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RobertCaudle

ProfessorKnudson
UWRT1102
9March2015

1:MyBrotherScott.

2:Thoughtitwasverywellwritten,lovedthewordchoice,flowedverywell.Healsothoughtit
hadgoodprogressionandthatitdidnotbouncearoundfrommanydifferentpointsintime.He
alsolikedthatitwasaverypersonalpaperandhesaidhecouldrelatetomanyofthe
experiences.

3:Hisfeedbackreallyallowedmetothinkofnewideastoaddtomypaper,andhediscussed
somememoriesofhowhealsolearnedhowtoreadwithourmom,andgavememoreexamples
frommychildhoodthatIhadforgot.

4:Originally,thepartabouttheWestVirginiamissiontripwasneverintheroughdraftofmy
paper.Afteralongdiscussionaboutmemoriesfromourpast,hebroughtupthemissiontripand
alightbulbwentoffinmyheadaboutanexamplefromthattripthatIcouldwriteabout.He
reallyhelpedaddagoodexampletomymemoir.

Literacy,HowItEnabledMeToSeeTheBiggerPicture

GrowingupIcouldsaywritingwasnotsomethingthatfrequentlyinterestedme.Itwas
likebrusselsprouts,orearlybedtimes,itwassomethingthatIneverthoughtIwouldenjoy.
FromnewepisodesofSpongebob,toplayingPlayStationwithfriends,theyweretoomany
thingsdistractingmefromimprovingaskillthatwouldbenefitmelaterinlife.Inmyeyes,
writingseemedlikeawellthoughtoutequationwrittenbyaprestigiousHarvardProfessor,in
that,writingequaledschool,andsinceschoolequaledworkandnofun,writingwouldalsohave
thesamevalue.Overthecourseofmychildhoodthough,Ilearnedtolovewriting.Iusedwriting
asawaytoexpresshowIwasfeelingacertaindayorjustwhenIwasbored.Ilovedcomingup
withnewcharactersandimaginingthedifferentadventurestheywouldgoon.Ontheotherside
ofthings,Ilovedtoread.Mymomhasbeenalibrarianherwholelife,soreadinginmy
householdwasmandatory.Sheleadmetobelievethatthemoreyoureadandwriteinlife,the
betterchanceyouhadtosucceed,andmoreimportantlyitwouldenableyoutoconnectwith
morepeople,andhelpmakeapositiveimpactontheworldaroundme.Manynightswerespent
readingwithmymombeforeIwenttobed,andtheyaresomeofthebestmemoriesIhavefrom
mychildhood.Alongwithexpandingmyvocabularyatayoungage,Ialsofeellikeitjump
startedmycuriositywithwriting.Ienjoyedreadingbecauseitletmeescapetherealityfora
whileandconnectwiththecharactersineachbookIwouldread.Irememberduringthe

summersofmyelementaryyearsmymomwouldtakeme,mybrotherandmysistertoourlocal
librarytoparticipateinthesummerreadingprogram.Iusedtobeecstatictopickoutvarious
bookstocontributetothegoalstheprogramhadcreated,somethingIwouldloseasIgrewolder.
Irememberattheendoftheprogramtherewasaraffleforeveryonewhohadreadacertain
amountofhours.Theprizewasanewgamingsystem,andintheend,Ididn'twin.Crushedby
this,Ididntletitaffectme.Inthelongrun,itmademewanttoreadevenmore.Throughoutthe
restofmychildhood,Isawmyselfbecomeindulgedinreading.Icanrememberaspecifictime
whereIhadreadtheentirecollectionofGoosebumpsbooksatmylocallibrary,andhadtoorder
otherentriesfromtheseriestobeshippedtomylibrary.IvealwayswonderedwhyIenjoyed
Goosebumpsbooks.Neverreallybeingafanofanymediainthehorrorgenre,itinterestedme.I
thinkthefactthatIlovedthesebookssomuchisthefactthatIcouldrelatetosomanydifferent
charactersencounteringaproblem,andhavingtousecriticalthinkingtoovercomeit.Ialsothink
ithadtodowiththefactthattheauthorandmyselfsharedthesamefirstname(Iknow,so
shallow).Inmy4ththrough5thgradeyears,myteacherMs.Annaencouragedmetocreatemy
ownstorybooktoexpresswhatIwasfeelingandtocreatestoriesthatIwouldthinkup.AtfirstI
didntreallyenjoytheideabecauseIhadneverreallywrittenmyownstoriesbefore,butsoon
theideaofbeingabletocreatewhateverIwantedwithafinepointofgraphiteandcollegeruled
paperamazedme.EventuallyIwouldcreatestoriesthatIwouldreadtomyfriendsatrecessand
itbecamesomethingthatIwouldwanttogotoschooltodo,beforethatschoolwasjusta
mandatorytrialofmyadolescence,butwritinggaveitsomuchmoremeaningthanthat.
ThroughouttheyearmyfriendsandIhadsomuchfunwritingandsharingstorieswehad
written,wealsohadafuntimewritingscarystorieswhenHalloweenrolledaround.Ialways

lookbackatthatspecifictimeinmychildhoodbecauseitwaswhenIcouldtrulyseetheimpact
thatwritingwashavingonmylife.Iwasgettingbettergradesonspellingduetowritingmyown
storiesandlearningnewwords,Iwasreadingmorebooksthanevertoestablishnewideasabout
whatmynextstorywouldentail,andIwouldalsogetoneofmywritingsintoaschoolwide
bookshowcasingthewritingtalentsofthestudents.Thisachievementreallyshowedmethe
developingatwritingcanreallypayoff.Italsogavemeaclearexamplethatwithanythingin
life,ifyouworkatithardenougheventuallyyouwillsucceed.OnceIleftelementaryschoolI
figuredthatthiswastheendofmywritingjourney,andthatwithoutanamazingteacherlikeMs.
Anna,writingwouldslowlyfalltothebackofmymindonlytobethoughtofwhenassigned.I
waswrongaboutthisconclusion.ThemiddleschoolthatIwenttowasdifferentfromothers,
beingthatIwaspartofaninauguralclassofseventykids,teacherandstudentinteractionwasa
stapleoflearning.OfcourseImustsaythatthisalsocamewithissues.My6thgradeyearIhad
threedifferentEnglishteachers,noneofthembeingverysuccessful.Thesewerethedarkdaysof
mywritingjourney,daysthatcontainedlittletonoexpressionofmywritingskillsatall,andit
lookedasifthewritingskillsIhadbuiltupinelementaryschoolwereabouttobetakenoutwith
thetrash.Butfearnot,whenmyeighthgradeyearrolledaroundmybrainwasrefreshedwiththe
writingskillsIhadleftbehind,andIwasonceagainwritingtothebestofmyability.Therewas
asecondteacherinmyacademiccareerthatreallymademewanttowritenotjustforanletteron
ahumanmadegradingsystem,buttolearnandflourishfromwhatIwasputtingonmypaper.
HernamewasMs.Raphael,andIwouldconsiderhertobemyfavoriteteacherofall
time.Althoughsincethereweremanykidsinmyclass(themiddleschoolgrewatarapidrate)
shestillknewallofusandwhatweenjoyed.IrememberaspecifictimewhenIwaspickinga

topictowriteaboutandsheinstantlyknewIwantedtowriteaboutvideogames.Therewere
manybooksthatwouldbeinductedintomypersonalBooksHallofFamethatwouldbemygo
toentertainmentifmypowerwouldgoout.BookslikeTheGospelAccordingtoLarryreally
mademeappreciatewriting,andtheworksyoucanmakeifyoupracticewritingenough.This
storybyJanetTashjianisabouta17yearoldnamedJosh,whohadaninternetbloginwhichhe
postsandgoesunderthealiasofLarry.OnthisblogJoshpoststhingsrelatedtoanti
consumerismandhehasalargefollowingofadultsandteens.ThroughoutthebookJosh
struggleswithrevealingthathehasbeenLarrythewholetime,buteventuallytellseveryoneand
hisfollowersareshockedthatitwashim,andthathewasateenlikeeveryoneelse.Ifeellike
thiswasoneofmyfavoritebooksbecauseofthewayMs.Raphaelpresentedit.Shemadeus
wanttoknowwhatwasgoingtohappennextinthestory,andmadeusreallythinkaboutwhat
wewerereadingabout.Wewouldbeassignedchapterstoreadthroughouttheweekandthenthe
daystheywereduewewouldtalkaboutwhatwehadread.Ialsoreallyenjoyedthefactthatshe
wantedtohearwhatwehadtosayandlistenedtowhatwethoughtaboutthestoryratherthan
justtelluswhatitwasabout.Itwasatthatmomentthattheflamethathadbeenlitin5thgrade
wasrelit,andIwantedtowritemorethanever.My8thgradeyearconsistedofsomeofthebest
writingsIthinkIveeverdone.Oneofmyfavoriteassignmentswaswritingaboutviolencein
videogamesandhowitcanaffectkidsofyoungerages.Iappropriatelynamedthispaper
UnderageRage.
Sadly,oncetheyearcametoanend,wewereallmovingontohighschool.ImprettysureMs.
RaphaelwenttoWashingtonD.CtoworkwiththeDepartmentofEducation.

Highschoolwasaturningpointinmylife,withdiscoveringwhoIwas,andfiguringout
thatnoteverythingisalwayswhatitseems.Myfirstyearwasgoodforthemostpart,butthere
wasonepartofitthatreallybuggedme.Whenchoosingahighschool,mymomthoughtthatit
wouldbebestformeandmysiblingstobeinaprivateenvironment,inwhichIagreed,because
Iwantedtomakethemostoutofthefollowingfouryears.Wedecidedtogowithareligious
school,foreignwatersIhadneverthoughttoexplore.Sohowdidthisreligiousprivateschool
impactmyliteraryjourney?In9thgradewehadtotakeabibleclass,inwhichwewetaught
aboutverysensitivetopicsandgod'sviewonthem.Topicsincludinghowhomosexualitywas
wrong,andotherthingslikeabortion,andmarriagerights.TheproblemwiththisclassisthatI
wasbroughtuphavingcompletelydifferentviews.Inotherwords,Iwasatrianglebeingforced
intoacircleshapedhole.Idecidedtousemyliteraryknowledgetodiveintoreligioustextsto
figureoutifthelessonsIwasbeingtaughtdailyactuallyhadanyproof.Afterreadingmany
scripturesandexpandingmyknowledge,IwasabletofigureoutthatwhatIwasbeingtaught
wasinfluencedbyansouthernbaptistmentality,andthatIwouldnotpartakeintakingupsucha
belief.Dontgetmewrong,Ihadnoproblemswithit,becauseIthinkthatswhatmakesus
awesomeashumans.Differentideasarepassedaroundthetable,andweconstructculturesand
religionsbasedoffoftheseconcepts.Butsometimeswetrysohardtofindthemeaningoflife,
thatweforgettomakealifethatgivesusmeaning.Whiledelvingintomanydifferentreligions,I
stumbledacrossoneofthemanyfamousquotesbyGandhi,Livesimplysothatothersmay
simplylive.Notonlywouldthisquotehaveasignificantimpactonmylifeinthenearfuture,I
alsobelievethisquotewillbethefirsttattooIdecidetoget.

Thesummerofthatsameyear,Iwasofferedaonceinalifetimechancetojourneyto
WestVirginiawithmyyouthgroupasapartofamissiontrip.Icaneasilysaythistripwasone
ofthemosteyeopening,influentialtripsIhadeverbeenon.Duringthistripwehelpbuilda
houseanddootherconstructionwork.ButthereasonIamincludingthisinmyliteracymemoir
becauseofthefamilywewerebuildingthehousefor,specificallythekids.Ihavenevermetkids
soeagertolearnandexplore.Thesekidscamefromnothing,andstillradiatedpositivevibesthat
eventhemostoptimisticpersonwouldhavetroubleemulating.IwasthengivenataskIhad
neverdonebefore.Teachsomeonetoread.Nowthiswasnttheirfirstexperiencewithreading,
butIfeltlikeImadeanimpact.Onourbreaksfrombuilding,wewouldbringalongpicture
booksandreadtothekids.Thiswasmyfavoritepartofthetrip.SeeingthatIcouldinfluence
anotherhumanbeingwithmyliteraryjourneyandencouragingthemtostarttheirown,
connectedthefinaldotsthatwouldallowmetoseethebiggerpictureoflife.Ontheotherhand,
Ifeltlikemywritinginhighschoolwassomethingthatwasnotjumpstarteduntilmyjunior
year.Whenjunioryearrolledaround,IfeltlikeIwasreadytoabandonthewritingshipIhad
beenonforthepasttwoyears,asitwassinkingexponentially.LittledidIknow,Ihadanew
teacherMs.Medlin.IfeltlikeMs.MedlinandMs.Raphaelweresimilarinoneway,theyboth
reallycaredaboutus,thestudents,andwantedtoknowourexperiencesandwhattheycoulddo
toprepareusforthefuturethatlayaheadofus.IhadalreadylearnedaboutMLAformatting,but
Ms.Medlintaughtusabouthowtouseourpersonalexperiencestoexpandourwriting.For
example,foroneassignmentweweretoldtowriteaboutanexperienceinourlifethatchanged
whowewere,andouroutlookonlife.IchosetheexperienceofmydogWyliedying.Itwasa
reallyhardexperiencetogothrough,butitmademerealizethatanythingyouloveinlifecanbe

takenfromyouatanyinstant,andthatacceptingwhathashappenedisthebestthingyoucando
foryourself.Wyliewasnotonlymydogfortenyears,buthewasalsothethingthatwould
cheermeupattheendofaroughday,Ithinkthatiswhatmadethispapersoinfluentialtome
andmadeithardtowrite.AnotherpaperIcanrememberwritingwasinmysenioryear,andwe
hadtochooseatopicthathadsomesortofinternationalinfluencetoit.Idecidedtodothe
OlympicssincetheSovigameswerehappeningthatyear.Thispaperreallyledmetonew
explorationsabouttheOlympicsthatIhadnotknownbefore.Whenmeandmyfriendsand
familywerewatchingtheOlympicsIwouldtelleveryonefunfactsIhadlearnedfrommypaper
thatIhadwrote.
Senioryearcameandwent.Allofmyfriendswereapplyingtocolleges,workingjobs,and
overalljustgettingreadyforthetransitionfathertimewouldeventuallybringtoallofus.My
literaryknowledgewaseventuallyputtothetestwhenapplyingforcolleges.Fortwoofthethree
collegesIwasapplyingto,Ihadtowritepersonalessays.IusedmyexperiencesfrommyWest
VirginiatripandskillsMs.MedlinhadtaughtmetocraftoneofmyfavoriteessaysIhadever
produced.Allalongmyliteraryjourneyhadallowedmetoachieveoneofmygoalsinlife,
whichwastobeacceptedandattendcollege,andintheprocess,myliteracyjourneyhelpedme
seetheworldforwhatitreallyis.
IntheendIwouldntchangehowIlearnedtoreadorwriteinanyway.Theremayofbeensome
bumpsintheroadtogetwhereImattoday,butafterall,thatsjustpartofgettingthere.

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