Literary Lifelines: The Books That Shaped Me I was never much of a reader until the right stories found me when I needed them the most. Their words were more than ink printed on a piece of paper, but instead, words that leaped from the pages and into my mind, becoming crucial building blocks of my psychological development. When I needed courage to face life's challenges, J.K. Rowling's “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” transported me to a world where bravery prevailed over hardship. As I navigated the complexities of isolation during the pandemic, Robert Greene's “The 48 Laws of Power” became a guiding light, allowing me to learn how to confidently communicate with others as I was confined to my home and unable to communicate with others …show more content…
Trapped in the confines of my own home, I began to helplessly accept that I lost a big social aspect of my life. While others tried to hide from the truth, I struggled to stay true to myself, feeling utterly alone and uneducated about the circumstances of the world. It was during one of those typical sleepless nights mindlessly scrolling through TikTok that Robert Greene’s book “The 48 Laws of Power” caught my attention. With libraries being temporarily shut down, I decided to purchase my first-ever ebook and give Robert Greene a chance. As I read his stories of power and influence, I came to realize that the popular kids in elementary school who seemed so powerful to me were just playing ancient tricks to make them seem more like they were. Suddenly, I began to understand the importance of asserting myself confidently and used these tricks to guide me through the start of high school. I no longer felt like a clueless bystander, but rather like someone with insightful knowledge to avoid the manipulation and mental doubts I had faced. In those darkest pandemic days as a confused 13-year-old in a changing world, this book provides invaluable guidance and wisdom on how to handle social situations. To this day, I remember the lessons learned during that challenging period, which has given me the strength and self-assurance to tackle any adversity
Peer pressure is a substantial challenge faced by teenagers in the modern world. From negative peer pressure to positive peer pressure and bullying, everyone will face these taxing obstacles at some point in their lives. The article “Queen Bee and Her Court” by Rosalind Wiseman gives us a detailed understanding of how the seven stereotypes in high school cliques fit into these pressures. In reading this article, I realized the truth behind the patterns presented by the author. Peer Pressure often revolves around one thing: power. Furthermore, everyone met in the hallways unfailingly falls into one of the seven categories as described throughout the story. As Rosalind Wiseman says, “Our best politicians and diplomats couldn't do better than
My reading experience in junior-high and first three years of high school were not so much different. I had never been enthusiastic to read about predetermined topics assigned by my teacher and they continued to assign predetermined reading topics that made me feel frustrated and at times uncomfortable. But there was positivity that came out of these repulsive and devastating books, such as Lord of The Flies by William Golding or The Night by Elie Wiesel. Lord of the Flies caused me to confirm that humans must have rules and a government to help
Carry Your Own Skis by, Lian Dolan Arthur Ashe by John McPhee, and Dreams by Langston Hughes are three of my favorite texts from the textbook this semester because of all the messages they portray. The reason why these were my favorite’s texts is because I was able to relate to them one way or another. This is very important to do in literature. Connecting to the texts can help us understand them more. This is why some texts become more popular than others. For example, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Everyone who has ever been in love can relate to this story. The feelings expressed are ones often felt by people everywhere. The more a person can relate to a story, the more important it is to them.
Wells, Colin. "A Lesson Before Dying." Literature and Its Times Supplement 1: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss. Vol. 2: The Great Depression and the New Deal to Future Times (1930s -). Detroit: Gale, 2003. 249-258. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained
Richard Wright, in his essay “Discovering Books,” explains how reading books changed his outlook on life and eventually his life itself. The first book that widened his horizons was an overtly controversial book by H. L. Mencken. I have a story not so dissimilar from his.
... choice. This made me think in a different perspective and showed me the ups and downs of this society. Lois Lowry shows the importance of individuality, choices and memory in a perspective that really helped me understand how we take some things for granted.
My earliest memories can be found at the hands of paperback novels. Books were my escape from the world around me. The thrill of being able to leave behind the world and it’s baggage and enter another that books provided captivated me, and left an impact on me. The emotion I experienced solely from taking a small step into another person’s story was unlike any I had felt before. I desperately wanted others to feel what I had felt, and love whatever I had become entranced by with the same passion as I did.
For summer reading I read two books, The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh and Endurance by Alfred Lansing. In The Loved One, it is mainly about the relationship between Dennis and Aimee and the relationship between Mr. Joyboy and Aimee and how she doesn't know who to love. Aimee get engaged with Dennis but then marries Mr. Joyboy. Later on Aimee feels that it is not going to work. She calls Mr. Slump for help and he said, "Do! I'll tell you what to do. Just take the elevator to the top floor. Find a nice window and jump out. That's what you can do. I told her to go take a high jump." Aimee then followed Mr. Slump advice and went into Mr. Joyboy office and committed suicide by injection. The other book Endurance was about an explorer name Sir Ernest Shackleton and he was the leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was form of twenty-seven men on the ship called the Endurance, and it was to cross the Antarctic Continent. Long story short, the Endurance gets stuck in ice and cannot move and so they left the boat and went to go to South Georgia island and they tried to survival the harsh weather and try to stay alive. There are many themes in the books, The Loved One and Endurance, that related to me, to other books, and to the world.
Born with a single tooth, mother used to say I came out smiling, and I guess I never stopped. Smiles, books, and sun were among the things that composed my childhood, the smiles usually resulting from the books and sun. This situation of strictly happy memories of a loving and bookish family, strong Christian education, and a healthy community helped shape me to be the person I am today.
As the years passed, I began to realize that while books offer insight and knowledge, they can’t fully fulfill the experience. It wasn’t until I grew older and embraced new opportunities, there was a whole world out there waiting to be experienced. While I still have an interest in books, it is important to actively engage in the world around me. Occasionally, every summer we go on vacation to another country, these experiences have improved my life in ways a book alone
If one were to look at my varied reading habits, they would be struck by the diversity and over all unusualness of my mind’s library. I hardly remember the plot of the first book I read, but it was called Lonesome Dove. It wasn’t the actual first book I read, but I don’t really count the McGregor Readers from kindergarten. I read it in first grade because of my Grandmother’s fascination in the T.V. mini-series that was playing during the time. I wanted to be able to talk to her about it so I went to the public library that weekend and picked up a copy. Well, I actually didn’t pick it up, it was too heavy. It took me over two and a half months to read, but with the help of a dictionary and my grandma, I finally read it from cover to cover. I can’t really say that I understood it, because I don’t recall what it was about. But I do remember that it was quite an ordeal. Since then I have read many books. I enjoy fiction the best, especially those that are based on society, but have a small twist that leads to an interesting story. Some of the stories that I remember best from that early time in my life are Tales from Wayside Elementary School, Hatchet, The Godfather, and The Giver. I think that Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is the only book that I’ve read more than once. I liked the situation that Brian was put into, lost in the wilderness, with nothing more to fend for himself with than his mind and a trusty hatchet. The adversity he faces and his undying drive are what fascinated me most. Since that time my reading habits have grown into a different style. I have usually only read what was assigned to me during the school year because that was all I had time to do, but I have always strived to put forth extra effort. For example: last year for English 3 AP we had to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Although that we only had to read a small bit, I checked the entire book from the college library and read it all. Although the way that Franklin rambled on and on about his “Franklin Planner” was somewhat boring, the way he describe his life was pure poetry.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
My parents read to me every day when I came home from school. Two of my favorite books were the Baranstein Bears and Clifford. Television shows such as Sesame Street were a valuable supplement to my reading material. I had a tendency to pay more attention to Sesame Street than to my parents, but they did not discourage television; they were satisfied to see that I was learning.
Throughout my life, reading and writing were a positive thing because of the support from the people around. I was never really the confident or extroverted type of person back in the day. This then caused me to be anxious when I read or be doubtful of what I wrote. I can still remember breaking balls of sweats and tensing up whenever I had to read something aloud in elementary. It was a pretty big social problem for me but I can also recall many times where I was laughing and having fun while doing something with reading or writing with my mother. Although there have been many things that affected me so far in my literary journey, my mother has been the most supportive and impactful person to me by reading short stories, going to the library, and giving me writing prompts. One of the activities I liked to do before I fell asleep was to read.