Personal Definition of Reading and Writing

Traditionally when I think of reading and writing I think of the ominous task of collecting information (reading) and then organizing this information with my personal ideas into a document (writing). Reading, however, is much more than simply collecting information. Reading requires a constant critical analysis in order to successfully grasp the entirety of a piece of work. This includes actions such as questioning the authority of the text and exploring the concepts presented in the text more deeply. After reading and critically analyzing a particular piece of work the next step is to decide how you personally feel about what was presented. When you determine your position of a reading you can then write about it, all while incorporating some aspects of the original reading. This is what Harris defines as "rewriting."