A Study of Reading Habits Analysis - Essay Example

A Study of Reading Habits Analysis Essay

The tone and the imagery of the poem “A Study of Reading Habits” are depressing yet inspiring and provocative. The author, using every stanza of the verse, depicts the life of a “nerdy person” who is the speaker’s “alter ego”. He has been trying to escape from the reality matters following the attempt to disguise his problems under every line of allusions and allegorical interpretations of the reality.

That is why the speaker is inclined to rather demonstrate the compassionate attitude to this person that does not see another way but hide the true oneself around the books to demonstrate the clear analogy between two worlds of the speakers reality.

In literature, he finds consolation and cares about every detail from the current line of his life. In books, the speaker discovers the new dimension of reality, having the freedom to escape from the harnesses of life (styletextalign). In speakers opinion, all the existing problems can be hidden under the veil of books that shape up the different experiential settings for a lyrical hero that wants to hide his true feelings and make the distance from the speakers reality.

For the speaker, in books, problems are to be solved in just a few moments, so he is more inclined to use his eyes to see the real things and make the distance in his mind from the realities.

In every stanza of the poem, Larkin demonstrates the effect of how quickly life has been passing by without leaving everything important to the speaker. The speaker in this poem is not decisive – he does not want to disclose his real-life problems, so he prefers to read books, even in spite of that it is very damaging for the speakers eyes (styletextalign).

In his life, the speaker values books even more, as it is reflected in the introductory stanza of the poem. Correspondingly, the problems in the speakers life become even deeper when he is about to disguise his head over the books praising the diversity of opinions of different authors. The speaker appears to be not ready for the true real life, as it is reflected in the upcoming stanza of the poem. The attempt to escape from the problems of real-life was typical for many romantic heroes and characters that are reflected in this poem (styletextalign).

In addition, the speaker even deepens the background of his problems by means of adding the addiction to the strong drinks to the line of his life. The speaker is on the edge of the fall, although he still obtains to hope to deliberate oneself from what is called the bonds of the talent.

Of course, his books empower him with the distinct vision of reality, although, on the other hand, they teach him to become a person with the limited capabilities and opportunities to grow to something different and more than books in their enlightening manner and deliberating fantasies (styletextalign). The speakers option on this account is reading books even for the sake of the health of his own eyes.

The speaker acts self-sacrificially when reading his books line by line like he wants to escape from the bonds of reality. Meaningfully, the freedom and creation come when the speaker learns to let go and say “no” to the things and hints from life to which he was addicted before. Alcohol and books, however, do not contribute more to his mental health, so he makes even a greater vision of how the predominant distortion of realities makes the speaker act like a coward that wants to escape from harnesses of the living being.

Interestingly, at his very early age, when at least he was studying at college, the speaker was inclined to read more “dirty books”. In one stanza of the poem, Larkin extrapolates the speakers experience to the author’s personal existence (styletextalign). In the living being of the speaker, there were some moments when he was fantasizing about providing abuse to women while having sex. In the final stanza of the poem, this makes a bit depressing variation of the opinions that were rather motivating for a person that likes to read some “dirty books”.

At the same time, this experiential setting was caused more by the belief and devotion to the effect of the “loneliness in the crowd” (styletextalign), which is a typical plot in many books praised and valued by the speaker. As it is reflected in the poem, almost in every stanza, line by line, Larkin wants to demonstrate the rate of the affections of the speaker in terms of his sheer inclinations to stay out and away from the crowd.

Meaningfully, the speaker in the poem wants to rather escape from the settings that limit him to the position of an average statistical citizen. In books, he can find the comfort of being a “superhero” that can even change the world by standing apart from his personal harnesses (styletextalign).

The attempt to escape from the truth is reflected in the opinion of the speaker that he finds in the books demonstrating the unusual activity of the brain. The attempt to escape to the world of books metaphorically signifies the inclination of the author to dedicate his living being to the line of the plot in one of the books, even if the speaker has not yet been ready to act bravely in courage to his plans (the last stanza of the poem) (styletextalign).

As based on his books, there are many ways to get away for the speaker, although in the poem, he uses the only one way trying to get deliberated from the existential bond of loneliness. Relevantly, his zone of comfort is to be deactivated and desalinated, as it is reflected in the concluding stanza of the poem.

The concluding stanza of the literary work by Larkin has been corresponding to the overall tone of the poetic expression that is used by the speaker to provide the deeper impression on the reader, from the viewpoint of the author (styletextalign).

Evidently, the books he reads and contemplates to help him to grow more developing his personality. Metaphorically, the writer creates the allusion and allegoric interpretation of the reality while making an attempt to compare the books that were read by the author to the symbol of the “dirty dogs” that Larkin uses in the concluding stanza of the verse.

This passage is related to the bullying experience that the reader of the books, the nerdy person got used to meet at school. Evidently, the “dirty dogs” (styletextalign) were the ones who have never read books, but they believed that power could solve any issue in a person’s living being. Why are they dirty? Because they cannot respect human dignity.

In his poetic work, Larkin created the image of the superhero that stepped back far from reality by means of taking forward the initial statements ideals that he took from the wise books (styletextalign).

At the same time, the speaker cannot find a compromise with the outer world because the reality is hard to understand and follow its principles. It is good to get to know how to deal with difficulties when you are prepared to step out of the traditional zone of comfort. That is why a study of Reading Habits analysis essay is helpful in understanding what comes beyond the customs and patterns of the daily routine.