Andrew Tilley

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT-1103
9/28/15
Creative Title
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Ever since I can remember I hated reading. Whether it be short graphic novels, to long

narratives about heros saving a damsel in distress, it was not for me. This is why I find that the
texts that have shaped my life have been from television shows, magazines, or movies. I was just
able to follow a visual display of a story better than trying to read words off a page, and visualize
it that way. I believe I just didnt have that creative spark of imagination that would suck me into
a book until I read it for hours on end. Have you ever been reading a book, and finally realize
after reading an entire page you dont remember what you just read? This happens to me all the
time, and for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, I could not focus. But lets not dwell on
this topic, but get to the reason of this paper, to display what sculpted who I am today.
Going back to when I was an adolescent, I have always loved the outdoors, nature, and
animals. Whether it was exploring behind my house, deer hunting on my property, or going over
to my buddy Erics house to fish, it has always had a place in my heart. A way that I was able to
feed this hunger for exploration was by watching the Animal Planet network on the television.
One show in particular that I watched every time it was airing was the Crocodile Hunter
featuring Steve Irwin. Whether it was his charming Australian accent, or him wrestling with ten
foot crocodiles, he grasped my attention at an early age. He would pull off the most amazing

stunts with animals that could have killed him ten times over, but he just did not care. He loved
the outdoors, and he impacted me in the same way.
This is why I loved programs like Animal Planet, or the Discovery Channel. I could sit in
the comfort of my own home and watch a man, say in Africa, come face to face with a Lion
while he told me traits, and knowledgeable information about the creature, without the danger of
being there. This is why I felt television played a vital role in my development of who I am
today.
Even though as previously stated I did not like to read, that didnt mean books did not
play an integral part in shaping who I am today. A lot of childrens books have deeper meanings
to them, usually ethical or moral, nevertheless a deeper meaning. I remember two texts in
particular however that demonstrated this profound effect on me. Dr. Seuss was a very clever
author that figured out if you could keep the book basic, add appealing visuals, and rhyme the
words together, you could produce a very successful book that stuck in kids memories
potentially forever. Dr. Seusss book Green Eggs and Ham did just that for me. I can remember I
always asked my mother to read it to me when I was going to sleep, and after a while I would
recite the words while she read it. Not even realizing it then but I was learning a very important
moral lesson, to not judge a book by its cover. In the story the main character Sam is trying to get
other characters to taste his green eggs and ham that he made. However no one is willing to try it
because it is green in color and they believe it is rotten. However some eventually tries them and
they turn out to be very good. I did not even realize it as a kid but I was being taught a lesson that
would stay with me for a life time.
The second text that played a vital role in my upbringing was one that Im almost positive
everyone has at least read, or had read to them was Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother

Goose. Be it that it may not have been that exact version, everyone has heard of the stories of
Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Pea, or Jack and the Bean Stalk. They are famous, and again all have
their own meanings behind what is written. For instances a personal favorite of mine was the
story of Humpty Dumpty.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Even though it was a morbid story of an egg climbing a wall and falling to his death, it taught me
another lesson. Sometimes it takes a fall, whether it be a fall in your course work, life, or even a
physical fall, one must bounce back and not let it bring you down, as it did to Humpty who
ultimately died in the end.
Yet again a shorter story, that rhymed helped me in modeling who I am today. Even
though there are hundreds of other books that have the same meanings behind them these two
texts in particular where were I remember learning them from.
Another memory I had as a young child was waking up Saturday morning and watching
Looney Tunes focused solely on the cartoons themselves. They were very entertaining to a child,
and they always made me laugh however they were also teaching me moral and life lessons. I
learned how to act around women via Pp LePews various failed attempts at getting one. One
must keep clean, and dont smother them. Another lesson was even someone who is as gentle as
a bird can have a hidden side that can turn them into a big scary monster. Try not to provoke

them. This being the case when Tweety Bird is constantly chased, and antagonized by Putty Cat,
until he turned into a large apish beast. Even though you would not even think of these cartoons
as being capable to teach lessons to kids they actually could, and be quite impactful. I could
listen to a teacher try and drill an ethical idea into my head, however it usually would go in one
ear, and out the other. However if Bugs Bunny was doing it I would listen to him. In my opinion
some of my best teachers were some of these fictional characters. I was in the comfort of my
own home, with these characters teaching me in a less stressful environment, and in the comfort
of my pajamas. Who wouldnt prefer to learn that way?
In closing I have found that through several medians I have been taught vital knowledge
that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Whether it be through whimsical plays on words, or
television shows that I watched as an adolescent, they molded me into the person I am today.
However this isnt the end. I am still learning every day from professors, peers, and new textual
sources vital lessons that will stick with me until my time is up.