Whitlow 1

Essay 1: My Literacy Experience

As I continue my education, I have noticed patterns in my literacy

practices that create a unique reading and writing experience for me. As a

writer, I would consider myself to be creative. The majority of the writing that

I do outside of the classroom is in the form of poetry, journaling, or

storytelling. When I write for creative purposes, I tend to incorporate similes

and metaphors to draw illustrative comparisons between subjects to clarify

their meanings and to make them more interesting. I also enjoy tailoring the

language to fit the personalities of the characters in my stories. This helps

the reader understand what type of character it is by the way they are

described and the way they speak, even if their personality type is not

blatantly stated. As a reader, I tend to use my imagination strongly,

especially when reading fictional texts. Comparable to how Pearl Cleage had

a need to interpret what [she] saw as a story (Golden 83), I can draw an

unambiguous meaning from the words on the page if I can clearly picture the

setting and people acting out the scenes, similar to transforming the story

into a movie in my mind. My affinity for creative forms of literacy is what has

inspired my writing style, which can diverge from the standard form of

writing taught in the classroom.

Many of my views regarding reading formed when I was in elementary

school. I was never a huge fan of books when I was younger, especially when

it became a required assignment in school. I was always ahead of my age

groups reading level, however, the books I tried to take on either felt too
 Whitlow 2

advanced or lacked the excitement I had always been told books possessed.

It was not until I discovered series such as Little House on the Prairie and A

Series of Unfortunate Events that I realized that what I truly appreciated was

creative storytelling. These books in particular peaked my interest due to the

simplistic, yet at the same time vivid, manner in which the characters and

their situations were described. These stories allowed me to accomplish a

connection with the characters and learn more about their lives without

becoming too confused by the level of reading. It was this kind of approach

to storytelling that inspired me to begin writing in a similar, descriptive

format.

Overall, I find writing to be a fairly easy task, because of the many essays

I have been required to write over my educational career. However,

depending on the topic, the formulation of ideas can prove to be difficult.

Additionally, with different teachers come different expectations. Elementary

school placed an emphasis on the primary foundations of spelling and

grammar. Junior high put the spotlight on basic essay structure and novel

comprehension. Finally, in high school my teachers focused on the content of

my essays and graded assignments based upon the quality of my literary

analyses and the commentary I provided. This specific progression was

utilized in order to teach the basic of written language (grammar and

spelling) and combine it with how to organize an essay in order to compose

analyses and formulate discussions based on written text. Unfortunately, as

stated by Royster, this standardized approach can lead to institutionalized

 Whitlow 3

equations which cause our true-to-life students to fall between the cracks,

(Royster 38). Though this has added to the difficulty of writing, however, it

has also expanded my capabilities to write formally. I credit my strengths as

a writer to the types of the ideas that I have to present. With most topics, I

tend to have a variety of opinions, analyses, and other information that I

would like to add into my essays. My weaknesses lie in the structuring,

organization of the ideas, and my ability to communicate those ideas

completely and clearly. After receiving feedback from peers or a professor,

however, it becomes easier to see where my organization may have fallen

short. Additionally, I have also struggled with choosing content for the

introductory and closing paragraphs. I tend to start off explaining my main

points without introducing them for the same reason I have trouble writing a

closing paragraph: it feels repetitive.

To aid in strengthening my formal writing skills, my parents always

proofread my school assigned papers prior to high school. This allowed them

to review my grammar and the diction I chose for certain sentences and

concepts I wanted to present. Having another set of eyes proofread my work

has always been helpful so that I may edit any mistakes I may not have

noticed. However, once I progressed into high school, my parents aid

became less necessary, since the center of attraction was on how I analyzed

and presented my ideas about a novel, rather than simply the grammar. It

proves to be more beneficial when an instructor offers suggestions to how a

rough draft can be improved, because the student can then understand
 Whitlow 4

exactly what the instructor expects from them. To aid in enhancing

specifically my story writing, watching movies, studying art pieces, and

hearing personal anecdotes helps me in being able to create a more vivid

picture in my work. Since I like to imagine what I am reading, I try my best to

write in a way that will be able to convey that same concept to other

readers. I do not preoccupy myself with the formality of the writing. Instead, I

try to allow everything to flow in the way that I imagine it in my mind.

By simply experiencing life, I have the chance to broaden my ability to

think about subjects in different ways. I am able to learn others opinions and

why they feel the way they do about certain ideas, and I can add my own

voice to the conversation. This type of exposure allows me to enhance my

writing capabilities based upon the subjects I discuss and the voice I choose

to write in. I believe this would be especially beneficial if I were to write a

story, rather than an essay, because I would use words to try and paint a

vivid picture of the experience. For example, I once had to write a poem from

the perspective of an audience member at a dance performance. Had I not

been pre-exposed to what it is like to experience a live dance performance

from an audience, including my opinion of the showcase and other crowd

members as well, it would have been quite difficult to express the poem. I

chose adjectives that compared the movement of the dancers to water, the

energy of the audience to a silent night, and the uproar of applause to

astonished mothers, which allowed the voice of the poem to build up over

time, just as a performance does.

 Whitlow 5

Overall, I am determined to improve my writing skills. I need to focus

on bettering my use of the basic techniques of writing, while also

emphasizing the importance of what Shirley Logan defines literacy skills as:

abilities [which are] essential for meaningful civic engagement, (Logan

108). If I can improve the organization of my thoughts and expand my ability

to analyze works without the need to ramble, I will feel like a more

accomplished writer, from a scholastic viewpoint. For my creative writing,

expanding my vocabulary will prove to be very beneficial in order to continue

improving my use of a descriptive voice. In terms of reading, I would like to

better my ability to comprehend more advanced articles and non-fictional

pieces that I may not be able to picture in my mind per say. By augmenting

my literary capabilities, I will have a stronger sense of my voice as a writer

and a higher confidence in my skills as a reader.

Work Cited

1. Logan, Shirley. "Why College English." College English 69.2 (2006): 107-10.

Web.
2. "Pearl Cleage." Interview by Golden Marita. Word 2011: 80-93. Print.
3. Royster, Jacqueline. "When The First Voice You Hear Is Not Your Own." College

Composition and Communication 47.1 (1996): 29-40. Web.