Words
Ted Hughes wrote,
"Silent reading only employs the parts of the brain that are used in vision. Not all the brain. This means that a silent reader's literary sense becomes detatched from the motor parts and the audio parts of the brain which are used in reading aloud - tongue and ear. This means that only one third of the mental components are present in their writing or in their understanding of reading - one third emotional charge."
trust a poet to put such a concept in a manner that's so enjoyable to read
that gets me thinking... when we converse over msn, do we conjure up the other person's voice, tone, facial expressions (emoticons don't count!) or even the body language as we read the smattering over letters delivered over the copper/fibre lines that run throughout this country?
do these conjurations truly reflect the individual? will they really act the way we imagine them; or are we simply imagining them as how we would like/prefer them to be.
the voice carries the tone - be it a slur, a chirpy yes, an angry no, you understand so much better when you hear the voice. and conversations tend to be more spirited (well to me at least), more spontaneous(?), more engaging?
it gets better if you can see the facial expressions and body language- the toothy grin, the rolling of the eyes, the shy tilt of the head, the flushing of the cheeks, the uncomfortable shifting in the seat.
and let's not forget the touch - the friendly pat on the back, the reassuring massage of the shoulders, the angry shove, the loving caress.
while the internet has made communication easier, has it at the same time degraded it? words not back up by the other senses in the end carries only a fraction of the "emotional charge" that the sender/originator intends to convey.
******
another thought struck me while showering in the gym.
are ppl generally too focused/absorbed in finding the right answer?
what good is knowing that 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything if you don't have/ask the right question.
and I do find that less and less people are asking questions nowsadays, much less the right ones. sad.
"Silent reading only employs the parts of the brain that are used in vision. Not all the brain. This means that a silent reader's literary sense becomes detatched from the motor parts and the audio parts of the brain which are used in reading aloud - tongue and ear. This means that only one third of the mental components are present in their writing or in their understanding of reading - one third emotional charge."
trust a poet to put such a concept in a manner that's so enjoyable to read
that gets me thinking... when we converse over msn, do we conjure up the other person's voice, tone, facial expressions (emoticons don't count!) or even the body language as we read the smattering over letters delivered over the copper/fibre lines that run throughout this country?
do these conjurations truly reflect the individual? will they really act the way we imagine them; or are we simply imagining them as how we would like/prefer them to be.
the voice carries the tone - be it a slur, a chirpy yes, an angry no, you understand so much better when you hear the voice. and conversations tend to be more spirited (well to me at least), more spontaneous(?), more engaging?
it gets better if you can see the facial expressions and body language- the toothy grin, the rolling of the eyes, the shy tilt of the head, the flushing of the cheeks, the uncomfortable shifting in the seat.
and let's not forget the touch - the friendly pat on the back, the reassuring massage of the shoulders, the angry shove, the loving caress.
while the internet has made communication easier, has it at the same time degraded it? words not back up by the other senses in the end carries only a fraction of the "emotional charge" that the sender/originator intends to convey.
******
another thought struck me while showering in the gym.
are ppl generally too focused/absorbed in finding the right answer?
what good is knowing that 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything if you don't have/ask the right question.
and I do find that less and less people are asking questions nowsadays, much less the right ones. sad.