#216, Connections
Making connections is a natural part of thinking. We can’t help doing it. If you’re telling a friend about a new song or restaurant or TV show you like, you’ll almost always find yourself saying, “It’s like _________” and referencing something you both know. It’s a simple way of helping your listener get his or her bearings.
Journalists do it too. In fact, it’s one of the main tools of the trade to help explain a new concept or reframe an old one. Here are just a few recent examples:
–A science reporter explains the behavior of fossilized marine animals by likening them to humans making conga lines.
–A sportswriter describes the current N.B.A. season by framing it in terms of Broadway show tunes.
SOURCE: Katherine Schulten, The New York Times
Sometimes when reading a book or listening to a song it seems as though it were written for you. There is a character who thinks just the way you do or a particular lyric that so perfectly describes your feelings in the moment. When we absorb media of any type, our brains naturally looks for ways to link it to our lives to help us understand it and make it more meaningful.
I think it’s one of the reasons the character Harry Potter resonates so deeply with teens. Sure being a wizard with a lightning scar is cool and all, but it’s his angst and struggles with identity that so many readers can relate to. Harry is a really flawed character mirroring what we see in ourselves.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Choose a book, movie, play, poem, or song that you personally connect with. How or why do you connect with it?
Include specific scenes, quotes, lyrics, etc. if applicable to strengthen your connections.
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher