My background is in theatre. I was in the church drama group through middle and high schools, I majored in theatre in college, and currently hold a position in the top regional theatre in Arkansas. I am used to doing the same show every night, eight shows a week, for multiple weeks. Most of the time, I am working in front of the stage, where I can actually watch the show (or have to watch it, depending on how you look at it).
I never made the connection until today, but knowing all this about the last 11 years of my life, it doesn't surprise me that I need to read a book or watch a movie or television show multiple times to truly understand it. In high school, I had 9th and 11th grade English with Mrs. Little, my favorite teacher. She taught me that in order to properly analyze a piece of literature, I need to read it three times. Once to get a general feel of the story, a second time to notice symbolism and subtext, and a final time to pick up on the nuances and finer points of the story. In the past five years, this has stayed with me and I have used it with movies and shows as well as books.
Some people don't understand how I can watch movies multiple times; for them, once is enough and they are on to the next thing. And for me, that's true for some movies I watch. I see it once so that I can say that I've seen it, but if I have no interest in it, I don't pursue it further. But with my memory and what Mrs. Little taught me, I'm not able to properly analyze and enjoy something without experiencing it at least three times.
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