Billiar 1

Elizabeth Billiar
Professor Knudson
UWRT 1102 MW 11:00-12:15
4 May 2015
Memoir Autobiography: Authors Note & Workshopping Memo
Authors Note

This paper is my final draft, which outlines my personal experience with literacy. I
believe this copy is very well written for the ideas flow together as well as explain the

importance of all events without over exaggerating the meaning.

I feel my paper has a strong introduction of the events to express the purpose of my

paper.
I am have details of events, especially from the ones of early childhood. I worked with
both the comments provided my Professor Knudson, my mother, and other classmates to
revise and edit my paper.

Workshopping Memo:
What you did with that feedback and why?
Since my peers and I are able to communicate well with each other we were able to
provide helpful feedback, both positive and negative, in order to improve our paper. I use this
feedback in order to improve my paper. I shared many of the same opinions in ways to improve
my paper. I found their advice very helpful in centering the central focus of my paper as well as
providing ideas of improving the sharing of my experiences to the reader.
How well your peers apply himself/herself to bettering your paper? Did he/she provide helpful
feedback beyond, Wow this is great, dont change anything!?

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I felt that my peers greatly applied themselves in the process of improving my paper.
They provided helpful feedback that reiterated what Professor Knudson had told us in class as
well as warnings that violated the focus of the paper. Additionally, Professor Knudsons
comments were very helpful in the revision and editing of my paper. Furthermore, my peers
elaborated upon her comments to provide additional advice. They provided detailed positive and
negative notes for every paragraph and an overall summary of the paper. The ability to
communicate with Professor Knudson and my peers allowed them to constructively criticize my
paper in the aim of scoring a higher grade with a better paper.

A Lover of Literacy

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An individuals life is a series of continuing events, such as that as a timeline in history.
Technically, a persons lifetime is a history in itself. Similar to history, each event dictates the
events that follow. In a persons life, a single event enlightens an individual to a particular
meaning, which impacts the shaping of the individuals mind. Thus, one event determines the
nature of future events. While there is not always a clear moral to each story, one can always be
found.
Throughout various stages of our lifetime we are often told that education is the key to
success. Education starts primarily through literacy. The skills of reading and writing are both
intuitive ways of expressing and sharing of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, ideas, and personal
experiences, whether these are impersonal or personal works. Each individual has their own way
of interpreting readings or the method in which they write that is the direct reflection of the
background of their culture. This same idea is discussed by Gloria Anzalduas essay How To
Tame a Wild Tongue. This piece is a personal examination of how various cultures and languages
come together when working in an academy with students from various backgrounds.
Personally, my experience with reading and writing has dramatically impacted the way I
view myself as well as the world. Literacy developed the framework of my personality that built
the key values and beliefs for characteristics to further improve later in my lifetime. It has
opened my mind to understanding different perspectives that have had real world applications.
Additionally, technology has allowed me to express and share my thoughts by communication
with others.
From an early age, I was introduced to reading. Every night after a warm, bubble and toy
filled bath my parents would tuck me into bed, lay down next to me, and wrap their arms around
me to cuddle up as we got ready for a bedtime story. My bed was encompassed with a number of

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stuffed animals all ranging in animal, size, and colors. I would lay each of my stuffed animals up
as if they were listening to the story as well. I refused to go to sleep without a story.. Initially,
they statured out with simple reading books that helped with recognizing letters, numbers, colors,
and shapes. I slowly began to associate the vocal sounds with the printed words on the papers
and the pictures that went along with them.
By the time I began talking I had already begun to read Dr. Seuss and Mercer Meyer
easy reading books. Although, I did still require some additional help from my parents,
especially with unfamiliar books. One of my favorite activities was to line my stuffed animals up
against the wall to sit in front of them and read the books as if I were a teacher reading to
student. Occasionally, I would run outside of the room and down the hallway in order to ask my
parents how to pronounce a word so that I was able to continue the story. And other times, more
often than not, I would just make the story up based upon the pictures. Dr. Suess was my
absolute favorite, particularly the books The Bernestains B Book, Bears in the Night, and
especially Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?.
I can still remember most of the book Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? to this day. It was
fun hearing my parents change their voices depending on which character they were pretending
to be and making the noises along with Mr. Brown. I was always quick to make the loud moo
or knock, knock, knock while tapping on my parents head. I would beg my parents to read
particularly these books, even if we had read them just the night before! I loved listening to their
stories and would pretend to read along, even though I was merely reciting the stories from
memory. Not only was I able to match words, but I started to recognize the pattern between
pictures and words. This word association helped me as I started kindergarten. I would quickly
call my parents out if they accidently skipped a page or tried to alter the story.

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By the time I was in second grade, I was absolutely hooked on reading. I simply just
loved reading any book that I could get my hands on. Reading expanded my imagination into
another world all my own. It was as if I were my own Alice in the Wonderland. I created my own
fantasies based upon the bold printed words on the pages of books. I could pretend to be or do
anything I set my mind too. I was the narrator of the story I created from my own imaginative
visions. Oftentimes, I used these fantasies while I played, such as using my Barbie dolls to
visually recreate and expand the stories I had read just moments before. But I did not just limit
myself to reading books. I read everything that I possibly could. Driving down the roads in the
backseat I would scream out signs, billboards, and bumper stickers that I read as we drove by. I
challenged myself into turning the letters into meaningful words.
By this time my parents had just begun reading the Winnie the Pooh, The Berenstain
Bears, A Little Golden Disney Classics, and the Curious George series to me. While these books,
and most other childrens books, are viewed as bedtime stories they do have underlying morals
that my parents had begun to teach me in order to lay the framework for my personality by
teaching the characteristics of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
Since Winnie the Pooh and most Disney princesses were an idol of mine, I was very
tentative to pay attention the stories and display the character traits that I had learned. My parents
were quick to read me a story about the importance of honesty whenever I was quick enough to
sneak in an extra cookie at desert and deny it to them later. Additionally, at this time I slowly
began to write sentences, often relying on phonetics rather than correct spelling. The focus was
not on proper spelling and grammar, but rather expressing my thoughts. I loved surprising my
parents with notes expressing how much I loved them.

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When I started the first grade, my parents bought me the book Junie B. Jones and the
Stupid Smelly Bus. My mom wanted me to start riding the bus to school so she could get to work
earlier, but I was scared to be on my own. Together my mom and I worked through the book as
we conquered the fears I had as well as a more advanced reading comprehension. The next book
I owned was the second book in the series named Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business in
which Junie B. Jones was getting a baby brother. Ironically, at the time my mother was pregnant
with my little brother and I had mixed feelings about it. Similar to Junie B. Jones, I was curious
of how babies were made, but mostly I was extremely jealous of the attention that was being
taken away from me and focused on the baby.
However, reading the book taught me that I would love my baby brother when he was
born. It also made my parents realize how I felt about her pregnancy. The Junie B. Jones series
became an important part of my life and I was obsessed with getting the next book. I would start
to read the books on the car ride home from the store! My parents began to reward me by buying
the next book if I completed my chores and did well in school, but punished me by taking them
away if I did not. To this day I still own the books of Dr. Seuss, Mercer Myer, Winnie the Pooh
collection, and the Junie B. Jones series in order to keep them to read to my own children one
day. My love for reading did not stop here though.
While other kids in the fourth or fifth grade were discovering the wonders of video
games, I was still immersed in books. I remember my mother talking to my fourth grade teacher
about the Accelerated Reading program. She was afraid I was outgrowing the Harrisburg
Elementary library for I had practically read every book that was offered. This made it
challenging for me to complete the reading requirements. Because I read so much I was
enthralled with the written word. I would often spend time writing my own stories as spin-offs of

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books I had previously read. In fourth grade, I had developed an extreme case of strep throat in
which I was out of school almost every other week for three or four months. I was worried that in
the time I was out of school I would fall behind and held back. My mother then took it upon
herself to teach me how to write in cursive. I loved how my letters were soft and interconnected
that I associated as princess handwriting. I found to be appear more sophisticated and it faster for
me to write. I thought the elegant script would make the stories more interesting and official.
From that day on I began to only write in cursive.
When I went to middle school I was impressed with the vast assortment of books that
were available in the library. Not only did they have fiction books that I was traditionally
accustomed to, but now I had the options of choosing mystery, science fiction, historical fiction,
adventure, as well as the nonfiction. While most kids steered clear of the biographies I found
them absolutely fascinating. This was probably due to my elementary school obsession with the
Magic Treehouse book that followed the adventures of Jack and Annie throughout time in a
variety of different places.
I especially loved the historical fiction books of Ann Rinaldi, which told the stories of
young teen girls from different eras in history. I loved learning about the lives of others and how
the world has changed over time. Another one of my favorites was the story of Anne Frank and
the history of the Holocaust. This book inspired me to learn more about the Holocaust and other
persecutions of groups based upon race. These books influenced me to take a high school history
class focused on the Holocaust in order to gain further insight to what I was already familiar
with.
I excelled in my writing skills during my middle school years for I adored my English
teacher Mrs. Krohn. I idolized her writing ability and pursued the aim of being as well as she was

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in both composition of her own works and comprehension of others. Unlike most teachers, Mrs.
Krohn believed that students should be involved with creative reading and writing works that
triggered our own personal interests. Like most teenage girls in my generation, I was obsessed
with fantasy fiction books involving vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, especially the Twilight
series. Likewise, my creative writings were centered around these particular topics. I enjoyed
writing creative stories and poems involving mystical creatures. Mrs. Krohn often suggested
books for a close group of students and myself that we read on our own time, but later met
during the last fifteen minutes every day of school to discuss what we had read. This tradition
continued until I had graduated middle school, although throughout high school and even today
we occasionally communicate about recent books that we have read.
Yet, the most changing aspect from the late middle school years was that of the
emergence of technology. As cell phones became more widely available and accessible my
generation, the primary form of communication became that of text messages and social media.
My generation was the first to pass through the awkward adolescent years online. This provided
both positive and negative connotations.
Text messages as well as social media allow individuals to communicate in ways that are
more accessible and time efficient because of this a vast number of slang terms and abbreviations
contaminated the literary society. Terms, such as lol (laugh out loud) and ttyl (talk to you
later), began to predominate online compositions as well as were present in modern face-to-face
communication. Reflecting back cringe worthy essays, poems, and thoughts were circulated
throughout the Internet to my generation and others. Unlike papers before, which could be
selected who saw or burned otherwise, everything posted on the Internet stays there for eternity.
Additionally, face-to-face communication became a dying art as the reliance upon technology

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became a growing trend. I noticed that those who relied heavily on texting and social media felt
uncomfortable and shy when engaged in conversation in person. More negative consequences
followed, especially regarding that of adolescent self-esteem.
Cameron Gangers essay, Pictures in America, analyzes how every human being
creates society, yet society also shapes each individual. Granger states the visual media that we
absorb is nothing more than pictures, yet these pictures contain messages that lay out the
guidelines for a culture to follow. Advertisers prey on their readers to buy their products in order
to fit in with societys norms. We can all admit that at some point we bought a product, because
we saw someone that held a high social status, whether that person was well-known celebrity or
a popular high-school student. Everyone feels the desire to belong in society with others rather
than to be considered an outcast. A prime example is that of the beauty myth that is place upon
women.
The beauty myth is the belief that a woman must be long legged, skinny, flawless faces,
voluptuous breast and buttocks, and usually tan (but Caucasian) in order to be considered
beautiful. Of course the combination of these assets are unrealistic. Women such as the
Kardashian sisters, Kate Upton, and other famous celebrities are plastered across glossy
magazines and posters, social media sites, high grossing movies, and oftentimes have their own
reality TV shows. This has dramatically impacted the way women, especially teenage girls
(myself included), look and feel about themselves. Similar to most adolescent girls my selfesteem plummeted. I was viewed as a nerd for I was more interested in my studies rather than
being viewed as popular. I never really was enveloped in the technology craze. I did and still do
engage frequently in the exchange of text messaging and I do have my own social media

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accounts on a variety of applications; however, I enjoy more the company of others and
exploring the world through my own eyes rather than that of the monitor of a screen.
The summer in between leaving middle school and attending high school was a major
shift in my life. Growing up I had always had boys as friends due to the fact that no girls lived
around me. That summer things began to change. Similar to most girls, puberty had shifted the
ugly duckling into a swan, fitting more accordingly to the beauty myth discussed above, and
boys began to notice me as a girl rather than a best friend.
Since I had never been accustomed to this status I began to read cheesy romance books
with the same story plot of an unpopular, nerdy high school girl falling in love with the star
popular and attractive jock. Most of my expectations for relationships was based on this aspect.
However, I was then introduced to the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series. My mother has
always been and will always be an idol of mine. My grandmother and her had started reading the
series and discussing the books together. I was somewhat jealous as well as intrigued to be
involved in these conversations. Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter with a straight-forward in
your face personality in dangerous situation involving crime and murder. The independence of
Stephanie was very different from the helpless romantic girls in the stories I was use to reading.
Boys were becoming interested in me, but I retained my newly gained perspective and did not
necessarily look for a relationship as most girls my age did.
In high school, I began to complete more formal writing of the five pronged paper
consisting of an introduction, three paragraphs, and conclusion with proper vocabulary and
grammar. At this point however my attitude towards reading and writing shifted dramatically.
My freshmen and sophomore teachers gave us lengthy reading assignments from text books that
often required a set of twenty to thirty questions to be answered every night. I dreaded going to

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classes with the sole purpose of discussing questions from the readings the night before and
analyzing the grammar of the text. Additionally, we were assigned weekly vocabulary words to
expand our personal life that we were quizzed on every Friday. The work was not very difficult,
but rather very tedious and time consuming. During this time I also learned that you need to be
careful with your words for they can hurt.
In my sophomore year I became a victim of online bullying. Girls from my high school
were upset that I was very close friends with their boyfriends who I had been friends with since
middle school years. They began slamming me on social media calling me a boyfriend stealer
and a whore. I was beyond hurt, especially because I thought most of these girls were my
friends. I never responded for I did not know exactly what to say and did not want to seep down
to their immaturity. That did not mean that I was not affected. I continually was embarrassed or
scared when attending school that they might confront me and cried a lot in private. Finally, a
good friend of mine spoke up for me in an attempt to end to bullying. The next day I was called
down to the resource officers office in order to discuss the matter. When I arrived she presented
me with printed pages of the girls social media posts and we talked about the situation.
Later I received countless apology text messages from the girls who begged me not to
report them for online bullying and harassment. I accepted their apology, but I did explain to
them how their hurtful their words were towards me and the impact that they had. To this day
reflecting on this I still am somewhat hurt by their harsh words. Nevertheless, I did learn to be
careful about what I say both in face-to-face communication as well as online for these words do
hold a lasting an impact. A good comparison of this is to that of a paper man who after every
mean word is stabbed so that a small hole forms. Even after an apology and the hole is taped

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over, the stab wounds can still be seen and felt. But like most high school drama, life goes on and
school work continues.
I began taking Advanced Placement classes that would qualify for college credit. I was
intrigued by the challenge; however, the intensity and difficulty of the work overwhelmed me. I
no longer possessed the desire or motivation for reading when all of my literature was strictly
assigned textbook excerpts or classical works with the mere purpose to analyze grammatical
components. My writings became merely formal writings based upon textbook writings or
advanced analysis of problems within society. Every day afterschool, I spent at least three to four
hours a day working on homework or assignments for the classes I had already spent an hour and
a half in each day. Thus, I had no free time to read to write anything for my own benefit of
pleasure. I no longer had the free will to choose what I read and write and began to resent the
topic.
But, the skills I learned with analysis and grammar have dramatically influenced the
advances in my reading and writing throughout my literacy development. One of these useful
skills is that of the use of different colored pens whenever I am taking notes. I found that by
using different colored pens while taking notes, as well as making small sketches next to them
for classes, allowed me to understand and memorize the material better than that of using a
regular pencil. By doing this I discovered that I am a very visual learner and I continued to use
this process both for school and personal day activities. Furthermore, I was able to effectively
and efficiently comprehend and analyze compositional works.
Similarly, my experience and attitude in high school remains the same for college.
Assigned readings from textbooks prove to be a key in understanding the material discussed in
class. Oftentimes, notes that are taken while reading and full comprehension are required by

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most professors before they have begun to discuss the material in class. My writing works
consist of cursive hand written notes in different colored pens in order to help for memorization
or that of typed Microsoft Word Document assignments. However, a huge difference for me is
the shift from the standard five paragraph papers, since most assignments often require multiple
pages.
Since I previously completed AP classes that exempted me from UWRT 1101, UWRT
1102 is the first college level writing class I have taken. One skill that I have found very useful is
the introduced idea of shitty first drafts. The idea behind the process is that you simply type
everything that comes to mind about the topic your paper is on regardless of formal grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary. Afterwards, you simply revise the paper repetitively until
you finished with the polished final draft. However, as discussed prior many of these topics are
still strictly assigned and must follow a strict criteria. There is no creativity or focus on the
interest of the students.
Chapter 1 of Everythings a Text analyzed a new insight into the concept of literacy. An
eye opener for me was the fact that literacy is not limited to just books, magazines, newspapers,
or essays, but includes technology (television, social media, blogs, and text messages),
marketing, public speeches and so much more! Every composition has a purpose, thus the
language used in each composition contains a particular purpose. A writers persona is the stance,
tone, vocabulary, voice, and style to encompass the message he or she is portraying.
The following terms are critical in order to properly analyze a writers work. A mode is a
channel of communication, such as oral, visual, digital, or print. A medium is a tool a writer uses
within the channel to deliver a message. Lastly, a genre is a form of the medium used for specific
situations. For example, a writer creates a documentary about abused dogs. The mode (the

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channel) is the documentary and the medium (the message) is to prevent abuse of dogs as well as
support for aid groups by purchasing a bumper sticker (the genre). However, it is important to
note that all of the terms discussed above are influenced by social contexts. This understanding
allowed me to comprehend contexts around me as well as my own. One impact of this that
directly related back to be was that of the beauty myth that devastated my personal self-esteem in
middle school.
Why do women desire to look at magazines that make them feel bad about themselves?
Most women believe that the models featured in magazines are what men find attractive. If a
majority of models in a particular magazine are long-legged, blonde, and tan, then the woman
looking at in believes that is what most men find attractive. In actuality, it is what the advertisers
want the reader to find attractive, so if a product offers a slim new you readers are going to by
their product. However, the models in the magazine are do not set the guidelines for what every
man finds desirable. We do not analyze the models and advertisements as a way of luring
customers in to the multimillion dollar industries, but rather advice or role-models to keep in
touch with the current trends in fashion.
After gaining an understanding of these terms, I was able to properly analyze the popular
Victorias Secret ads. The mode of the ad is a visual of the product being portrayed to consumers.
The medium of the ad is that the product will help the consumer be more curvy. By
comprehending the social context, I was able to gain a full understanding of why the ad was
effective at reaching the target audience. I do not need look like the girl in the magazine (and
chances are the girl in the magazine does not even look like the girl in the magazine due to
photoshopping), but rather I should be comfortable with myself. Because of this understanding I
found that I am more comfortable with myself both physically and emotionally without having

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on loads of make-up or exposing my body. This has allowed me to be more social with my
family, friends, and others without regard to mine or their personal appearance, but rather their
personality.
In college you are able to meet a variety of people from different cultural, ethnic, and
religious backgrounds that really open your eyes to the differences of human beings across the
world. Yet again, I emphasis that technology has dramatically changed the aspects of literacy.
Most teenagers and young adults compose writings and read online social media sites
rather than traditional bound books. People from all over the world are able to share personal
experiences, their opinions of political matters, and anything else that happens to interest others.
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many others allow people to share
all aspects of their lives. It is much easier to share these ideas through social media where the
general concepts of rules of writing do not apply.
This has opened vast opportunities for the expression of different skills, values, beliefs,
ideas, and personal experiences coming from individuals with various culture backgrounds.
These skills listed above built the framework of my personality. From a young age, through the
initial books my parents read to me as a child, and throughout my lifetime have helped
developed into stronger supports. I find these characteristics as the underlying core of an
individuals personality. I wanted to share these with young children so that they had the same
experiences and beliefs that I had as a young child.
I began working at the Cannon Memorial YMCA the summer of 2013 and continue to
work there today with children within the five to six age group. The YMCA aims to teach the
five characteristics of caring, respect, responsibility, honesty, and faith. From a young age, I
always believed in these characteristics as being essential in the development of a good person.

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As I grew older I wanted to help young children develop their own unique framework,
especially those that lacked the guidance I had as a child. A typical afterschool day is full of
many activities. To start the afternoon off we always begin by reading the kids a devotion.
Devotions include stories from the bible or childrens books with a focus on the underlying
moral of the story, such as always tell the truth, give to others in need, and to clean up after the
messes you make. Sometimes, I flashback to the earlier childhood ages where I would line my
stuffed animals up against the wall and read to them and realize that I am living that former
fantasy. Afterwards, kids have an hour to work on their homework. Usually, for the younger kids
this involves the development of reading and writing skills. I love helping the kids learn to read
books on their own and the creativity they put into their assignments.
For me literacy has been a dramatic influence in my life. Lessons I had learned from
stories I read at a young age laid the framework of my personality to be later developed on in
life. My mother kept all of the books that were of great importance to me when growing up for
me to read to my children as well. I do not think I will ever reach an age where my reading and
writing skills are fully developed to their maximum potential. Something is always changing the
world around us, thus changing the way individuals and even generations view the world
offering a vast number of lessons still to be learned.
Upon graduating the University of North Carolina at Charlotte I plan to become a
pediatric doctor. As a child you cannot wait to grow up, yet as an adult I feel most wish they
were still children again. For most people when youre a child you are not exposed to the harsh
realities of the world and most of the world is composed of your own imagination. I do miss the
childhood days, but at the same time it has inspired me to have other children have the same
experiences that I once did and a major part of that was through literacy. My favorite memories

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from my childhood were the ones that were not big events, such as exotic vacations or big
amusement parks, but rather the night cuddled up with my parents simply reading a bedtime
story.