Breazeale, Sebastian Collin Ludlow-Mattson English 114 9/19/13 Literacy: A Personal Narrative

Cover Letter In my writing of this literacy narrative, I was able to take a very informative step back and really reflect on a lot of the more subtle things I may have taken for granted as pointless or mundane as I was growing up. Writing this paper also gave me a bit of hope in regards to my continued growth as I sat here and typed this paper, I thought off all the times I had sat and read an article involving an exotic new sea creature, a faraway nebula, or a detailed diagram of how to construct my very own working go-kart. Before this paper, I had begin to feel I was drifting away from getting any enjoyment out of reading I dont read as many magazines, and now rarely do I ever pick up a book without it being assigned. However, I came to realize as I grew older, I wasnt necessarily reading less, the medium from which I got my dosage of reading had just changed no longer do I, for the most part, flip a page to continue reading all I have to do is swipe across the screen. And, although I do spend a lot of my time staring at a screen, Ive begun to see a lot of similarities between my habits growing up and my habits now. Why do I need to have the newest edition of Popular Science mailed to my doorstep, when I already have an infinitely more dynamic and intuitive medium through which to get my fix of science and technology? What usage would the newest gaming magazine be, when I can get any information I want from any amount of sources online? For most other things, the literally endless waves of link and articles on reddit keep me

almost constantly reading something. In all, while paperback reading as a medium was an integral part of my early childhood, this paper has helped me reflect, appreciate, and even further enjoy much of the new-age reading I do each and every day. Literacy Narrative Like many people, I developed an interest in books and stories from a very young age. In my earlier years of school, I had always been slightly above average when it came to reading and writing, which, in turn, led to a lot of my time growing up being spent on reading Goosebumps, Harry Potter, magazines, or whatever else interested me at the time. Unbeknownst to me, and similar to Sherman Alexie, the number and variation of the pieces I read most assuredly leased itself to my continually growing vocabulary, as well as my ability to simply comprehend and critically apply what I had read. However, none of that is to say that I began reading or writing with any kind of interest on my own - I had a lot of people who pushed me in that direction, from my own family, to teachers, to music, as well as a considerable number of outside influences. In combination, these lead to the gradual improvement of my reading and writing skills, which translated itself into recurrently viewing the world through a critical lens, helping me articulate my ideas and thoughts to a greater degree, and facilitating my understand and appreciation of other peoples lifestyles and attitudes.

Firstly, I believe most if not all of my early exposure to language and reading can be traced back to my mother taking the time (almost) every night to read me a bedtime story. To a lot of people, that may sound mundane, even silly, but I genuinely do believe those stories impacted my life more than my mother would ever know. As we brought up

briefly in class, my favorite book as a child was Dr. Seuss's Oh, The Places You'll Go! To this day, I still vividly remember lying in bed, in awe at the beautiful, vibrant, yet still somehow relatable scenes Seuss masterfully painted on his canvas. I didn't see the true beauty of the books, which so masterfully juxtaposed both simplistic and artful language with stimulating and vibrant imagery full of color and certain warmth, which was hard to put a finger on. Once again, similar to Alexie, the portraits in the book led to a greater understanding of what was being said the pictures Seuss drew not only relayed the prose for that page, but also opened up an entirely different world of possibilities, allowing me to use imagination and creativity at the same time, which, logically, gave rise to seeing the world through that same imaginative, creative perspective. It's so easy to remember the wonder those books brought me, from seeing the outlandish machines Seuss created, or the almost alien locations the stories took place - all of it was so vivid and thought provoking, that it came as no surprise I came to enjoy reading.

With exposure came desire, and as I continued to read, I continued to read. In other words, the more I read, the more I read into what I read; my comprehension of the ideas and themes being presented became much clearer the number of pieces I read grew. However, much of what I read wasn't necessarily novels or even stories of any kinds - I followed many publications with diverse subject matter, which attracted my interest. As someone who plays a lot of video games, I can't remember how many video game magazines I tore through. Each month I'd get the new edition and be through it all in a matter of hours, left satisfied but hungry for more. Along similar lines, some of the other magazines I read were Popular Science, and Mad, both of which were some of my

personal favorites. Reading through the pages of PopSci not only attributed to my literary abilities, but also built upon my fascination with technology - particularly anything involving space, or the deep ocean. Reading any facts or statistics about the sheer immensity of the two, or seeing stunning images of alien planets and creatures certainly was enough to provide me with an incredible sense of wonder and fascination. However, as much as I did enjoy reading educational material, I still had a ton of fun sitting back and chuckling at the usually crude, but still hilarious comics of the various artists behind Mad, especially the satire of whatever was relevant to popular culture at the time. In combination, these things benefitted my growing literary prowess in some way or another, whether it was building my vocabulary, or expanding the way I viewed a topic. Regardless of the medium, I was always willing to read something if I knew I had an interest in it. Taking a quick step back, I regularly thought it would be much easier to teach students to read and write early on in their lives if they were given novels or assignments they were genuinely interested in, rather than the usually mundane people or places most are forced to examine. For me, anything with an accompanying, compelling image was also usually seen as interesting enough for me to read - perhaps thats why I read so many magazines. Alongside the simple process of reading, listening to music was also a contributing factor in my literary growth. I habitually listened to music, whether it was at home, school, or the gym - if you saw me, you would unfailingly find headphones in my ears. Without delving into to much detail of what specifically I listened to (there is A LOT), the overall majority of it was rap and hip hop, along with a hodge-podge of classic rock, metal, alternative, and RnB. Even at a younger age, I loved listening to the lyrics

artists sang or spoke in their songs, and always felt especially mesmerized by that spectacular combination of clever wordplay in combination with dynamic beats or instrumentals. Interestingly enough though, some of what I listened to then - and most of what I listen to now - wouldnt be considered anything close to dynamic or clever; in fact, its without a doubt some of the most ignorant, culturally deprevating music there probably has ever been. However, I like to believe having a literary background actually lets me appreciate it more for what it is, which, coupled with the fact that Ive been around and experienced an abundance of the culture first hand, allows me to still step away and reflect on the themes, even if that reflection is humorous or less than serious. All that aside, I find it easier now then ever to reflect on numerous types of music, and associate those reflections with facets of my everyday life. Thankfully, I was exposed to a lot of good music by my parents and family, which I like to think also attributed to my acceptance of all genres and styles, further benefiting my growth.

On top of my reading of a litany of interesting and exciting texts, as well as my perpetual enjoyment of music, several other factors and events effected my literary life the first of which simply being those around me at the time. Growing up, I had a wide array of peers who encouraged and pushed me to read and write at a high level inside and outside of the classroom. Most of the time, those people were my parents, who while never forced me to read, always suggested it as something to do. "Mom, I'm Bored" was usually followed by "You could always go read a book." When I reflect on it, this was probably the best response I could have been given - no one wants to be forced to do anything but, simply by the power of suggestion, reading gradually became more of a

6 sure, why not activity, rather than a wow, this sucks one. However, it wasn't just my parents who pushed me to improve myself - my friends in school were just as big (if not bigger) of a motivation. Those whove attended a public school in San Francisco will know most, if not all, have a predominately Asian student body. Regardless of this being seen as stereotyping, this assuredly led to school being a great deal more competitive when it came to academics, in all stages of learning. Due to the almost capitalistic competition, I was literally forced to work harder in my English courses, not exclusively because of the level of work being done, but because of the high standards and expectations everyone carried with them on a daily basis; it wasn't really acceptable to do poorly, because few others were. While the competitive nature of my education definitely made my middle and high school years of English (and other courses) more stressful, I can say without a doubt it benefitted and improved my abilities exponentially. Not only was I beginning to view the world critically, I also began to notice it was easier to translate what ideas I had in my head into cohesive, tangible papers and statements. Whether it was socially or in the classroom, the improvements in my articulation and comprehension were invaluable to me.

My narrative story was a steady and gradual path, which affected facets of my life in an innumerable number of ways. I see its benefits everyday in my life, whether its on campus, out with friends, or in simple everyday situations winning an argument, reflecting on a certain poignant line in a song, or making the best decision in whatever minor situations appear in our day to day lives. For me, being able to speak and understand peoples language and thoughts is such a rewarding thing, - without an earlier

7 background in reading and writing, I wouldnt be anywhere near as articulate or critical as I am today. However, I understand there's always room for improvement, and I embrace the opportunity to continually polish my abilities, with the understanding that language and critical thinking are factors in everyday life, not just something found in a novel or classroom.