The Power of Questions

“I need money!”

Rarely did I ask my parents for money growing up. There were times when I wanted to go out with friends to the movies or the fair, but I was the child my parents didn’t have to worry about going broke with. That is until it was book fair time. My elementary school would send out brochures of potential books and I would read through each page meticulously to select the books I wanted. Once I had my list, I would calculate the amount of money I needed then I would ask my parents for the money I needed.

There are two books that I remember purchasing from those book fairs, The Bridge to Terabithia and Holes, two books I still own today. Both books taught me the value of friendship and family. Both books made me realize the purpose of reading was to discover aspects of life. Through reading I can learn how to be a better person. Through reading I can learn about people who looked like me. Through reading I can learn. Reading, and specifically reading those books, made me want to become a writer.

Through reading I ultimately also learned the power of questioning what you do not understand. Ellen Hopkins Burned taught me that. The main character, Pattyn, doesn’t agree with her religion which causes several problems with her family. Before reading Burned, I didn’t think it was appropriate to question religion. No one told me it was wrong, but like with most things, children are supposed to take things at face value. After reading Burned, I realized that blindly following a religion or anything else isn’t the smartest thing. Once I made that realization, my relationship with God grew stronger. My understanding of the world and the injustices that I would soon face became clearer. Without questions, further learning does not happen. Without questions, less people would stand up for what is right. Without questions, the world would remain the same which isn’t necessarily a good thing because there are several things that need to be questioned about certain practices and perceptions.

We need to read so that we are more informed. We need to read so that we can develop the questions that need to be asked.