Tracie Liquigan Professor Hamalian English 114A 1 October 2013 Once Upon an All Time Low From The

Cat and the Hat to To Kill a Mockingbird, I always had a fondness of reading. Reading brought me into a fictional atmosphere that enhanced not only my imagination, but also my knowledge. The more I showed interest, the more I wanted to get myself into writing; so, I started with my essays. Ive always had an interest in the required books we had to read through high school, but for some reason my essays never displayed my complete knowledge of a certain book. Writing came so easy to me in my elementary years with the simple book reports and the two paragraphed summaries, but as I progressed through middle school and high school, writing and reading things became more complex. There were terms that I had to learn and complex reading that basically changed my entire views on literature. Reading and writing used to come naturally to me, but as I grew out of my adolescence, the process of obtaining new information was not as simplistic as my earlier years. I started out with a strong sense of confidence in my writing. I was reading before any of my classmates in Kindergarten. I genuinely enjoyed learning new words, going to the library to read, and increasing my knowledge. Through my elementary years, I was always rewarded and acknowledged by peers and instructors for being ahead of the rest of my class. I graduated Kindergarten with a Best In Reading award. I also had my poem A Day With The Sun published in a kids elementary school poem book in fourth grade. In second grade, my teacher gave extra credit every week to students who would write a book report on a new book. Every

Liquigan 2 week I would turn in a book report because I truly enjoyed writing about the books I read. Elementary years went by quickly because I was able to grasp information so quickly. I felt superior with my other classmates during class because I was able to read big words and give my analysis on things during class discussions. I was extremely fascinated with reading and writing. Reading and writing gave me knowledge that television and the Internet could never teach me. I was intrigued by plot, climax, and falling actions. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to become a writer. I wanted to increase my knowledge to the point where reading and writing would just run through my blood. I had a genuine strive to write. It was not until middle school that I reached my breaking point and the plot twist of my life began. I started middle school with several distractions. I had several extra curricular activities and friends that I had to keep in touch with. My strive for becoming a writer vanished. I remember sitting in English class and we started reading a book called Birdwing by Rafe Martin. I was completely uninterested in the book, not because it was boring but because it was a complex book. If it were my middle school self, I would stay up past my bed time to go through websites and ask questions that will help me understand the book. However, I had no patience in trying to analyze anything. I reminisced through my elementary years where everything was just about plot summary and your thoughts on the book. But everything turned into literature terms such as foreshadowing and finding the deeper meaning in a story. I felt like Rita in Habibi. Like Rita, I felt that in middle school, [I] went downhill and did not bother trying at all[]I continued struggling in school but never felt [I] could do better (22). Rita was distraught by the fact that she came to the occurrence in her life that everything wasnt in her place. She was messing up in school even though she did have a slight motivation (her mother). I agree with Rita because when youre struggling in life, its hard to try and cooperate. I was so distracted by

Liquigan 3 the fact that I was not at the top of my class anymore, that I decided to stop trying. Everything seemed too difficult for me to understand. To add, I did not have the adult supervision I had in elementary school where my parents made me sit down and do my homework. With my new freedom, I just completely lost all effort in reading and writing. I stopped reading for fun and when I read my assigned books I let deeper meanings just pass me by. My reading knowledge completely relinquished. It was not until my eighth grade year when I started to get interested in reading again. Simply because of the Twilight Saga. Twilight was demented, mysterious, and romantic. I was completely devoted to this book series and I could not put the books down. This saga put me back on a reading train that I could not get off of. My mother noticed my slump in school and she told me that once I start reading for fun again, it would help me in my English class. Little did I know she was right. The more I started to read, the more I began to pick up on the authors thoughts. During my Freshman year, we read book called Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The book was relatable, interesting, and exciting to read. This book was the first book for years that actually got me to participate in class. I annotated that book cover to cover and I read ahead of the class. This book really fascinated me because it took me in a direction of life that I never thought that I would have to go through. Getting back into writing really changed my goals. I was more intrigued by writing and it really showed in my work. A fellow student of CSUN wrote, The studies were getting interesting, and [I] wanted more and more of the spring of literacy to flow in [me] (18). Mama Sweet is an essay about a mother who pushed her daughter to learn English. My story is that my mother definitely pushed me as well. If it was not for my mother I wouldnt have an interest in English class. I started working hard again. I remember my final essay of high school, which was about my future. I was so proud of my paper and thats

Liquigan 4 when I realized that writing has always been in me. The fact that I enjoyed reading and solving the mysteries that books produced made me enthusiastic. Now that Im in college, Im starting to revert back to my bad habits. Im going through the phase where I have more freedom, new friends, and homework that piles up constantly. But now I know the phases I have to go through in order to get back into my zone. Reading and writing is a big part of my college career and I have to focus in order to succeed. I intend to obtain my elementary school habits again to help me through the new transition. Nevertheless, my reading and writing habits has definitely had its ups and downs but I still work on these habits on the daily. The natural abilities I had for reading and writing were helpful. The natural abilities did stay in my adolescence and I was not capable to be as diligent with my reading and writing as I got older. I started off very strong. I was hardworking, awarded, and diligent. Everything seemed so easy in elementary school. But once I transitioned into middle school it all changed. My laziness conquered my productiveness. Because everything became more difficult, I stopped trying. I never really wanted to be a good reader anymore. Finally, a book changed my ways I got me interested in reading again. I became interested in my school readings such as The Great Gatsby and Huckleberry Finn. Although I know that it was very wrong to stump down so low towards my reading and writing it did cause a wake-up call for me. It helped me realize that reading and writing are the two reasons why Im in college right now. I understand that its in everything that I do and Ill be using all of it for the rest of my life. I am now capable of rendering a wide variety of opportunities ahead of me. Now that I have the confidence and diligence of reading and writing again, I could attack any possible problem I have in the future.

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Works Cited Amankwah, Joyce Vondee. Mama Sweet. New Voices. California State University Northridge, 2013. 17-21. Print. Saade, Rita. Habibi. New Voices. California State University Northridge. 22-24. Print.