Husain Alqallaf Professor FUENTES English 1101 09-23-2013

ALQALLAF1

Literacy memoir

My mother saw me with a pencil and a piece of paper full of doodling; she smiled at me then she taught me how to write my name on the same sheet of paper. After seventeen years of that moment my mother smile in that time still pushing me to read and write. Reading and writing is an important part in the culture of the individual and the community, also it is contributing factor in the elevation of nations and peoples progress. In addition literacy event is a step that changed many people lives. Every one in this world can learn how to read and write, but each one of them will use this ability in a different reason some people will use it for the performance of his duties in daily life, on the other hand there are some people will use the ability of reading and writing to deliver a message and personal experience to benefit others. In this time that media can control people believes and brains I realized that I should read to survive from drowning in a sea of illusion and deception. Also I learned that reading will keep me away from following the stereotype and judging people by their religion or origin. More over I read to increase my general knowledge and that will helps me a lot in my writing. I will not forget how was my father trying to teach me how to be a better reader when I started to learn how to read, he used to tell me to read every thing I see in our way to the school or in our way back home.

ALQALLAF2 One of the creations that made the world a beautiful is the art of writing, especially if writing was stems from the spirit of the author and entered the hard of the reader. For this reason I want to be a writer that can touch people hearts, awake even the coldest sympathy change their way of thinking. Writing is my way to express my feelings and to show my thoughts and believes. I discovered that I have talent of writing poems after the death of our prince, who was popular between his people; because I was so sad in that time I wrote my first poem about our prince. In the summer of 2007 I joined a foundation that sponsors and refine the youth talents and provide them with life skills courses. After one year in this foundation the media committee of the foundation asked me to write an article, as result of that request my thinking and my writing style has been changed because my writing will represent the foundation not me, also many people will read my article. So I became keen on each character in my writing and warned of every idea I choose. I believe there is no specific age for learning, in addition there is a famous saying in the Arab world, that is seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. However I have been studying about reading and writing since I was three years old, and until now I have a lot of things in writing that Im unaware of. Nevertheless my father used to ask me to read the newspaper for him every morning and my mother gives me new books every summer, so they were my first teachers and supporters. Also many of my Arabic teachers during the school years they impressed of my writing in Arabic, besides that participated in several writing contests. As a novice writer I used to read a lot to improve my writing by learning from known writers. But I didnt try to take their style, still the story of the battle of Karbala that affected me and my writing style.

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The battle of Karbala is a true story that talks about the death of the tribe of Prophet Muhammad. Every time I read this story my tears flow without my well, moreover I learn a lesson every time from the story. I learned from the story how not bow to tyranny, how to fight for freedom and humanity. This story can influence me as reader and blow my creativity as writer. Many historians affected them the story and they wrote about the Battle OF Karbala through history such as: Tomas Carlyle, Mahatma Gandhi and Edward Gibbon. As well as I visited his tomb that located at the same site of the battle in Iraq. When I arrived I felt that the timeless epic scenes is repeated again. In that moment I said with tears lane now I can die happily, because that visit has given my heart security, tranquility and happiness. After that I wrote the best poem in my life which is describes my feelings in that moment and the things that I saw. In conclusion, literacy events have changed my life in many ways. Those literacy events built my personality in some way. I think that everyone must use his ability of reading and writing to detonate his intellectual creations and publish it for people. What save the culture in these days is reading and writing .