity as the visual aspects do not require as much thought and interpretation as reading literature does. Another point made was that media tends to be biased, feeding people a message. In order to see outside that bias, one must read what is outside that media feed. Separation from society’s formation provides a vital counterpart to television. Christopher Lash states that detached television viewing creates cultural narcissism. This insinuates that we must strive for balance between individuality and society. Education through literature is the way to keep that balance.…
- 269 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Steven Johnson argues about watching TV shows makes us smarter by developing our brain. He compares the current TV shows and earlier TV shows.…
- 356 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
There is one activity that stands out for it's prominent and ubiquity - the world's most popular leisure, pastime - television. Some people regard TV as the greatest invention of the humanity and can hardly imagine their lives without it, others, on contrary, are strongly convinced that it is used only for brainwashing and is a real curse for society. So what is television? A blessing or a problem? One point in favour of television is that it is a great source of education. We can get acquainted with different cultures and ways of life and get the out of the box view which is so important in modern world. If it wasn't for television most of us would never get to see the underwater world. Moreover it gives us a unique opportunity to watch animals in their natural habitat. In addition to this, television can reach aesthetic heights. Thanks to this "boob tube" we can take the pleasure of admiring museum collections from all over the world, we can witness the most outstanding cultural events without even having to leave our rooms! And what's not! One more point is that television keeps us informed. We can find out the weather forecast and listen to the latest news bulletin. Furthermore, TV makes us think and feel and TV quiz shows encourage us to acquire knowledge. Finally television entertains and amuses, providing the escape that we sometimes need so much. If there was not television we would be deprived of the pleasure of watching a witty comedy or a fascinating, romantic movie.…
- 433 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays