I too thought that the amount of reading (or non-reading for that matter) was more than adequate but for different reasons than what you stated. I don't think it is important that we, as viewers, understand that something great is being read. All we know is that Jamal wrote the piece, Forrester read it, and, in the end, it appears the Dean submitted it with the other works in the competition and thought it was exceptional. There is no definitive conclusion as to the outcome of the contest. And it doesn't matter.
Earlier in the movie Forrester mocked Crawford for making the students read their submissions saying "Writers write and readers read." He aslo stated that basically writers read their books in coffee shops to get laid. The reason showed up to read Jamal's work is obvious - he wanted to support his friend - help him out. But it's also about this time that we find out later that William is diagnosed with Cancer and realizes that without Jamal in his life, he may never have received the will to experience life again, to take chances himself in his personal life, not as a writer. So by reading in a public forum, Forrester was going outside his comfort zone showing growth in his character, changing who his character will be from that time forward. His words aren't important, that fact that he's putting himself out there again is what is important and what Jamal had been pushing Forrester to do throughout the moive.
I guess as a viewer it didn't matter what was said when he recited Jamal's writing. What was said in response to Crawford are the truly important lines in that portion of the movie. It's already more than 2 hours long - how much more writing could the scene stand?
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