Many people influenced and events my reading and writing development throughout my childhood from my mother, my elementary librarian, and Sesame Street, to getting my first pair of glasses. We all have defining moments in our lives where we can look back and say, “That moment changed my life.” This is the story of the defining moment that changed the way I read and write, and I learned it from a whale!
It was the beginning of my seventh grade year. I was about twelve years old and, I guess you could say a nerd. I did well in school so I was placed in the Gifted and Talented program with other nerds in my class. As part of this program we were required to read at a certain level or read a certain number of books each semester. You would earn points for reading these books and giving a book report on each of them. Every week we would go to the library to read or choose other books. It was in this library that I unknowingly discovered the one book that would change everything I knew about reading, writing, and English in general.
I remember vividly, scrolling through the isles and shelves of books looking for my next adventure. I had already read Swiss Family Robinson, and Robinson Crusoe, so I regarded myself as an accelerated reader compared to my classmates, but the task I was about to undertake would prove far more daunting than anything I had attempted thus far. As I walk throughout the isles I see the books getting thicker and thicker. I thought to myself that maybe
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I was ready for something bigger, so I carefully choose a fairly large book and read the cover to myself. “Moby Dick.” The illustration on the book was very old but interesting. There was a small boat with three men in it. One was a dis...
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...derstanding of the language and the overall message the author was trying to get across. My vocabulary grew also as a result of laboring through the formidable book. With each chapter, I encounter new challenges. The way the author elaborated extensively about each detail was something I had not experienced in books I had previously read. I eventually finished with Moby Dick and managed to impress my teacher and my librarian. Being able to finish that book and understand it is one of the highlights of my academic achievements.
After a long, love hate relationship with a whale called Moby Dick, I gained knowledge and skills that I never intended to gain when first choosing that book. I look back now and see that that was the one book that taught me more about how to read, write, and comprehend English, than any other instance in my life up to that point.
The Boys in the Boat gave me a little shock. Actually, I have had a little expectation to read an English book before, so I was so excited and worried. However, the book describes very elaborately, with lots of words I haven’t seen before, what the rowers did. I realized that there were lots of words I don’t know. Moreover, it was hard to memorize the descriptive words because those are too many. Nevertheless, by reading the book again and again, it is getting better, and even it is fun now. I like the feeling that I’m learning the vocabulary every day by just reading instead of memorizing. Anyway, I have learned a lot of words from the The Boys in the Boat, and I like the story in the The boys in the Boat. One of the elements that makes me
"The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book -- it
Dr. Seuss 's Go, Dog. Go, was a book I remember reading a lot (probably because I loved dogs so much). When I was younger I used to go to my aunt 's house during the summer, and my grandmother would always be there. She enjoyed reading, so she made me read a book a week, whether it was from the library or from the books on the shelves at my aunt 's house. I did not enjoy going over there to read, especially since it was summer, but I did get rewarded after finishing a book with a game of Guess Who? with my grandmother.
The title of the novel which I read is “Moby Dick”. The genre of this book is fiction and it is written in novel form. The story takes place in 1851 on the northeastern coast, mainly set in the Atlantic ocean, but also in New York City, and Pittsfield Massachusetts. It tells the story of Ishmael, the protagonist, who is seemingly lost in the world and is trying to make sense of his life. In his opinion, men who board whaling ships are choosing the alternative to suicide. Although Ishmael is the protagonist, and we don’t know as much about him as we do the other characters. A reason for his could be because he is the story’s narrator and doesn’t necessarily talk about himself as much as he talks about what is going on around him.
...book was difficult in the fact of all the strange names and places but that teaches me that learning about the world will not be easy either. It is hard for people to drop what they are used to and be open to something totally foreign to them but that is something I need to experience in life.
The whaling industry in the 1800’s went largely unnoticed by people of high social standing. Businessmen, attornies, and other professionals frowned upon whaling. Many viewed whalers as nothing more than common butchers killing to make a living. Society looked down on people who would dirty their hands, or lower themselves to such common labor. Melville’s portrayal of the whaling industry countered these beliefs. He showed that whaling took men of great courage and bravery. The characters aboard the Pequod demonstrated tremendous spirit. Their adventures placed the whaling industry in a very different light. With carefully designed characters, and a well-ordered world on board the Pequod, Moby Dick portray the life of a whaler as clearly noble and anything but common.
People read literature an abundance of times, but yet many don’t actually undergo the appreciation of the novel. Some overlook pieces of the novel and consider it insignificant to the whole story because those readers are inexperienced. The book, How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, allows readers and students to fully comprehend the meaning behind the book, making them assured to read “like a professor”. Letting the reader to go further in depth surely helps their analytical thinking to flourish. Having no boundaries when analyzing, Foster sure provided plenty of creative imagination discussing about archetypes and how we should consider the character’s perspective.
Herman Melville’s stories of Moby Dick and Bartleby share a stark number of similarities and differences. Certain aspects of each piece seem to compliment each other, giving the reader insight to the underlying themes and images. There are three concepts that pervade the two stories making them build upon each other. In both Moby Dick and Bartleby the main characters must learn how to deal with an antagonist, decide how involved they are in their professions, and come to terms with a lack of resolution.
From my past experiences, I have grown to prefer reading over writing. When I am reading, I can visualize the text in any way that I see fit. It is almost as if I am rewriting the novel using the illusions that I feel express the words in a passage. For example, in the current independent novel I am reading, it portrays a woman of high stature who is able to lure ...
Ron Padgett, the author of Creative Reading, recalls how he learned to read and write as though these things happened yesterday. Like Padgett, I tried recalling my reading and writing history.
Parke, John. "Seven Moby Dicks". Rpt in Discussions of Moby Dick Milton Stern ed. Boston: D.C. Heath Inc., 1960.
I had just turned eleven and received a book, Eleven by Lauren Myracle, from my mother as a birthday gift. As I opened the page and read the first line I immediately had an overwhelmingly bubbly feeling. The sheer coincidences made me feel like that book was written with me in mind. I read on and on non stop for the rest of the day because how could I turn away from a book that was hypothetically written about me. It expressed my pre-teen drama, things only an eleven-year-old would consider drama and it inspired me. It gave me the sudden urge to pour my heart into the little mini books I was known for writing and leaving around the house. Writing was something that I was very passionate as a little girl and is still something I am very passionate about as a young adult. The little things I did in my childhood
Brodhead, Richard H. "Trying All Things: An Introduction to Moby-Dick. New Essays on Moby-Dick or, The Whale. ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986.
I also remember as young girl learning how to read and my favorite book that I could quote word for word was “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr.Suess. I loved that book so much I still have that today. As I got older my love for reading and books started to diminish, I went to a private school for my elementary years and their curriculum was very intense. It was required to read a book from their approved list and complete a book report each summer before the school year began. Not to mention the numerous books reports I would have to complete during the school. At an early age books and reading was something I had to do and not what I wanted to do.
The upper shelf contains my most varied readings that span from books of love letters, tales of war, and chronicles of bildungsroman narratives. Rows upon rows of books are hidden behind the visible layer, with each story containing a cherished memory. These novels were recommended by inspiring teachers, received from knowledgeable relatives, or discovered on engaging odysseys to the bookstore.