Nichting 1 TJ Nichting Ms. Raymond Literacy Narratives 1103 September 17, 013 The !eginning o" the !

eginning My "irst memory o" reading and #riting begins in a s$b$rban, midd%e income neighborhood #ith a ho$seho%d that inc%$ded a "ather, da$ghter and t#o sons, me being the yo$ngest chi%d in the "ami%y. My "irst memory sti%% is %ive and re%evant #ith &arry 'otter, the series my "ather and occasiona%%y my brother #o$%d read to me. (rom the beginning ) %oved it, %istening to my "ather read me each chapter each night and the occassiona% cha%%endge o" me to read to him and it shaped my desire to begin reading #ith the action and magic that &arry and others in the series co$%d create as ) read. The best stories are those that yo$ can*t p$t do#n nor yo$ #ant to stop %istening too and the story that yo$ "ee% yo$ are in. That #as the bea$ty o" &arry 'otter too and being read to at night beca$se ) #as so c%ose to dream time each night. That #as the %ast tho$ght ) had in my head each night, &arry 'otter and his magic +"ten ) #o$%d con,$re $p my o#n %itt%e "antasy d$ring my s%eep. )ts a%so great ho# %ong the series is too beca$se its -$ite the %oad to read #ith there being seven boo.s and each having severa% h$ndreds o" pages in each. ) remember there #ere some mornings ) #as $pset that ) "e%% as%eep to my dad reading it to me. )n a research paper #ritten by /mi%y 0oodr$m she "inds a so$rce that says 1/ven chi%dren that are too yo$ng to read can bene"it "rom having &arry 'otter stories read to them. Reading a%o$d h$moro$s and e2citing stories %i.e &arry 'otter a%%o#s "or a 1myriad o" shared emotions33 and 1Some parents are p%eased by the #ay that &arry 'otter has interested their

Nichting chi%dren in reading..3 40oodr$m5 So it seems to be evident that &arry 'otter can have a very positive in"%$ence on chi%dren #riting processes as it did mine. 6nother memory ) have ear%y in my chi%dhood or #riting #as something that most %i.e%y did not he%p me to en,oy #riting #as the p$nishment ) #as dea%t #hen ) needed it. This p$nishment #as #riting the entire a%phabet #ith the $ppercase %etter and the %o#ercase %etter. Loo.ing bac. no# it .ind o" ma.es me %a$gh beca$se ) hated it. !$t yo$ co$%d arg$e that it he%ped my %iteracy narrative too by "ami%iari7ing me #ith the %etters and a%%o#ing me to more "%$ent%y portray them as a ado%escent. The ne2t c%osest thing ) can remember #as grade schoo% and the 1boo.mobi%e3 that came to my schoo%. Most o" the st$dents got e2cited beca$se they got to s.ip c%ass and go on the b$s and %oo. at a m$ch broader se%ection o" boo.s that o$r schoo% %ibrary didn8t -$ite have. The ne2t thing yo$ .ne# #as that yo$ #ere ,$st sitting on the b$s trying to read thro$gh some boo.s yo$ pic.ed $p be"ore yo$ had to go. The nice thing tho$gh #as yo$ co$%d chec. o$t t#o boo.s that yo$ #anted. The 1boo.mobi%e3 #as abo$t the on%y time ) ever rea%%y read on my o#n #itho$t enco$ragement beca$se ) started to get to that age #here ) didn8t ever #ant to read, ) ,$st #anted to p%ay 2bo2 and te2t "riends. That to me ma.es me #onder ho# Ma%co%m 9 #as ab%e to #i%%ing%y on his o#n 1...get ho%d o" a dictionary : to st$dy, to %earn some #ords.3 4Ma%co%m 9, 15 )" it #ere not "or teacher, my "ather, or my grandma ) #o$%d have never been the #riter ) am today. Regard%ess o" the "act that he had nothing better to do since he #as in ,ai% that is something ) don8t thin. ) co$%d do. ), myse%" #o$%d be to g%oomy and depressed being cramped in a ce%% and ) #o$%dn8t have any motivation to do any type o" menta% e2ercising. &e #as se%" motivated to get it beca$se he .ne# he #asn8t good eno$gh at it and he depended on it.

Nichting 3 ;ependency on things o"ten p$shes peop%e to get the ,ob do#n and get #hatever they need. (or e2amp%e the Ninety Five Thesis #ritten by Martin L$ther #o$%d have not spread so #e%% #itho$t the abi%ity to read. Many peop%e in that time #ere not %iterate and re%ied on the "e# that co$%d read to be ab%e to read #hat the printing press printed o"". +ra% stories passed do#n thro$gh tradition he%p gives a sense o" history and #hat happened #hen peop%e co$%dn8t read and #rite . 0ith time the #or%ds %iteracy narrative evo%ves and changes. /ach o" $s in o$r %i"e get to a di""erent point in a %iteracy narrative, "rom ,$st babb%ing a#ay as an in"ant to b%$rting o$t a #ord or t#o. Then it shapes into maybe a sentence or t#o and contin$e to progress and evo%ve day in and day o$t ,$st as the #or%d has. /ach and every person has a di""erent path to #here they are today in their %iteracy narrative. My "ami%y is shaped aro$nd the sport o" baseba%% and mastering that. Maybe someone #ho has a parent #ho is emp%oyed beca$se o" the #riting abi%ities is going to be raised to master that s.i%%. 6 %ot o" #hat is besto#ed $pon yo$ as a chi%d is #hat yo$ %earn to %ove. <o$ hand me a baseba%% boo. and ) #i%% read a#ay $nti% that boo. is done. Someone #ho %oves reading in genera% might #ant to try di""erent types o" boo.s and genres ,$st as ) #as born into and ath%etic "ami%y, ) as a chi%d tried m$%tip%e sports. )n %i"e its very easy to e2ce% in things that yo$ %ove and things that yo$ can .eep an interest in. ) "ind that )*m not the greatest and most %iterate person b$t that )*m not the #orst either. ) be%ieve that ) do en,oy reading and #riting, b$t its got to be something that ) can stay interested in #riting or reading. <o$ sho$%dn8t ever do something that yo$ don8t en,oy doing. Li"e is "$%% o" paragraphs #hich deve%op into a story ,$st %i.e Sherman 6%e2ie pointed o$t saying 1My "ami%y*s ho$se #as a paragraph, distinct "rom the other paragraphs o" the Le!rets to the north, the (ords to o$r so$th and the Triba% Schoo% to the #est. )nside o$r ho$se, each "ami%y

Nichting = member e2isted as a separate paragraph b$t sti%% had genetics and common e2periences to %in. $s. No#, $sing this %ogic, ) can see my changed "ami%y as an essay o" seven paragraphs> mother, "ather, o%der brother, the deceased sister, my yo$nger t#in sisters and o$r adopted %itt%e brother.3 46%e2ie, 15 Today being at ?niversity o" North @aro%ina at @har%otte and %oo.ing at these artic%es and reading the "irst boo. #e*ve read, ) have %earned that this is on%y sti%% the beginning o" my %iteracy narrative and that ) am no #here near to "inishing it and that it #i%% never be "inished. This sti%% is ,$st the beginning o" the beginning o" my %iteracy narrative and it #i%% contin$e to gro#, ma.e more connections and get stronger and stronger #ithin each paragraph o" %i"e.

Nichting A 0or.s @ited 6%e2ie, Sherman. 1The Joy o" Reading and 0riting> S$perman and Me3.McB$ade, ;ona%d, /d. The Writer's Presence: A Pool of Readings,/dition. !oston> !ed"ordCSt. Martins, 00D 73:7D Ma%co%m 9. 1Learning to Read3 ###.smccd.net. 0eb. 1 6$g. 013 0oodr$m, /mi%y 6. EThe &arry 'otter @ontroversy : Joyner Library.E The Harry Potter Controversy - Joyner i!rary. /astern @aro%ina ?niversity, n.d. 0eb. 1D Sept. 013.