Rachel Karrer Ms.

Caruso English 1100 3 September 2013

Literacy Memoir What is literacy ! "uestion that one o#ten #aces $hen being as%e& to $rite a literacy memoir. 'o some literacy is (ust rea&ing an& $riting) #or others it*s sports) or an instrument) but to me) literacy is $hate+er #orm o# emotion an& #eelings , can &eri+e #rom $or&s or anything that , ta%e &eep pleasure in. , #eel li%e , shoul& probably start my literacy memoir #rom the beginning) as a baby my parents $ere &i+orce&. , ha+e ne+er %no$n $hat it*s li%e to ha+e my parents marrie&) in some $ays that*s a goo& thing) an& in others it*s not. !s a single mother my mom stri+e& to %eep bills pai& at the same time balancing a ne$ born) so naturally my gran&parents steppe& in to len& a han&. -rom the moment , $as born , $as al$ays $ith my gran&ma) e+en until , mo+e& to college) she remaine& my best #rien&. She is probably the one person , hol& the most responsible #or all o# the literacy , ha+e encountere& in my li#etime. !s a baby , $as raise& listening to tapes an& music #rom Les Miserables) .hantom o# the /pera an& 'he Soun& o# Music. !s , got ol&er , loo%e& #or$ar& to spen&ing my time #illing my imagination $ith the e+ents that too% place in the boo%s an& plays , ha& al$ays listene& to. When , got ol&er my mom got marrie& to my step&a& an& that meant a ne$ home) an& school an& surroun&ings. -or a$hile it $as har& to a&(ust but at that time in my li#e , $as &isco+ering something much more important than a #resh start) , $as learning ho$ to rea&. , %ne$ that through boo%s , coul& be any$here , $ante& to in my imagination) boo%s too% me to places , ha+e ne+er been an& also helpe& me cope $ith certain &isappointments in my li#e. !t night $hen my mom $oul& turn o## the lights an& tuc% me into be&) , $oul& pull out my #lashlight an& loo% through the many picture boo%s , o$ne&) , &i&n*t %no$ all the $or&s but through the pictures , $oul& ma%e up stories that

seeme& to #it the part. !s , learne& to rea& , starte& to reali0e& $hat the boo%s an& he pictures actually meant) they $ere no longer my o$n thoughts but someone else*s +i+i& imaginations. , en&e& up mo+ing yet again) this time e+en #urther a$ay #rom my gran&parents) in 1lac% Mountain) an& more into the !she+ille area. , starte& my #irst &ay o# #i#th gra&e) my teachers name $as Mrs. Kat0 an& , lo+e& her class so much. We $oul& ha+e a "uiet time $here #or an entire #orty2#i+e minutes , coul& rea& $hate+er boo% , $ante& on her shel#) the entire class $oul& lay on the #loor an& listen to classical music $hile rea&ing our boo%s) or $riting in our (ournals. 'he same C3 seeme& to echo o+er an& o+er) e+ery &ay) all year long) but e+ery&ay it $as still my #a+orite time to rela4 an& by the en& o# the year , %ne$ e+ery part o# each song) it $oul& replay in my hea& all the time. !#ter #i#th gra&e , got accepte& into a pri+ate school in the surroun&ing area) so a#ter atten&ing a public school #or a year , trans#erre& into my ne$ pri+ate school. ,t $as the beginning o# mi&&le school) an& (ust li%e e+ery mi&&le schooler , #elt great) , #elt more #ree&om an& $ith that came more responsibility. 3uring my mi&&le school years , $as &ealing $ith the #act that my gran&pa $as &ying o# cancer) by the time , $as in eighth gra&e) , ha& completely shut &o$n) or so it #elt. , &i&n*t really $ant to tal% to anyone) , ha& 0ero &esire to learn an& all , coul& thin% about $as my gran&pa. ,t $as that year that t$o really important pieces o# literacy became e+i&ent to me) music an& $riting. , ha& ne+er ha& my o$n musical &e+ise) such as an ,po& or mp3 player) but my birth&ay be#ore my eighth gra&e year) my parents bought me an mp3 player. , a&&e& all my #a+orite artists at the time an& it $as then that , really #ell in lo+e $ith music. My gran&pa $as still in the process o# &ealing $ith his cancer) an& really the only thing that , coul& relate to $as the $or&s in &i##erent songs that , $oul& listen to. Music became sort o# an escape #or me) it $as a $ay to get across my #eelings an& shu##le through things in my hea&. ,t $as shortly a#ter the beginning o# eighth gra&e that my gran&pa passe& a$ay) through all the grie# , #elt my #amily an& teachers allo$e& me to miss a great &eal o# school) $hich is un#ortunately $hen the pri+ate school that , atten&e& taught grammar an& punctuation. !#ter , ha& misse& a lot o# classes) it $as har& #or me to %eep up in my

stu&ies) but someho$ , manage& to pass the gra&e an& en&e& up starting my #reshman year o# high school) little &i& , %no$ that the english portion o# eighth gra&e that , ha& misse&) $oul& #ollo$ me throughout my entire li#e. When , $as in high school $e $ere taught ho$ to $rite poetry. When $riting a poem , learne& that it*s about rhythm an& placement o# $or&s) something that , also reali0e& , $as not +ery goo& at. !nother thing $e learne& all throughout my high school years) $as ho$ to #orm) research an& $rite pretty much any type o# paper you coul& imagine. , $rote short stories) poems) position papers) in#ormation papers) an& e+en ha& the opportunity to $rite a #i#teen page paper on 'he Emotional E##ects o# Chil& !buse. We ha& to $rite one e+ery year) an& e+ery year , $oul& progress an& &o better an& better. E+en in high school) , $as +ery #on& o# rea&ing an& $as taught by my mother that a goo& boo% can let the imagination run $il&. ,t $as many &ays spent in my be&) curle& up rea&ing a goo& boo% that le& to my lo+e #or literature. ,n my min& , $as al$ays able to imagine mysel# in the story) , #elt li%e , $as right by the si&e o# some o# the characters an& $hen emotional e+ents happene& in the stories) , coul& #eel the emotion. , lo+e rea&ing boo%s such as Les Miserables) .ri&e an& .re(u&ice an& e+en some mo&ern #iction) anything that brought strong #eelings in any $ay $as a $ell $ritten boo%) in my opinion. /# course $e $ere taught that literacy $as important in our li+es) but none o# us really %ne$ $hat literacy $as asi&e #rom rea&ing an& $riting. ,t $as also in high school that , $as able to start my o$n business. , starte& photography $hen , $as in mi&&le school an& in high school actually starte& to put my talent to use. , $as hire& at $e&&ings) engagements) portrait shoots) an& e+ery other type o# photography in bet$een. , $ante& to capture any sort o# memory , coul& $ith my camera) it en&e& up being one o# my most pri0e& possessions an& also helpe& me tra+el to places , ne+er thought , $oul& en& up. , too% photo (ournalism trips to ,taly an& 5e$ 6or% City) , too% as many pictures as , coul&) o# e+erything , $ante& to remember. .ersonally , #in& &elight in %no$ing that you can capture a memory

in a single photograph. , recently reali0e& that photography $ill probably be my most #luent #orm o# literacy. /utsi&e o# school an& home li#e) , ha& my o$n thoughts) &reams an& &esires. , ha+e al$ays $ante& to tra+el an& ha+e constantly &elighte& in rea&ing about &i##erent places. , ha+e al$ays (ournale& in my spare time) because to me) $ritten $or&s can e4press so much more than +erbali0e& $or&s e+er coul&. When my han& mo+es the pen) an& the in% gli&es onto the paper) , #eel #ree to e4press mysel# in any $ay , $ant) through &ra$ing) songs) poems) or e+en notes an& lists. , literally #eel po$er) the po$er to create $hate+er , $ant) an& say $hate+er , #eel) an& $ith that comes the apathy o# $hat e+eryone else thin%s) because the beauty o# being able to $rite my o$n #eelings is that they are mine) an& no one else can tell me ho$ , shoul& or shoul& not #eel. 'hats probably the most ama0ing part o# literacy) the #ree&om to e4press ones o$n emotions) an& the lac% o# (u&gement that comes $ith it. !t this point in my li#e , ha+e come to learn about &i##erent types o# literacy an& ha+e e+en establishe& my o$n #orms o# literacy. , no$ %no$ that e+ery time , $rite a paper) te4t) email) or e+en a memoir , am using some #orm o# literacy. We can not escape it no matter ho$ har& $e try) an& literacy &oes not &e#ine $ho $e are or ho$ success#ul $e are) because e+eryone is #luent in their o$n. -rom the beginning o# li#e to the en& $e are constantly learning an& gro$ing an& prospering in some #orm or another an& it*s through li#e that $e are able to &e#ine $ho $e are) an& its our past that places us $here $e are to&ay. , ha+e reali0e& that because o# my past an& %no$ing ho$ , ha+e use& literacy in my li#e) , reali0e that , may not be the best that , can be) but it is a $or% in progress an& $e can only get better in $riting an& rea&ing an& any #orm o# literacy $e can thin% o#. Now that I am in college I want to know more about punctuation and the rules of thumb when it came to writing. I feel like if I reviewed these rules of thumb I would be a better and more adiquate writer. I also feel that in order to end up with a well written paper, there needs to be a spark of interest and a bit of passion for the topic, that would indeed make my writing

better. !#ter completing this class , hope to come out o# it being more con#i&ent in my o$n $riting) , hope to gain #eelings o# pri&e $hen it comes to my $riting. , am e4cite& #or this class because , thin% that the energy the teacher brings #orth $ith really inspire me to &o my best) an& , #eel li%e this $ill e+entually help me to become a better $riter an& hope#ully ma%e an impact $ith my o$n $or&s. , can honestly say that a#ter $riting this memoir an& sitting through the #irst class , %no$ that this class $ill better impact me #or the rest o# my years in college an& continue to &o so throughout my li#e.