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Shay Phillips Mr. Borrero English 1101 23 September 2011 Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative Project I used to think that where and how someone is raised sets a precedent for who they will be in life. I was born and raised in a low- income neighborhood in Fayetteville, North Carolina. My mom did not graduate from high school, and my father dropped out and later received his GED. In spite of neither of my parents having a strong academic past, they encouraged me and were very strict about my studies. Through life I faced much adversity. Certain situations could have hindered me from progressing but I did not let it. I did well in school despite it all. My teachers always bragged on me academically. In the information ahead I will express my literacy development as a reader, writer, and communicator. I will also explain my passion and how it has aided me to be better as each. When I was in Elementary school I did very well in reading and writing. I loved story time and enjoyed writing and coloring. My mom was a single parent. Unlike some she did not take much time to bond academically. Some parents read a bedtime story to their child at night or take them to the library from time to time. My mom did this spontaneously. From a communication standpoint I spoke with slang. I knew only what I was surrounded around. Today, I find myself correcting my siblings from the usage of aint , cause, or yall.

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As I transitioned into middle school, curriculum became more difficult but it was not anything I could not handle. I continued to read and write and my communication got better. I also developed an interest in a new hobby. I began to sing and it soon turned into me writing my own songs with the instrumentals from different artist. It became something I did regularly. I realized that by me writing music I could express myself. Writing music allowed me to speak on my personal and memorable experiences. It gave me an escape route when I felt every emotion. Although writing music became my passion, I still came to realize that I do have problems with writing. Where I am from it is mandatory that students take an End of Grade Test in both Reading and Writing. This test determines if you have mastered the curriculum necessary, thus promoting you to the next grade. Each year I took it and passed with a three or four which is average or superior level. When I was in the seventh grade I had my first Writing Test. I was absolutely nervous. I was used to free writing in a journal about whatever I felt at the moment. The writing test literally graded you based you off of clarity, punctuation, grammar, and substance. I passed it, but it was not a strong essay. I can remember my teacher gave us the feedback from the people who critiqued the exam. I was told that I need to work on my grammar, punctuation, and providing more details. As I continued to read books I did build my vocabulary. Gradually, I became a better writer but to this day I prefer free-writing where you have unlimited space. I like to think that when you have a prompt it sometimes limits you of expanding like you otherwise could. Nonetheless, my reading, writing, and communication skills did improve while in Middle School but I definitely underestimated High School. I continued to write songs as I entered High School. My freshmen year we were given the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus. It was then that I realized my reading skills were not as sharp as they should be. In my English class we would read text such as poems, short stories,

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novels, etc. I can remember reading a whole page and not understanding anything I had just read. I would read poems and not understand what the subject of the poem was or the purpose for it being written. I posed this as a big problem because I knew that the curriculum was only going to get harder and I needed to be able to retain information. Later, I decided to associate with a guidance teacher to see if she could arrange some sort of tutoring. After testing and observation, I was told that I have problems with decoding, comprehension, and retention when I read. Decoding is the skills a reader uses to decipher a printed sentence into an understandable statement. Comprehension relies on the mastery of decoding. It is simply the ability to understand what you have read. It is also very important when reading. It allows the reader to interact with the text in a meaningful way. Comprehension is most important to be an effective reader. Lastly, retention is the ability to keep something in ones memory. It permits the reader to organize and summarize the content of what they read and connect it to what they already know. I struggled with each of those skills, luckily with some help I am a much stronger reader, writer, and communicator. Aside from tutoring in high school and attention in other programs I also realized that I am good at something else. This hobby that I attained also helped me with my reading, writing, and communication. Poetry is literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. The use of literary devices such as personification, simile, metaphor, and hyperbole just to name a few involves the reader in a deeper way. The different literary devices allow the reader to use imagery. Imagery is ideas, connections, or other developed thoughts that a reader comes to after reading a text using his or her five senses- taste, smell, sight, taste, or taste. Initially, I had a hard time deciding upon which literary genre I wanted to pursue. Just as poetry I love music, but I came to realize that with

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music you can be vague with some words and have a melody in the background to shield that. Also with music, most listeners tend to focus more on the beat and artist. With poetry you cannot carry the same repetition without explanation. I love poetry because of the many different variations that you have to express yourself. I wholeheartedly side with self-expression. I think it is beautiful- it shows individuality and confidence. Poetry can either rhyme, be free-verse, a fragment, three paragraphs, there is no limit. One common aspect of most poetry is that you don't have to explain where you are, who you are, or where the poem is going, and you don't have to resolve things in poems either. Literary devices are Consequently, I did not always like poetry. I remember in junior high when I would read a poem and not understand what the author is alluding to. I would read the title and after breaking the text down would not agree that the title is fitting. When I was in English II; we were learning how to analyze poems. My teacher, Mrs. Canty, showed us how to use and identify literary devices to better understand the poem. Before this class, I did not enjoy poetry! My do things change. Not only is poetry enjoyable, but it has aided me in my reading, writing, and communication skills greatly. When writing poetry I like to think outside the box. I look for difference words antonyms, synonyms, homophones to help convey my point. In doing so, I have enhance not only my writing skills but also my reading and communication skills. It has allowed me to speak in a more professional and mature manner versus the you know what im sayin from back where I was raised. Now when I read, I recognize words that I have learned and mostly used in my own poems. This allows me to right away understand the meaning and pronunciations which permits me to better understand text. Although I love poetry it does have some limitations. As myself in the past, there are some people who may read it and not comprehend the authors purpose. Since it is text that is generally derived from personal experiences or ideas a reader may not know how to convey

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given information. Also when writing a poem in rhythm, it can limit you from expansion and detail. In conclusion, I am a much better English student than I posed in the past. I am a better writer, reader, and communicator not because of special programs, but also because I utilized my gifts into a way that I can express myself. I enjoy having the knack of words. Poetry and music are very therapeutic to me. I love what I do and I look forward in continuing it and learning more things from it!