Grain Reading

When reading with the grain, I believe one could say that the reader is directly trying to capture the meaning of the text as the author intended it to be. However, this doesn't mean that one should read the text without analyzing, but instead take the authors perspective in as it is. To me, reading with the grain entails a more simple form of reading, almost as if it were for pleasure, taking in the message without much critique. This is true when you are reading a novel, or watching a movie, or just reading an article for leisure. I personally like reading magazines like Men's Health, where I simply understand what the authors are talking about when it comes to fitness, and I take it as it is. There will be times, however, that I might read the same magazine "against the grain," only because sometimes I truly feel the training methods being described are incorrect.

When reading against the grain, we are literally taking a text and analyzing in every way or form that comes to mind. It is as if one were to read a text, and knowingly take on the role of having to interpret it in various forms. This links back to being a strong reader. There are certain professions that require one to read against the grain, and not just to take the text for what it is and what the author has to say. Instead, doubting and questioning what the text is providing is crucial when reading against the grain. As a political scientist, I am constantly watching the news, reading newspaper articles as well as magazines, and in all of this, I must approach these texts cautiously. I can't simply take the authors word, and believe what they are saying.