5. What work of literature or poetry has had the greatest impact on your life? Write a report (250-500 words) describing what makes this story, book, or poem so meaningful to you. What techniques did the author use to communicate so deeply with you? The piece of literature that has had the greatest impact on my life is the Harry Potter series. Since most of my classmates read the series in elementary or middle school, it felt like nearly everyone were part of some inside joke which I didn’t understand. Last year, I read all seven books within a few months and finally felt included. The books themselves were also fascinating to me, especially the magical aspects of it. The wizarding world secretly lived alongside us ‘muggles’ (or, non-magic
In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting three inspirational people and their experiences on reading and writing. Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Sandra Cisneros all had different opinions about it. All of them overcame struggles that were different but similar in some way. What really intrigued me was that they followed their hearts in what they wanted to do even though people told them they couldn't.
This is actually how it felt when I would stay up until 12 am on school nights reading Captain Underpants or making it impossible to sleep by reading multiple volumes of Goosebumps. I used to completely pass my time reading little simple books like these and in return they would fill my mind with vast opportunities to allow my imagination to flourish and apply it in class. When I first picked up the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling it was comparable to when the first people proved that the world wasn’t flat, that’s how amazing it felt to be able to fully understand and talk about the books with my
Abcarian, Richard. Literature: the Human Experience : Reading and Writing. : Bedford/Saint Martin's, 2012. Print.
Poetry is defined by William Faulkner as “some moving, passionate moment of the human condition distilled to its absolute essence” (Ford, 527). Many literary pieces look at human nature and how human’s reaction during those situations, so while the environment may change the human part does not. When we really look underneath a stories surroundings and exam the underlying human pieces they are the same in literary pieces written years ago compared to human kind today. The “Narrative Legerdemain: Evoking Sarty’s Future in ‘Barn Burning’” discusses the human internal battle of good versus evil (Ford, 528). “Tennessee Williams and the Two Streetcars” by Daniel Thomieres describes the human battle of wanting to live life to its fullest, but also staying within the limitations set by society. “’Don’t Turn Back’: Langston Hughes, Barack Obama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” by W. Jason Miller examines how Langston Hughes poem can be used to motivate people to keep “climbing.”
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.
Literature: Reading and Writing about the Human Experience. 7th ed. of the book. New York: St. Martin's, 1998.
It lets children and young adults go into a fantasy world that involves around wizards, witches, and magic. This series gets children to start to read at a young age. I believe this series is deeply more because it can show what morally side path you want to go down life. This series of books show how the morally good people would act in a crisis and not in crisis. For example, Mrs. Weasley in books and movies series her character was the loving mother who loved everyone basically. But at the end of the books and movies, when she in a crisis situation with Bellatrix Lestrange, who is trying to kill her daughter. Mrs. Weasley puts down that friendly loving look and goes after Bellatrix. They battled until Bellatrix’s death. It was the first time we saw this character not in loving, happily mood. Her morals changed when she saw that her daughter was in danger. This series also teaches us how to break the rules. Even though breaking the rules is morally wrong, but in some cases breaking the rules is good for people. Its shows how even fictional characters are not perfect in a make-up world. But it does show heroic and virtuous character moments that don’t need a perfect character. This imagination by J.K. Rowling is truly impressive because she appeals to our heads and our hearts with her writing according to Philosopher Martha Nussbaum. She means that the way she wrote some of her characters and the scenes they are in they touches our self in different place like our head and hearts. This book also gives young children and adults to explore their imagination that could lead us to the next Harry Potter
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 7th compact ed. /Interactive ed. Boston, Mass.: Pearson, 2012.
The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, and no one at the time could imagine that in the 10 years that followed, it would become the most read children’s book and a $6.4 billion worth film franchise. The aim of this essay is to try to explain the reason for the popularity of the Harry Potter books. The aim is also to show the changes that the series caused, how they influenced the people who read them, how they had an impact on literacy and overall, on British popular culture. In the first part of the essay I will briefly explain the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon and its growing popularity in the countries all over the world. In the second part I will deal with the character of Harry, explaining why he has such an appeal to the readers and how come people identify with him. In the third part, I will explain the impact Harry Potter books have on society, how they influence young adults and children. The fourth part will deal with the controversies about Harry Potter, the views and thoughts of religious people who see Harry Potter as a book that should be banned. In the fifth part, I will mention the difference the phenomenon caused when it comes to the book business and the film industry of Britain.
If I had to chose the most important moment of my literacy development I would easily say it was my sophomore year of high school. I was in Honors World Literature class taught by high school teacher Amy Shaw. The second semester of the year we spent reading and discussing The Iliad. The way Mrs.Shaw taught this book and made us think about it combined with my love of Greek mythology gave me an immediate interest in this unit. However the many epics and epithets took away most of my enthusiasm. Later in the semester, we were each assigned a chapter, or “books” as they were called, to teach to the class. Our teachings had to include a summary of the events of the chapter as well as a list of literary devices used in the literature. So I summarized and annotated my chapter, and I found that I was looking forward to presenting in front of my class, which has definitely never happened before. I realized that because I genuinely
When I was ten, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would have instantly thought about being a wizard. But I knew magic wasn’t real so I would have told you that I wanted to be a chef. Still, the longing to be a wizard remained. That was the year I read the Harry Potter Series for the first time. These books shook my world as a 4th grader, and I became infatuated with them. The magic felt real to me, and I desperately wanted to be a part of the world I was reading about. Today, I am not as obsessed as I once was, but I still have a deep love for the books. The Harry Potter series are some of the most influential books I have ever read because they sparked my passion for reading, allowing me to become more creative, and ultimately influencing my career path.
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.
The Harry Potter series has impacted my life directly; it was the reason I developed my passion for reading, and it opened my eyes to the real world with regard to adults and telling the truth. It also influenced me indirectly; by making me aware of the importance of a solid reputation. My hope is that everyone has something that changed them in the way that Harry Potter has changed my life, and helped turn me into the young man I am today.
Literature has an enormous impact on a child’s development during the early years of his or her life. It is important for parents and teachers to instill a love of reading in children while they are still young and impressionable. They are very naive and trusting because they are just beginning to develop their own thoughts, so they will believe anything they read (Lesnik, 1998). This is why it is so important to give them literature that will have a positive impact. Literature can make children more loving, intelligent and open minded because reading books gives them a much wider perspective on the world. Through reading, children’s behavior can be changed, modified or extended, which is why books are so influential in children’s lives while they are young (Hunt, 1998). Literature has the power to affect many aspects of a child’s life and shapes their future adult life.