My earliest reading memories are of me reading the little books from the bookstore that would have the difficulty level marked by a number like a red 1 or green 2. The book I remember reading in particular was the Jungle Book, I was around four or five years old. The first and probably best literary sponsor I’ve ever had is my mother. From a young age my mom was teaching me big words and buying all types of books, like Baby Einstein and little level 1 paperback books. My mom made sure I knew words that would be considered long and complicated for a 4-year-old, but as a result when other kids were saying something simple like “I'm sorry” I was saying “I Apologize” at 4! The literary impact of my mom has greatly and positively affected my literacy. As I got older I started to grow a deep interest in biographies and books about people’s daily lives and cultures. I began to read several books about Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Al Capone just to name a few. I also would watch movies or shows then read the books they were based on, I know that sounds backward but that’s the way I liked to do it. I read books like Hunger Games, Life of Pi, and Game of Thrones: Story of ice and fire. The reading of these books really began to open up my knowledge and appreciation for the art of storytelling at the young age of around 12 years old. Then my love of music, football, and other interests caused me to do more informational reading as I got into my early to mid teens til even now I'm a
Every word written or read is a chance to better yourself or someone else. Our words carry an enormous significance with them. Even if a person doesn’t enjoy reading or writing, they can not deny that fact. I bring this up because reading and writing has shaped me into the person I am today. So it is no surprise that I am willing to rant about how great reading and writing can be.
Reading has impacted my life by having a creative imagination. I read books to see the world and accept opportunities that are given to me. Opening the cover has made me curious what my life will experience and go through in the future. Not only I have gotten smarter to increase my credentials throughout my life, it has made me ambitious to succeed. I feel that education is not just important to read, but to experience how others feel, and how I would express myself to the world. If my father had not pressured me to open that book, I would not be in college today to puruse a career in medicine. Every word I read, is the second I take to get closer achieving my dreams and having the capabilities to change the world by advocating for better
From early on in school you learn that reading is going to be something truly important in your life and are given books to read all the time, but at what point did you actually start to accept and enjoy reading in your life? Literacy sponsors are “the people, institutions, materials, and motivations” (Deborah Brandt (167)) that shape who you are as a reader, in my life my literacy sponsor was my grandparents since they are the ones who gave me many of my favorite books and helped me keep up with my older cousins’.
I can recall many people who have enriched my literacy development in some way or another throughout my life. The most influential literacy sponsors in my life include my mother, myself, my high school English teacher, and even my librarian. Even the authors Deborah Brandt, and Malcom X have supported my claim. The essay, “Sponsors of Literacy” was written by Deborah Brandt, who connected her writing with her sponsors. Malcom X’s essay, “Learning to Read”, reminded me of one of the most important things I know. These people, myself included, have made a crucial impact on the literacy information I have and will always need in order to succeed with literature and in life itself.
The idea of Sponsors of Literacy was originally proposed by Deborah Brandt in her 1998 article, “Sponsors of Literacy.” In her article, she argued that Sponsors of Literacy include people, institutions, and circumstances; they vary based on the person’s experiences and surroundings. Sponsors of literacy are essential in everyone’s life due to the powerful role they demonstrate on the long run. In my own reading and writing experience, my sponsors of literacy were my childhood memories, my school, and the various resources I’ve used to accomplish an outstanding Multi-Genre Research Paper.
In Deborah Brandt’s article, Sponsors of Literacy, she defines sponsors as, “… any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy—and gain advantage by it in some way” (pp 166). There have been a few people in my life who have done exactly that; they helped me gain knowledge on many topics in hopes that I would find it informative and be able to better the world around me.
Literacy sponsors have played a big role in all of these people’s lives we have read about. The two I have found most significant was Malcolm X’s reading and the Sandra Cisneros reading. In Sandra Cisneros reading she found that literacy sponsors help redefine herself in her family. Cisneros also had conflicting inner emotions involving her dad. She was always introduced as the only daughter of six sons. Sometimes her father would introduce his children as seven sons. She found writing as a way to change all that. Ultimately she wanted his admiration and acceptance. Through her writings, she was also able to gain that support from her father that she has always wanted. With assistance from literacy sponsors, she was finally able to accomplish many things and overcome personal barriers.
As a reader and writer I always faced given assignments with the intent of doing exceptional jobs and take a sense of pride in my work to complete my tasks. As a reader, I will bore myself through out an entire book and realize I didn 't understand a single thing. Although as a writer, I can go on for so long losing myself on a topic because it feels more interactive. Reflecting on my experiences as a reader and writer have been very bold, I never really found a joy or an interest to become the exceptional student who stands out amongst others because, I always felt ok with myself and my results with the way I did things.
My parents have told me that when I was a toddler I would take books off the shelf and "read" them for hours. At the time I had no idea what the books were about, and would leaf through the pages looking for pictures and familiar words (such as "firetruck," suffice to say I didn't recognize very many).
If I could describe my relationship with reading and writing it would most likely have to be, improving. Of course I would assume the same happens to all students that their reading and writing skills improve as they continue with their education. For me reading has been a passion, so my reading skills are pretty advanced and I can say I am able to read well. In my case, being a child of two Hispanic parents, I do have a slight accent that can get in the way and make my reading a bit rough. Usually it is not so bad, only on certain words that either I do not know how to properly pronounce or certain letters that my accent acts as a physical barrier where I have to sound it out more carefully or work around my accent. While that is the #1 major setback I have during reading. Even with that setback I can still say that I am confident in my reading skills, reading at a well speed, improving, reading various books all that combined allows to be able to read almost anything. What I do enjoy about reading is that I see it being able to bring myself into that world that the author is writing about or to envision the story they’re telling as a movie. I like the idea of just sitting back or laying down with a good book for hours and getting deep into whatever I am reading. Personally once I pick up a good book it is usually hard for me to put it down without the paranoia of not knowing how it ends will eat me up and I usually finish a book within a few days.
Now that it is understood what literary sponsors do, let’s take a look at some of my literacy sponsors for my analysis, I won’t list them all because that would be a paper in itself but the first sponsor I had was my parents. They encouraged me to go to college to help develop my professional skills and learn more complex skills in reading, writing,
For many people reading and writing are the most fundamental skills a person can learn, it can also greatly influence a persons cognitive thinking capacity and the sharing of information with others. However, in some parts of the world, people still do not have access to education or the ability to learn to read and write. Lacking the skill to read and write can make things tough for some one in todays society, however with the right resources and mentors to support, one can find a hidden passion for reading and writing. For me, reading and writing has never been one of my greatest skills, I had always struggled throughout my younger years of schooling to keep an interest. As of today, reading and writing has made a great impact on my life, especially in the last few years since I began college.
My first memory of ever being exposed to reading was when i was six years old and my mom started introducing books before bed. She came home one day with a bag full of books and a smile on her face, she had just received some of the books and stories dad would read to her when she was a kid. She told me that she would get tucked into bed and her dad would let her pick a different book every night until there were no new ones to choose from. They would then makeup tales and "write" their own stories that was a fond childhood memory she had and she wanted me to have as well. This tradition is something i really admire and look forward to sharing with my children one day. That is the first memory i have of ever being exposed to reading and i am
Reading and writing are two of the most important tools in my life, because without them I would not have an education. They form the basis of a class; for example, completing a lab in chemistry would not be possible without following a written lab procedure. These two skills are taught at such a young age, and as education advances students must continue to strive to reach a higher level. I can remember in elementary school, we were always pushed to reach the next reading level once we had successfully mastered the one we were on. It was always a competition for my sister and I to be at a higher level, I usually won. Even though I was excelling in reading it was the complete opposite for writing. It is something that has never come easy
This course has expanded my knowledge and view of reading and writing vastly. Following each paper, reading, and class discussion I learned more about myself as a student, and the world as a whole. I have found the books Rules for Writers and Ways of Reading thoroughly helpful throughout the course. This class entails a variety of aspects of the problem-posing concept of education; it truly involves the students and teaches them to think, read, and write individualistically, analytically, and clearly.