Worthy

If I wanted to sum this post up in one sentence I would simply tell you that writing is worth reading if the reader wants to read it. However, the more I think about that statement, the less I find it to be true. In my opinion, if the reader likes the writing, then it was worth reading, but if the reader does not like the writing it doesn't mean the writing wasn't worth reading (how's that for a weird sentence).

I think a pleasant piece of prose is something obviously worth reading. Some may argue that to them a story is trash and not worth reading - but to the reader who finds it entertaining or enjoyable the story is worth it - so in this case, "worthy" is a relative term.

As I was writing the first sentence of this post I was reminded of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of my favorite books of all time. However, as I was forced to read it in the tenth grade with my overly pessimistic English teacher, I hated the book. Alright, I loved it once they found Gatsby in the pool and also, for some strange reason, I think I could read the last page of that book over and over and still get the same emotional reaction. So I hated the experience of reading that book, but it was worth it. I had the same experience reading The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. However, there was never a moment in that story that I decided I actually liked it; it wasn't until I came to college and was asked to read it again that I began to understand and value it's message.

I hope this is making sense. There have been too many times that I believed I was being tortured as I read word after word on a page in a book, but in the end I found many of these experiences worth my time. Now the question is, why were these stories worth my time? I believe it's because they have a deeper meaning in them to which I can relate. No, I cannot directly relate my life to The Great Gatsby or The Scarlett Letter, but I can take major themes and apply them to my life.

Not to be cheesy, but it's as if the writing is inspiring, or gives me hope, or just tells me I'm not crazy for feeling the way I feel - I can take more from it than simply a story, and that's something worth reading.