Narrative Literacy Examples

We were asked to write a literacy narrative in English class and at that moment I was tracing through my memories where language or listening had any influence on me. I was stuck. I have a few instances where I could see how language at a specific moment in life influenced me, but I just could not decide what to write about. Then it hit me, it was like a bulb lit up. The most influential event that involved some aspect of literacy, was when I attended the McHenry College fair. There are many events that led to this day and I could not imagine how my life would have turned out.

Children covered in glitter and glue is a sight to witness. Scattered around the room are broken crayons, uncapped markers, and torn paper scraps. This image at the end of the day at a preschool means that it has been a good day. When the day had just begun the sound of feet pattering and bouncing down the hallway was perceptible. The teachers knew that when all the children entered the room and saw the table aligned with crafts every student’s eyes would light up with excitement.

Sherman Alexie, in his essay, “Superman and Me”, recounts how he learned to read even though he lived in poor family inside a community where education was disparaged. Alexi’s purpose is to describe how kids are expected to fail academically since education is not cared for in Native American communities, and ignite change in the ways Native American children are educated. He adopts an inspirational tone in order to encourage other Native Americans to follow his example and educators to help solve this problem.

1. The line “We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food” is a hyperbole and zeugma. The word that creates the zeugma is the word lived, as the narrator uses the word lived to mean different things in the same context. The narrator actually lived off of paychecks and government food, but did not literally live off of hope and fear like the line suggests. The line is also a hyperbole because the author did not literally live off of the hope and fear, as you cannot sustain yourself with emotions. The effect of the figurative language is that the reader can tell how prevalent the hope and fear was, it was as real and as much as the physical money and food. This also creates an emotional effect, as the audience can relate to the hard times that Alexie faced.

Despite the negative stereotype of American Indians, the objections and disapproval of fellow Natives, and the criticism of others, Sherman Alexie went on to become a successful writer that has inspired many. Alexie overcame many obstacles that would have deterred him from his goal, but he was able to remain steadfast and continue on in his pursuit of writing. As a result, he has published many literary works that include several short stories, poems, and a variety of novels. He allows his culture to seep into his writing, and continues to inspire young American Indians who also desire the path of knowledge.

that convincing communication must be appropriate to the particular situation being addressed. The aim of this approach is that what the writer tries to communicate to his hearers.

In the essay “Superman and Me”, the author, Sherman Alexie recalls the time he first learned to read. He talks about his Indian culture and the perception of people like himself. He also discusses his childhood and the outcome of learning to read. The reoccurring theme of the essay is the love of reading. The author used various literacy devices to express the feelings of empowerment, happiness and the necessity that came with learning to read. Alexie uses repetition, metaphors and imagery to convey these feelings and support the main idea.

metaphor to compare and contrast himself and a fictional character Superman. Illustrations that was used by Alexie made a huge impact on this essay. It helps the readers better understand what is being said in Alexie’s “Superman and Me”. On this essay, Alexie mentions how he can see his family being a paragraph. Also, one of an extended metaphor that was used is how Superman and Alexie broke down the doors.

Taking different English and writing classes has allowed me to write different types of papers. One paper that can be very challenging is the personal narrative. There are certain requirements that you must follow; each paper is different depending on who assigns it. When I am assigned to write this type of paper, usually it is dreadful to start and accomplish. This type of paper should just be removed from college writing courses. Having read the two articles provided and a choice of my own; gave me more understanding of the ways writers write personal narratives.

The history of my literacy has been a long road of a frustration and learned lessons. As a child, I was a bit of a loner so reading and writing were the closest thing to a social life for me. The things that I bottled up inside came out through my writing and it became somewhat of a pass time for me. As long I could remember literacy as has been an important value for me in my life because from very young age I got express my true self without being judged by the outside. Even though in my later years I would deal with some heartaches and set back that lead me to give up on my love for reading. I would always come back to my real first love.

I was never truly an avid reader when I was younger. I was the oldest of five siblings and left in charge of taking care of my younger brothers and sister. I was more prone to spending time outside than reading a book. Of course, I did find myself enjoying a good mystery novel, but playing ball would always trump even a good book. All through school, I would find myself actively participating in one sport to another. I loved being active and thinking only of what I wanted to do. Life has a way of becoming a reality. The choices I made during my younger years have followed me to my current years. The busyness of work, family, and children have restricted my own freedom of time. Reading has become my favorite way of personal freedom without having to leave home. My favorite author at this present time is Beth Moore. She meticulously portrays God’s word and opened my eyes to the strength and power of God’s word for me today. God created me and has a specific purpose for me to fulfill. In order to begin this process, I need to accept and believe in

Reading and writing is a tool everybody needs in their lifetime the basic reading and writing skills are used on a daily base no matter what field you plan to study. Reading and writing are taught at a young age. I personally was taught by preschool I noticed on how I grew with my writing and how I became a better reader and writer throughout my life I personal love reading and writing it’s a way for everyone to express themselves through their choice of words.

Literacy has applied over the course of my education and my life. As an education major, I believed that literacy was an ability to learn how to read and write. Furthermore, literacy has been a part of my education. I have come to an understanding that literacy is a lot more than what it seems. It’s about expressing yourself that includes your opinions and feelings. As a college student, I still feel like my literacy is evolving with every essay I write. But, through my literacy autobiography and literacy experiences. I have gained through the process of “growing up” as an educator. I 'd like to capture the hearts and minds of readers through my journey and experiences with literacy. As I take you back into the past of how literacy has grown inside me. I would one day like to show how these experiences will influence my teaching strategies.

We began the unit by doing a read-aloud. This was to help students understand that written language is meaningful, gain an understanding of text structures, and see what fluid reading looks and sounds like (Bainbridge & Heydon, 2017). The purpose of the read-aloud was also to help students work on the three receptive dimensions of language and literacy(Listening, Reading, Viewing). Along with the read-aloud, students were to bring in an artifact to share with the class. The purpose of this was to help them relate their lives to the story. When students see a connection between themselves and a character, they seem to enjoy reading more than when they do not see a connection. As Diane mentioned in class, children, especially in the primary grades, are very

Literary fiction is “… written by someone with serious artistic intentions who hopes to broaden, deepen, and sharpen the reader’s awareness of life (Johnson 57).” Literacy fiction gives the reader a deeper view on the real world aiming the reader to empathize with the characters and others. In the short story, Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff is a prime example of literary fiction, as three men are hunting during a snow storm. Through the story, the author has the reader’s emotions shifting and engages the reader into what is going to happen next. Through the struggles of the men hunting in a snow storm, and getting injured the author shows actions of each character that the reader can relate to real world people, such as selfishness and