There is always a debate between the flip of a page versus pressing the play button. Books draw readers into new fantastical worlds while movies play out a dramatic scene, but why do books take the cake?
One could say that movies are better. They are better at grabbing the attention of people and offer more effects such as audio, music and acting. According to The Harvard Crimson, “As visual… they display content much more quickly than can a book. Movies, then, are better vectors to reach and inform a vast audience.”
There are also a number of students who prefer to watch movies purely because they’re visual. Not everyone grew up enjoying books, and they are not always compelling to people. Atholton freshman Keenan Quarles likes movies better than books. “Movies [are better] because you can see things happen,” Quarles said.
While movies do offer visuals and other effects, books are more educational, imaginative, and make for an enjoyable hobby.
Books expand people’s imagination. The reader gets to imagine what the characters and setting look like in their own way. This can boost people’s creativity and innovation skills. According to The Yellow Jacket, “Books are also able to get the reader to imagine marvelous worlds and scenes, especially in genres like fantasy and fiction. In film, you do not have to imagine the world because it is right in front of you,”
People, especially students, can learn a lot from books. Reading improves students’ vocabulary and grammar, and exposes them to different writing styles and genres. All these things will assist students in improving their writing, both academically and creatively. “You write what you read. Prolific readers make prolific writers,” English teacher Dr. Leslie Dumont said.
Research has also shown children who start to read at a young age can develop higher cognitive abilities, such as speech, memory and test performance. As a child gets older, this skill can grow and become more refined, which will help them academically as well as emotionally. According to Forbes, “Brain scans found that children who started to read for pleasure by the age of nine had slightly larger total brain areas and volumes, particularly those regions of the brain that play a key role in cognitive functions.”
Although there are students who like movies, there are also students who love books. Books can be exciting, and with the right one, it can be hard to put it down. “A book will always contain more. It’ll always have different avenues to travel, more facets to glance through, and a far more thorough look at the perspectives a story is meant to convey,” Clearview Regional High School freshman Luciana Ferrari said.
While movies are a simple and fun way to unwind, books do more for people. From entertainment to information, books are useful for different things. They help students with learning and cognitive skills and they enhance imagination. Books are also just a fun way to relax and escape into a different world.
