No More Reading Fiction....It's Dangerous

In his piece, "On the Dangerous of Reading Fiction, Thomas Jefferson expresses his distaste towards fiction. He uses a metaphor to describe fiction as a "poison [that] infects the mind." Jefferson makes this analogy to explain how he feels that fiction destroys the beauty of reading. He feels that when people read fiction that it results in "a bloated imagination." However, there are a few exceptions. The exceptions are pieces that model real life stories and have moral values integrated. He states that such fiction can be a "pleasure" to read and is a better "improvement" than unrealistic fiction. 

Even though Jefferson is one of the American founding fathers and he is the major author of the Declaration of Independence, I have to disagree. Fiction for me has always been a "happy place". Reading fiction takes me to a different world where anything is possible. Through out middle school years, my nose was always stuck in fiction books. I have read about princesses, wolves, vampires, zombies, ghosts, babysitters, and so many others things. I probably did not gain anything important, however they are just fun to read. It is fun to read about something different. As a student, I have a repeating schedule everyday. So being able to pick up a book and read about humans that transform into wolves is just a nice relief from reality.