Self-Expression In Literature

English has always been one of my favorite subjects because it allows me to use imagination and creativity while always learning something new. I constantly read and even participated in a small book club. I also began writing short stories in a journal and sharing them with others. I love being able to write whatever I may think of and turning it into something more. The passion I have for English has stuck with me for years and I have been trying to share it with others.

Ever since I was in elementary school, I have had a strong fascination with literature. Overtime, I had a plethora of books lining my bookcases and barely had room for any more. Reading was a necessity to me and it still is to me today. I eat, sleep, and breath literature because I feel like it’s essential to my academic career. Literature does many wonderful things like, teach me about life lessons, transport me to a new world that I have only dreamed about going to, and discover new vocabulary.

While my love for reading sprouted, I soon became obsessed with writing. My passion for reading only helped my writing skills to prosper. In fifth grade, I had a teacher who very well understood that reading and writing were important. Every day, we had a half an hour to write about whatever we wanted. Boy, my imagination ran wild. I often wrote fiction stories. My favorite part was when the teacher allowed us to share our stories with the whole class at the end of the week. This one activity really sparked the beginning of my love for writing.

In elementary school, I loved to read. Writing was not a big deal either due to the fact that we did not have to write four page essays. It was in first grade when I started to like reading. Reading has just been freshly introduced, considering we had only completed one year of school. My teacher always read to us and I wanted to read those books as well. Throughout elementary school I started to read Junie B. Jones books, which were my favorite. All of the books were about a first grade girl and her different adventures. I had always enjoyed reading those books. Each book had a different topic which I would always relate to in some way. Although I liked to read, I did struggle with reading comprehension which made me dislike writing as well. I hated having to read and then go and write about it. To this day, I still do not like reading comprehension, but my feelings toward reading and writing have changed.

One of the things I feel very strongly about is writing. I like how you can say whatever you want knowing that it is your opinion. You have freedom over what you say. Some things that are written could be seen as controversial, but in the scheme of things, most of what is said is okay because at the end of the day you have the right to freedom of speech. Personally writing is an escape from life, whether it is full of pain, sadness, chaos, or just plain boredom. A few years ago my imagination was bright. It held quite a bit of good ideas, but somewhere along the way to now I lost most of that ability to think of the most random plot lines or ideas to write about. My creativity slowly burned out, kind of like a candle. Then one morning not too

My passion for reading began the summer before junior high, the English class I would be taking had a required summer reading list. I had no desire to read “boring books” over the summer and summarize them. Fortunately, my parents made me read the first book and I was hooked. Consequently, I became obsessed (in a positive way) with this unbelievable adventure; “The Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen; transported me to the wilderness that summer and sparked my love for reading. From that moment on reading became my favorite pastime. Literature expanded my world beyond the Rio Grande Valley I visited the “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, and decided I needed dogs with “Where the Red Fern Grows”. I have several beloved books that I never get tired of reading,

It may be cliché, but books have always held a spot close to my heart. When I was three I had a book called Bitsy Witch that went wherever I did. When I was seven, my mom read a chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone every night. In middle school, I worked my way through the entire children’s section at my local library. In high school, I took every English class offered, and when I entered college I to compromise with my family that I would also pursue a pre-professional program. My time outside of class was spent on my pre-professional degree until, my senior year in college. I took two classes that focused on children’s and young adult texts. Before those classes, I hadn’t realized that specializing in Children’s literature was

Growing up I have always enjoyed math and science more than reading and writing. Reading is one thing that is hard for me to do; however, if I find a book that I find interesting I could read it all day. With reading there typically comes some sort of writing assignment. Writing has never been my strong suit when it comes to school; just as, Charles Barkley is not as good at golf as he was at basketball. Although reading and writing are not my best subjects, there are certain books or articles that do spike my interest. Through out my life in school I have read certain books that I cannot put down and those books are the ones that have impacted my life and how I think. These would include magazines such as “Sports Illustrated”

Reading was the new outlet for my imagination and the stories I read fascinated me. They weren’t too unlike the scripts of computer games or the own stories I came up with on my own, but books actually had the action and emotional aspects written out. And again, while my peers were reading things about growing up, things that had morals and would teach valuable lessons (I remember one book about a shoplifter who had to do community service at an animal shelter), I read real fiction: Jurassic Park, Dragonriders of Pern, Lord of the Rings… Stuff of fantasy and science-fiction that let my mind stray from reality. Stuff that kept my imagination alive while I was being forced to learn multiplication and the names of countries. Of course, my teachers encouraged me to keep reading, as long as I wasn’t doing the reading in the middle of their lectures. But it wasn’t because of their influence, however, that kept me interested in books. It was because I loved it. It put pictures into my head and made me think. So I kept reading. But even then I knew reading wasn’t enough… Yes, the stories were fascinating, but they weren’t what I wanted. Back then I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but as middle school came to a close, I found it.

Throughout high school my passion were the greats, Shakespeare, Poe, Hemingway, Dickens, Twain, and the list goes on. In particular Shakespeare picked my brain constantly. His works have survived and remain triumphant even today. Though teachings were shallow I still remained engulfed by his works. Which lead me to dive into English on the banks of the Red Cedar.

Art has always been the highest expression of my thoughts, emotions, and opinions. I live,

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by language. I have always admired how writers could understand the way words relate to each other and convey different meanings by providing different contexts. Once I was introduced to the English language and English literature, I knew that that was what I wanted to devote my life to. Authors such as John Keats, William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe have inspired me to pursue a degree in that which makes me happy and passionate: English.

As a child, my interests were more focused on reading than writing. In elementary school I fell in love with books. Initially I read simple children’s books, much like everybody else in my class, but it did not take long for my passion to drive me to read more difficult writings. Fiction books quickly became a replacement for any childhood toys. Instead of blocks or stuffed animals I would ask my parents for books. Since they were aimed at young readers, they tended to be short. I found myself going through them within days, and then soon several hours. Towards the end of elementary school I was reading series like Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I was captivated, and reading truly opened up a whole new world for me.

From there, I didn 't fall in love with the thought of English, i.e. literature, writing, etc., until my senior year in high school. My high school English teacher was able to open that door to the realm of the English world for me. It 's sad, because I don’t remember his name, but I do remember that he played a very big role in my love of English and reading in general. He made English fun, but also taught us what we needed to learn. He was also a first year teacher and all the students thought he was one of the best English teachers we had in a long time. I remember more vividly that he gave us choices in what material we wanted to read and made us feel like we had a choice in our education. He made me strive to work

Art is all around us, it’s everywhere you go: cartoons, buildings, photography, even the architecture of streets and sidewalks. There are many forms of art, and it doesn't have to be just drawing or painting, it can also be singing, acting, poetry, fashion, etc. All of these talents are an embodiment of expression, it allows individuals to explore their creativity and enhances their learning abilities. Without art everything would be black and white, there would be no substance. In today’s age, not many people notice or appreciate any type of artwork. As an artist and an actress, creativity has always been my strong suit. When I’m on stage or drawing it’s like I’m telling a story. People take art for granted, it’s very disappointing how