The beginning of my interest in reading goes way back, although I don’t have any defining “aha!” moment, where I all of a sudden enjoyed reading books. There were always books around when I was growing up, if I was at my grandparents house it was the books they kept from their youth; classics like Treasure Island or any Hemingway book, the hard covers permanently infused with dust; plenty of History books, particularly World War II history; and the children’s books I always received as presents when I visited. My mom also read a lot, but more modern books, like supernatural or light horror books, nothing too difficult (or scary). I spent a lot of time reading magazines, mostly Video Game (note: spent more time creating stories off the video game articles and stories than actually playing the games; remember also creating stories from multiple video games) and newspapers, particularly the baseball scores I always was into creative things as a kid (note: the baseball simulation tournaments).
There were notebooks full of drawings and stories I created, inspired by the stories I picked up in whatever it was I could read. fake movie descriptions, satires (or what would pass for them when you’re under ten) of popular things at the time, I even tried to write a fake radio show with my friends using a tape recorded and index cards in place of cue cards. Basically anything I could use as a launch pad for creativity or inspiration I would take in, be it movies, books, any art form.
As I got older, I picked up playing guitar and learning composition and music theory, which lends itself well to reading and writing, as there is a lot to learn and express. Without reading, I would never have been able to learn guitar the way I did, as there...
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... could be represented and interpreted based on prior experience was similar to how one would approach any written work.
After working in business for quite a few years, I finally had the freedom to read whatever I wanted in my spare time, but as I ventured into more and more difficult works, I found that the ideas I wanted to express weren’t easily contained in just essay form. I found that I wanted to share this with others, and learn how to improve my own writing, but bring these different ideas to others. I originally had come back to school to do more of a research oriented study, a science or math based major. After retaking the English Composition 122 class at CLC, where we covered science fiction along with classics, and other forms such as memoirs, I began to realize that my passion for reading and writing could be beneficial to others as well as myself.
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
Instead of mom reading children’s books to me, I read them to her. And if I stumbled upon something I didn’t know or understand, mom helped me out! Soon enough I started reading to her without stuttering of not knowing how to say a word. I started being able to sound out words easier and my fluency became much better than before. First grade came around and I started reading bigger books such as Junie B. Jones and also the Magic Treehouse books. Books became easier to read as I aged and the books I read were getting bigger and bigger. In 5th and 6th grade I read The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpents Shadow, a trilogy called The Kane Chronicles written by Rick Riordan. I thought these three books were the greatest three books ever written! I even thought they were better than the hunger games! Especially with the series being based around Egyptian gods and theology, and also managed to tie in kids around my age that I could relate to. Those books made me love reading more than I ever have and I would read them again if I had the time to. Once 8th grade came out along I decided to read a “big boy” book: DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I thought I was so cool because I was reading a book that my parents have read. It has been the best book I have yet to read so far because it sparked my interest from the first sentence, to the last, there was intense suspense throughout the whole book and I could nonstop
Some of the books which we read in elementary were examples like, Dr. Seuss and other childish books. As I went to a higher standard of books, and got older,
English has never been my best subject. Reading books can be exciting, but the writing aspect of English can be dreadful. Somehow, however, I passed all my advanced English classes with at least a B, and my teachers always considered me to be “above average.” My impartiality toward English shifted to an indifference near the end of my high school career; my indifference then shifted to appreciation. This appreciation is attributed to American Studies and Honors Writing, the most difficult English classes at Belleville East Township High School. American Studies and Honors Writing have strengthened my writing skills beyond what I believed possible. I still do not believe that I am the best writer, and English may never be my best or favorite
I read voraciously as a child. I grew up in a college town and spent my summers in Middlebury, Vt, where my father taught summer school. That meant I was surrounded by libraries and by people who love to read and discuss literature. During the Vermont summers, one of my favorite places was Middlebury College's rare books room where I read first-edition Louisa May Alcott novels.
Writing doesn’t come easily to me, which must make me a glutton for punishment. It has taken me years of training, learning to structure an essay and unlearning to begin again. Only since attending HSU am I realizing how exceptional my writing has become. Over the course of two semesters, I have seen my writing expand and grow. While I still adhere to the training I received in high school, I am excited to now take these tools and develop my own unique style in the years to come.
I can remember like it was yesterday that I had a passion to read. Learning new words and reading new books excited me as a teen. It all started when I was in ninth grade. I wasn’t your typical fourteen-year old child reading children library books. I loved reading the young adult books. My favorite author was Ellen Hopkins. She wrote most of her novels about teens struggling with substance, abuse, feelings, sexuality, etc. I didn’t go through the problems like the teens in the books, but the stories made me think a whole new perspective in the teen world. I felt like the young adult books gave me meaning and the hard, cold truth about the world so that’s why I liked
Throughout this year, I have read many different works of early English literature. From reading these works and following the rules of Vladimir Nabokov, I have grown tremendously as a reader since the beginning of this year. From reading Alice in Wonderland to now, I have grown to appreciate literature much more. I have developed a better sense of the English language through the use of a dictionary and the difficult sentence structure of works such as the Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Le Morte D’Arthur, and the Fairie Queene. Because of the difficult sentence structures, the different word usages, and the deeper meanings wrapped in each of these works, I have learned to reread to better my understanding of the text and to see if I missed anything the first or second time through. I have also learned to not only read a novel or poem just for its story but to look deeper into it while considering its context and purpose. By following Nabokov’s simple rules, I have become a better reader and re-reader.
Reflecting on my journey with reading and writing, I recall vivid memories that have shaped my understanding and appreciation of literacy. From early childhood encounters with books to pivotal moments in academic settings, my literacy narrative is a tapestry woven with experiences that have influenced my identity and intellectual growth. One particular memory that stands out is my first encounter with a science fiction novel, which ignited my imagination and instilled in me a love for storytelling and exploration. Additionally, the guidance and encouragement of a dedicated English teacher during my formative years played a significant role in nurturing my writing skills and fostering a deeper connection with language. Through introspection
I used to have to take these tests about all the books I would read in school and I would always ace them all. I knew that reading was something I liked because I was always very intrigued by it. Also in middle school I found my true writing voice. I remember taking a creative writing class in six grade and I was always the student who wrote more than what was expected for my writing assignments. I would write stories about things such as my friends and the experiences that I had in school. Sometimes I would even write my own plays and in my plays the characters would be people in family and people from school. I would always try to make the plot super interesting in my plays. One time I wrote a play about my brothers and me traveling to space and finding aliens. Overall, I really fell in love with literacy throughout my middle school years because I was able to read books more at an advance level and I also was able to write more intense stories. Literacy has been a positive influence in my life all throughout my school
Reading was never something I fussed about growing up. As a child, I loved genres of realistic fiction. I was hooked on The New Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley, Goosebumps, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes, Judy Moody, and especially, Zoobooks and Highlights magazines. My mother was always ready to help build my reading and writing skills. She took me to the library constantly to feed my passion for books and knowledge. I loved exploring the shelfs, organizing the books, and filling up my library cart. I tried keeping a diary in elementary school to keep track of my outings with my parents and grandparents to museums, zoos, movies, and libraries. This flash of writing enthusiasm was spun from books I read in the 4th and 5th grade that were
My parents instilled a passion for reading in me even as a toddler; years later, an excellent,
Reading is an amazing activity that can transport you to various worlds and eras. I can recall being asked many times to put down the book I was reading and pay attention to class or losing sleep to finish the next chapter. While it certainly helps to be able to pronounce and understand what you are reading, I believe that the most important thing a good reader needs is curiosity. It can be easy to lose yourself in a book you are curious about if can catch your attention. A lot of readers hear about a book and decide to explore it or simply find the summary interesting and being to read. Encouraging that curiosity is my goal as a teacher. I want my children to have an insatiable curiosity for the world around them. My own passion for reading will help me get my students encouraged about the next book or topic. Children can feel how people are towards different subject areas and reading is one of my favorite so I feel that I will be able to pass that excitement on.
Reading did wonders for my imagination and the entertainment value was like no other. Similarly, I read comics with all the enthusiasm I could possibly muster. It was the coolest thing to me considering I was experiencing something created by someone across the ocean. Not to mention, I never experienced stories that showed me how to feel before. I read to learn and to relate and to explore a series of illustrations that beforehand I never knew existed.
Maybe, my sister and I inherited this live of reading from my father, or perhaps, our environment influenced us, but we were hooked onto books from a very early age. We would even take them to social gatherings, where we sure that we would get bored, and then just disappear into a quiet corner and spend the evening reading.