Interpret this poem:
GREAT, GOOD, BAD
A great book is a homing device
For navigating paradise
A good book somehow makes you care
About the comfort of a chair.
A bad book owes to many trees
A forest of apologies.
J. Patrick Lewis, Please Bury Me in the Library
“A great book is a homing device For navigating paradise”
ReplyDeleteA book is more than just a story. It can take you to the perfect place. A place in space and time that makes sense, feels good, where you can find the answer to fill the void in your life. Paradise only exists in the value you your thoughts provoked by this magnificent book.
“A good book somehow makes you care About the comfort of a chair”
When you are reading a good book all of a sudden your senses are heighten. The chair is no longer a piece of furniture you are siting on, but instead a comforting vessel used to navigate through the story. You and the chair are in it together. It is not a distraction, your body is in no discomfort. Its just you and the book.
“A bad book owes to many trees A forest of apologies”
A bad book makes you wonder what the author was thinking? The publishing company should have passed on this one. The words of this terrible book are not worthy of print, let alone to touch the white pages made from an infantry of trees, fighting to stay a live through harsh winters, blistering summers, dry seasons, and raging fires. If the book could self-combust, it would be ashes by now.
I loved the way you explained the poem, Ruben. I do agree that reading a book can take you to a perfect place. But Depending on the book, it can also put you in a frightening place!
DeleteRuben, i enjoyed reading your interpretation on the poem. I also find myself wondering why the authors write bad book. I agree with you, bad books are not worth wasting paper.
DeleteWOW Ruben! That was a great explanation and break down of the poem. Really helps to understand what the author might be feeling thinking and trying to express. Your interpretation was really good to say the least.
DeleteYou are totally right about that Ruben, but I also agree with Marisol! Depending on what kind of a book you are reading, it can take you to a paradise or a hunted house. I think that as long as the book delivers its purpose(that may be to frighten you or relax you) and make the story line realistic in your mind, then it is a good book.
DeleteThank you Ladies. I really appreciate the comments. I need to quadruple check my work though. I cringe every time I find misspellings or orphan words from a previously deleted sentence. These blog entries are pretty cool and I love reading all of them.
DeleteRuben,I honestly believe that you have given the best interpretation for this book. Great Job! I enjoyed reading you entry.
DeleteNice put Ruben. You did a great explanation of this small poem. Its significant meaning has more depth when reading it multiple times.... I love this poem!
Deletegreat post ruben, very descriptive and to the point were we all understand
DeleteThis is a great poem! I really like it. The first part of the poem is describing what a GREAT book can do for you. Reading a great book gives you so much opportunity to imagine and connect to another world. This is the kind of book that you just can't put down. Reading a GOOD book can bring one to care about the comfort of his or her chair because, the book is good but not great. So, your attention turns to the comfort of the chair and is distracted. Reading a bad book (is there such thing?) can bring disappointment beyond belief. The longer you read and are let down, the more resentful you feel. You feel robbed and as though you wasted your time. I don't make this mistake with books, but I know several movies that I should have cut off a long time ago. I just sat around waiting for it to get better and regret the minutes of my life that were wasted.
ReplyDeleteMarisol, I like the way you interpreted the poem. It is true, when one reads a great book you cannot seem to put it down.
DeleteI agree with you on the poem. Also, the part about feeling robbed or as if I wasted my time, I have felt many times about movies I've watch.
DeleteHaha! I WANT THAT TIME BACK! I agree, there is nothing worse then reading a book because it was highly recommended and it turns out to be garbage
DeleteI agree with you Marisol, you have good points....It is so true, I don't know what is worse than to be advised to read a book and it turns out to be the worse of all... hahah it happens all the time.
DeleteI agree, there's nothing worse than being really excited about a new book you purchased or a movie you've been dying to see, but in the end you are completely dissapointed.
DeleteWhen J. Patrick Lewis speaks of a great book he calls it”… a homing device For navigating paradise” meaning that a great book will not only take you to another place, but also on the journey. For a “Good book” one “cares About the comfort of a chair” meaning that a good book is still readable but in a good comfortable environment. The reader is reading the story but hasn’t been taken to another world; they are still concerned with their world and their current environment. As for a bad book Lewis says it “…owes to many trees A forest of apologies” meaning it shouldn’t have even wasted the paper
ReplyDeleteNice post! Short and to the point.
DeleteI love your interpretation about reading a good book. The comfort of the chair is relevant because you have not been transported to another world. If the book was a page turner, you wouldn't care if you read it on top of a rock or sitting native style on the ground.
Deletenice post
DeleteGreat interpretation! Really like your interpretation about the good book.
DeleteI love how J. Patrick Lewis categorized books by great, good, and bad because books really does create this impact to its reader, depending on what category they fall in. He described a great book as a "homing device". This is true because with a great book, we, as readers, should be able to take in information and learn from it. A great book does not only serve as an entertainment, but it should also be able to expand our knowledge about the things around us. When it comes to what he described as a "good book", he meant that such books should be able to engage the readers, entertain them as they become relax, and be able to take the worries around them. With a good book, readers should be able to dream away to the land being described in the story, as they become engaged in reading. As far as the "bad book", what J. Patrick Lewis meant is that the book does not deserved to have been publish. Bad book does not accomplish what the other two previous books have. Therefore, it is only a waste of a good tree to print the stories in paper.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. This is a great poem and the way the books were catigerized is very true. We usually rate books from being great, good, or bad.
DeleteA great book is a homing device
ReplyDeleteFor navigating paradise: A great book can take you everyone, it is something that you cannot put down. You’re just addicted to what you read. It takes your mind into a sense of paradise where you just do not want to come back from that place. And your imagination takes you into a whole different place. It also expands one’s knowledge and creates a quest to dive into a journey.
A good book somehow makes you care
About the comfort of a chair.: When one reads a good book in a comfort chair you are just focus on the comfy chair and the good book you are reading. You are just zoned into the book because the comfy chair makes one’s mind forget about every problem in the world and only focus on the good book.
A bad book owes to many trees
A forest of apologies.: A bad book makes everyone think why did the authors waste so much paper? If you are going to write a book, make sure it is worth wasting paper.
I really enjoyed the poem; it was basic yet full of personality. The breakdown for great, good, and bad reminded me of when you dine out. You go to a restaurant and love the place and wish you had never finished your food it even makes you sad when you are on your last bite, and then you go to a good place you consider coming back next time and are looking forward to it, and for bad you think of how bad you wasted your time and how you would never suggest or recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI really like your comparison Lizet. In the past, I had been in that same position of not wanting to finish an exquisite meal. Furthermore, when I am about to leave the restaurant, I am hoping to come back and get delighted by a fascinating meal.
DeleteI love food so I can relate to your comparison Lizet.
DeleteMy interpretation of “A great book is a homing device/ For navigating paradise” is that within a great book we could travel to paradise using our imagination. A great book provides us an escape to a place of happiness.
ReplyDelete“A good book somehow makes you care/ About the comfort of a chair.” A good book keeps you interested, but only if you’re in a comfortable surrounding that you feel relaxed in.
As for my understanding of “A bad book owes to many trees/ A forest of apologies” is that a bad book is not worth writing and that it was such a waste of all the trees used to make it.
J. Patrick Lewis' poem about a great, good, and a bad book attempts to explain how a book can transport someone or not. I like how the Lewis simply splits books into the three categories and clearly explains what he sees the difference as.
ReplyDeleteA great book is a homing device
For navigating paradise
By this Lewis is saying that a great book can transport someone away from their current situation and allow them to become fully submerged in the story they are reading.
A good book somehow makes you care
About the comfort of a chair.
A good book can make it difficult to stop reading. It allows you to continue reading and begin to care and understand the characters in the novel.
A bad book owes to many trees
A forest of apologies.
Unlike the other two types of books, a bad book will leave one wondering why it was even published. It just was not worth it to even waste trees.
Overall I feel that the poem was written to show the difference between a good book that makes one feel that they are transported to another place, a good book that makes one want to keep reading right up until the very end and not want to leave the comfort of their reading chair and a bad book that does neither of the other two.
I to have come across afew books that ive wondered why they were ever published. Guess this poem's last stanza can reflect the cliche 'waste of paper'.
DeleteA homing device is something one uses to find his or her way when in search of a location. A Great book can take you anywhere you want to go. Find a book that fits you desire for the week, or month and it will take you there. Regardless of where you physically sit and read, a great book can help you time travel and cross the seas.
ReplyDeleteA good book makes you realize how comfortable or uncomfortable a seat is if you can’t put the book down, then you want to be in a comfortable chair to get the maximum out of the reading experience. If the good is just good and not great then the reader may choose to stop reading and use the uncomfortable chair as an excuse.
A bad has destroyed the lives of many, many trees and all for what, the finical gain of the publishing company? Those trees were not growing with the intention to be cut and made in pieces of paper. They grew up nice strong and tall. They planned on doing that for many more years until someone cut them down to write a horrible book. Poor trees
I agree that the tree's plan was to keep growing tall and strong. The audacity to cut down a beautiful piece of earth, only to create garbage, deserves an apology.
DeleteI agree with your description of the bad book. I like your creativity and concern about the saving the trees. Our natural environment should be protected and not wasted.
DeleteYou folks are so thoughtful. These responses are great. My 4 year old loves the poems in this book, so check out if you get the chance...
ReplyDeleteYou know, on that note, I think many of the books that I read my 4 year old are better than the ones professors assign. We should teach a class on Dr. Seuss, on Harold and the Purple Crayon, or on brown bear brown bear what do you see?(i can recite that whole brown bear book...scary!) Which other books come to mind?
I would enroll in the Dr. Seuss class! Classic book from my childhood are: The Giving Tree, Is Your Mama a LLama?, Gregory, The Terrible Eater, I could go on and on. :)
DeleteImogene's Antlers, Louis the Fish, . . .Where the Wild Things Are. . .
DeleteIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie, or If You Give a Moose Some Milk... those were great!
DeleteI think your daughter would like "I Wish I Were a Butterfly"
Deleteby James Howe & Ed Young. It's a great children's book.
Just last Saturday, we hosted a "Lorax" reading at Target, but that was not the only book that was read. I was surprise to find out that there were actually several Dr. Seuss books that's so interesting not only for kids, but also for adults.
DeleteA great book paves a path for the reader to follow.
ReplyDeleteGood books are navigation devices that offer individuals an opportunity to explore a different universe or a dimension. A good book allows you to live in a world where you experience what the characters are going through. Your location turns into paradise because once you get ahold of a good book you get sucked into the content and live the story; it becomes your living space and haven.
A good book makes you pay attention to your surrounding environment, chair, and even your sitting position. You’d want to feel comfortable and will position yourself to do so. As for a book being bad, it owes its apologies to the trees it diminished and the readers who were unsatisfied.
Overall, the poem was great and makes the reader put a lot of thought into the meaning and symbolism of the words used. :_)
I really liked this poem as well. I started thinking about the books that I have read, and catagorizing which ones were, in my opinion, Great, Good, and Bad!
DeleteThis poem is short and to the point. It's true, a great book can definitely transport the reader to a different world. Books are amazing because you can see everything with your mind. You can relate to the characters, and begin to fall in love with the story. For me, all of the Harry Potter books were great books. I was so excited every night to curl up on my bed and read.
ReplyDeleteI good book can be enjoyable too, but you don't connect or relate to it as much as a great book. As long as one is comfortable within their surroundings while reading, they will sit and read and be content.
Well, I have read some pretty boring books, and those can be a real disappointment. Yes, it is definitely a waste of paper, money, and space. You may as well light it on fire and let the ash fall to the ground from where it once grew.
Whenever the reader finds an exciting book, he simply becomes passionate for reading it. The collection of books of Harry Potter are very interesting and consequently makes most of the readers engaged in the content. They are absolutely great books.
DeleteI agree, it's alway important to find books that allow you to fall into the story and really relate. Second, I really need to check out these Harry Potter books, everyone I talk to just raves about them.
Delete"A great book is a homing device
ReplyDeleteFor navigating paradise" I absolutely love this poem! As an avid reader I truly agree with this description. I first discovered the joy of reading when I was about eight years and have loved reading ever since. A great book is a homing device for navigating paradise, the moon, ancient Greece, the future, or thousands of other places. Imagination and creativity are woven into books and takes us places that bring such joy.
"A good book somehow makes you care
About the comfort of a chair". Getting lost in good book and losing track of time are things I am quilty of doing. When you become so engrossed in a good book you find the comfort of a chair becoming a priority. There's nothing better than cozying up to good book while sitting in your pajamas your favorite recliner. Believe me I know; life doesn't get much better.
"A bad book owes to many trees
A forest of apologies." An interesting and somber way to end the poem. I understand the point the author is trying to make. Although books are priceless we can't forget that our trees are also. Can we somehow minimize our paper waste and transfer many books from paper to electronic format? I think we may see more e-book options in the future thus resulting in more trees being saved.
I can feel your love for reading through your writing. Its awesome! I agree with you, its great when you find that book that your able to get lost in.
DeleteJ. Patrick Lewis makes a great description and an outstanding comparison of the importance of the quality of a book. He defines the characteristics and the attributes of the reading content in a clear and direct way. When Lewis describes the great book, he implies that the reader can travel to a different world. Specifically, a great book allows the reader to submerge into a fascinating adventure. Also, that a great book not only entertains, but delights the reader with all the events in the story. The reader becomes passionate and can not put the book down. Similarly, Lewis's definition of a good book reflects the ordinary experience that the reader is having while reading. I think that when reading a good book, chances are that at any time you put down the book and stop reading it. Also, that the words and the events in the story are a secondary idea, since your attention falls into the comfort of a chair and the surrounding. On the other hand, Lewis insinuates that a bad book should not have been published. That printing the book was a waste of the natural environment. In brief, that the reading was disappointing and very poor.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing better than when you grab a book to read for 15 or 20 minutes and the next thing you know you've been reading for hours.
DeleteYes a great book does submerge you into captivating every detail of the story, a great book is also one that you just can't stop reading just to know what will happen in the next chapters before the one you have read.
DeleteThis was a really good poem. The first part is about the great book means you will get lost in the great book and its a navagating paradise because the book is super good and you will only dig yourself deeper and deeper in the book to only find yourself in another world, the good book part means the book is good but not great meaning your comfort zone for the book is content but not bored, and the bad book means its a waste of time, trees to make the paper and a bad look on the trees, meaning it wasted the trees time in making the book.
ReplyDeleteI love how such a simple poem can have such a wide interpretation. "A great book is a homing device for navigating paradise", when reading a good book you can enjoy the setting of your own home or imagine yourself in "paradise" or somewhere you've never been. You may catch yourself falling into a fantasy or dream world.
ReplyDelete"A good book somehow makes you care about the comfort of a chair", when reading a good book comfort is a key aspect of the experience. Whether it's in bed or in your favorite chair you want to be comfortable where you can completely engage yourself in the book. I love sinking into my lazy boy, feet up with a great book. I doesn't get any better than that.
"A bad book owes to many trees a forest of apologies", a bad book can owe you time you lost, money you spent, or money someone else spent and basically just a bad taste in your mouth.
I like you interpreted the second stanza, and how your relate your comfy chair to a good read!
DeleteI like your last interpetation, I never thought of the connection of money, a bad book is indeed wasted money, and wasted money (paper) fits in nicely with the last part. well done.
DeleteThe poem is about the quality of books. The first stanza is about a great book that will allow someone to get lost in a story. I know I'm not much of a fan of reading; however, if it's a great book, I will definitely get lost in the book and continue the story until I finish. Sometimes a book allows a person to stretch their imagination to a place they've never been before.
ReplyDeleteA good book will capture your attention until you finish the story. Everytime I get into a book, I try to find a place with the best comfort so I can put my full attention towards the story.
A bad book is a book that is practically a waste of money. You will wish that you never purchased that book and that paper and trees would of never been used to make the book.
The first stanza of this poem, "A great book is a homing device For navigation paradise" to me means that a book could be so good that it acts as a device that could take your imagination to the next level and actually make you feel as if your experiencing what you are reading. Rarely do we find a book that we could get lost in, but when you do find it, your hooked.
ReplyDeleteThe second stanza, "A good book somehow makes you care About the comfort of a chair" to me means that some books are good enough to keep you engaged to the reading until your done. It is a book that you could read in the comfort of your home that keeps you satisfied enough to keep reading. Its not a great book but simply a good enough read.
The last sanza, "A bad book owes to many trees A forest of apologies" is self explanitory. This simply means that a bad book is a waste of paper and that it owes apologies to our forest for using trees to make it.
A great book is a homing device, to me means that although there is many exceptional books out there, the one that only leads you to your paradise (everything that you want to see in a book) makes it a great book. The good book and comfortable chair part is funny. I simply see it as a book that’s too good to put down but not enough for you to be completely immersed and ignore the stabbing pain from your butt that went asleep a few hours ago. The Bad book owing apologies can mean many things, from the physical of it not being worth the trees life that was taken to make the book to the forest of minds that it disappointed.
ReplyDeleteYep, the part about the "stabbing pain from your butt that went asleep a few hours ago," while reading a good book, totally understand!
DeleteThis poem by J. Patrick Lewis that starts, a great book is a homing device for navigating paradise, means a book that is considered great when reading through its pages makes you live what the author is portraying in the story he tells, it’s not make believe but seems real. The third line that starts with a good book somehow makes you care, about the comfort of a chair I interpret it as the chair just isn’t a piece of furniture you sit in, you are aware of all the things around you and what its existence is all about. The fifth line states, a bad book owes to many trees a forest of apologies, which can be interpreted that because so many forests have been wiped out, a bad book was made by those trees that have been wiped out to make it; so then, a bad book is a total waste of production.
ReplyDelete“A great book is a homing device For navigating paradise” A great book is more than just a story. I great book takes you on a journey. A great book has the power to expand your imagination, and make you connect with other people, other places, feel emotions like happiness, frustration, madness, and satisfaction. A great book takes you to another place, a paradise where everything can be a perfect place.
ReplyDelete“A good book somehow makes you care About the comfort of a chair” A good book is a book that you enjoy because you enjoy the comfort of the chair you enjoy the book because it is your time to relax and feel comfortable in the environment that you are in. You enjoy a good book because a comfortable chair helps you disconnect form your true reality which is stress. A good book is about the connection with a comfortable environment.
“A bad book owes to many trees A forest of apologies.” A bad book is a book that is not worth your time, and makes you wonder why paper was wasted to make this book. It was a waste of trees when that paper could have been used to make something more meaningful.
I liked your interpretation of a good book. Nice post.
DeleteA great book sometimes gives you advice in life, it will touch you and open your eyes to a new perspective on life, allowing you to think about life in a different way. A good book will make you take a step back and appreciate what you have in life. Sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lifestyles that we forget what the meaning of life is. A bad book is one that is poorly written and shouldn't have been written at all. Maybe this book has no value or meaning to you, or you're simply not interested, so this book is useless.
ReplyDeleteA great books makes us grab the edge of our seat and implores us to continue reading. It allows us to put ourselves inside the story as if we were actually living it. It takes us on an adventure that one cannot wait to find out what happens next. It kind of teaches us a lesson where we can compare if we are a good, great or bad person. On the contrary, if we read a bad book we cannot wait to close the door on it. The same can be when we are a bad person no one will take the time for us to share our life's story. This is the interpretation of the poem that spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteA great book is one that is trapped and influences you, and it is one that provokes discussion. This kind of book causes you interest as soon as you start it, and you talk with others about it. With a great book, you can never say you are done, and you come back to read and find more interesting things in it.
ReplyDeleteA good book entertains and educates you. It also can provide you some sense of interest, and probably you can get connection with it. It is easy to follow because it has good stories. Maybe, you will like to read it again.
A bad book is not interesting. It is bored and lack of enthusiasm. Probably, you do not want to read it, and you put aside, leave, or throw away. This book sounds unimportant to anyone.
Everyone's idea of a great book, a good book, and a bad book will be different, in the same way that everyone's idea of paradise will be different. Therefore, one's idea of a great book will help them navigate through their paradise.
ReplyDeleteA good book will give someone comfort and peace, but will not necessarily get them quite to paradise. A good book will allow someone to relax and enjoy their place on Earth, but will not give them the opportunity to explore what is beyond that.
A bad book is something that doesn't do either of those things for a person. A bad book has no relevance to that person, therefore it is a waste of trees. It was useless to that person.
Exactly, Nicole. Everyone has different perspectives about life and other things.
DeleteMy interpretation of a great book being a homeing device navaigating paradise leads me to believe that a great book will give someone more knowledge therefore making your vocabulary bigger. A great book will paint the picture for you and is easy to understand and navigate whats going on. A good book is a book that will you read when trying to relax or when you have nothing else to do for example reading a good book on a plane while traveling. A bad book is book you do not like, a book that has no meaning to you and also no value.
ReplyDeleteHi, everyone. For this poem, and my interpretation, I believe this poem is referring to how a book affects an individual. If a book contains a positive message, it can motivate an individual to make wise choices; however, this is not always the case. Everyone in this world is different—as everyone has different beliefs. For example, a book that contains a rather depressive story can make an individual appreciate his or her surroundings. But, of course, it all depends on the individual.
ReplyDeleteThis poem appears to describe the capabilities of great and good books. "A great book is a homing device for navigating paradise" seems to mean that a great book is able to dig deep into your mind and move you. A great book lets you see your future and is a great device to help you identify and make your way closer to what you would consider paradise. "A good book somehow makes you care about the comfort of a chair" allows you to be comfortable and relaxed while reading, although it does not have the capabilities of a great book. A good book allows you to enjoy your time while reading. "A bad book owes to many trees a forest of apologies" ultimately means that a bad books is a waste of paper.
ReplyDelete