Kyla Wazana Tompkins 'We aren't here to learn what we already know' Flashcards
Both highlight this
intentional and transformative way of reading
By critically engaging with
a text in order to challenge assumptions
Tompkins again offers details
as to how one can become an active reader in order to digest healing, liberatory or transformative properties from a piece of writing
she reveals that the act of theorizing is not just
about accumulating information
but rather the act of theorising is about
the involvement of proactively asking questions and provoking conversation
By detailing the importance of
using tactics such as annotating, citing and asking questions
Tompkins provides a framework
for how exactly a reader can direct their theorizing to harness beneficial outcomes
She encourages deeper and
more nuanced understanding of texts
by involving a
questioning of the most basic premises or assumptions that a text may present
she states that a transformative way of reading is done through
“undoing what you know, or what you think you know”
Tompkins also links to
Sedgwick’s idea of ‘reparative reading’
She links to Sedgwick’s idea
how we must resist the instinct to read with paranoia
Instead we must read through a means that
derives greater pleasure and inquiries about the world around us
this aligns with hooks as it emphasises the need to
consciously seek and demand greater meanings about literature and its relationship to culture and society
By questioning
assumptions, challenging existing knowledge
