If At First You Don't Succeed...

How many times have I heard this phrase? Once, twice, a thousand times? Rehearsed over and over again, especially when I fail at something (cough, cough... Life?). The little mistakes, and also the big ones, make me remember the line:

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

A bit old, but of course! Wrong? No! It can pertain to everything in life, gymnastics, babysitting, and voila! Even Literature.

In the blog by Sonya Chung, a teacher who re-read The Great Gatsby for the third time, realized that this quote by - who is it even by? - applies to reading and comprehending the deep literature that makes its way into the lives of the average high school student, English major, etc. etc.

She portrayed a message that although the writings stay the same "it is we who change." When I read that, it was a serious 'Woah' moment. That makes complete sense! After you read something, so much can happen in between, or even a couple of seconds afterwards! The text could even have a subconscious affect on you, and you don't really realize that you are half onto something until you read it for a second, third, or even fourth time!

Alright, well, I have been inspired to (possibly, if I have time) read things for a second or third time. I guess that it really does make a difference in your understanding of the work, and if comprehension takes multiple readings, hopefully it will be worth it.