Emily Arvanitis Mr.

Borrero ENGL 1101 1 October 2012

Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative Project

Literacy Experience Account As a kid I used to hate writing, but I was always good at it. In high school, because of a certain teacher, I began to put my talent to good use and I grew to love to write. It doesnt matter, really, what it is I write about, I just find it an easy way to get across what Im trying to say. Throughout high school I wrote countless short stories, poems, and kept a journal and a blog. This summer when I travelled I also kept a journal of where I went, the strange things I came in contact with, and the different foods I ate. I think writing is a good way to express thoughts or even unanswered questions. Depending on where you post your writings it allows you to embrace feedback, or reject it. Even if writings are kept private they can be a very good form of therapy. Sophomore year of high school my English class read The House on Mango Street and following reading it we did one of my favorite projects. We made our own collection of vignettes and published them in a real book. Within these short stories I wrote about my family, my friends, and things that mean the most to me. Many people dont like to write about themselves, but I dont mind it. Another favorite project of mine was junior year of high school when we had to make a collection of poems. I like poems because they can be short and to the point, or

tell a whole story. Poems like The Iliad though, thats not really my scene, too long for me. Something I dont like about writing is the Old English style and the whole grammar aspect of it. Old English can just be put on the back burner forever because it doesnt make any sense; Shakespeare is just too old for this generation because there are plenty of movies out there that are far better interpretations of what he was saying, rather than reading his confusing words. Ive never really been good at grammar and I dont have an immaculate vocabulary, but I guess I do well enough to get by. As far as reading goes, I like to read. I do find it difficult when I am uninterested in what I have to read though; most times I just use Sparknotes for things that dont interest me. But reading is a good exercise for the brain and makes you think more about things you wouldnt think of yourself, which I like. When I was a freshman in high school my English teacher helped me become who I am today and taught me how to express myself in writing. Today I call her my best friend because she impacted my life so much, but when I was younger I struggled with writing and such because I didnt think it was cool but she drilled into my head that I have a talent with writing and its a wiser choice to do my own thing than to let everyone else judge my life for me. Last fall when I brought my college essay to her she gave it back like she bled all over it. There was red pen all over it and I was so heart broken when she didnt like it. Its not that she didnt like it, it was just disorganized and written in a sense that she knew wasnt my style. She told me to start again and I did just that and got into every school I applied to. This was a big accomplishment for me because it made

me come to realize that I just have to be myself, even through my writing, to get where I want to be with my life. Reading has not always been a strong subject of mine but I do enjoy a good book every once in a while. I love to sit on the beach and read, and sometimes just sit in my room with my dogs and read. But, if I dont like what Im reading, forget it. Usually if I have to read something I really dont like it just skim it and call it a day. When I like what Im reading though, I like to read it. I may not be the best writer, or the fastest reader, but I definitely love to write and plan to improve my writing skills this year and these years coming up.

Cultural Domain Analysis

Home Mom, dad, brother, grandparents Money never mattered Mom went to college, dad didnt, brother didnt Always ate dinner together Mom works in an office, dad works for himself Always been taught to do my best Never severely punished Very open with each other Never talked about politics Watch movies together all the time Every conversation ends in a laugh Dad struggled to be serious unless he felt strongly about something Mom overcame cancer Arguing about stupid things between my parents and my brother became very frequent I never knew what to do besides leave when I was uncomfortable or upset My parents always supported whatever I wanted to do with myself I always had the upper hand because my brother slacked a lot Parents encouraged travelling and seeing the world as much as I can Heavily involved in volunteer work and mission trips Always taught to stick to my morals and think about my family first My brother and I most always got along Everyone was always there for each other Being yourself was always the most important thing Went to church every Sunday

Work First job was at the grocery store Became the front end assistant after being there only 6 months Been babysitting since I was 12 Worked at an office building- hated it The people I worked with we unprofessional and weird Working at a professional business made me mature more Realized I never want to work in an office or a grocery store

School Went to preschool at my high school Took naps and read picture books Attended public school for all 12 years Went to school with the same kids for 12 years My graduating class is very close- were all good friends Always hated math class Favorite teachers- 3rd Grade, Miss Benvenga and 9th, 10th, and 12th Grade, Ms. Bellavia Most always had a say in the choice of books we read in English class In elementary school most writing was about things I liked and cats and such In high school writing was always about who I am and who I becoming 8th grade field trip to Pennsylvania- got lost going to Gettysburg so we went to Hershey Park High school tried to get into social networking for school events- didnt work well Skipping school was never a big deal Introduced to MLA format in 8th gradehated it then and I hate it now Capstone project my senior year of high school was the most useless thing Ive ever done

Neighborhood / Community / Peers Lived in a very close community 15 minutes outside the city Always took the train in town to hang out and such Always had parties at my house Known my best friends for 18 years- our parents are best friends and theyre my neighbors There are always kids at my house We always watch movies and rap Met my other best friends at church Everyone knows everything about everyone No matter where you go you see someone you know Not very many cliques but everyone had their close group of friends Lived in the same town for 16 years Lived in Lowell for the first 3 years of my life- dont remember that Everyone played soccer for most of their lives Always went camping with the families of my neighborhood Everyone had big slumber parties in the summer

Part 2 Domain Analysis Narrative: 1. Home: Coming from a home where I was always taught to express my feelings however I want, it has greatly impacted my literacy and composition. My parents, or any of my family, have used big words, so when I say things I say them pretty simplistically and, when they need to be, straightforward. My parents always read

books with me as a little kid so Ive been reading and listening from a young age. When I used to bring home essays from school my parents would then encourage me to write outside of school and just write how I felt. They always had my back and would edit my work and suggested, as I got older to start a blog. My family always supports my writing, but they arent afraid to tell me if they dont like something or it doesnt make sense. 2. Work: Working in a grocery store I didnt do much writing, and when I did, it wasnt about anything interesting. At my office job I had to write up receipts and invoices and things like that. That was also uninteresting. But, I will say that both jobs made me realize how other people view my work and how I do things. I did write about that. Both jobs opened my eyes to how others view the world and view certain things and depending on the subject, it would kind of sway my opinion or direction with something. 3. School: Elementary school is when I began to be a good writer and when my writing began to make sense. I was in a few poetry shows and won the 5th grade spelling bee. Coming from public schools we never read anything too fancy or too challenging, which Im not mad about. Im not very good at reading but I do like to read so a few teachers helped me out with that. My 8th grade year I became very close with my brothers freshman English teacher and then she was my teacher for a few years. To

this day were really good friends- she always encouraged me to read more and keep writing because she knows it may take me somewhere. 4. Neighborhood / Community / Peers: When my best friends and I were young we would make movies and be silly, but I would always be the one writing the script and telling everyone what to do. In my community we have an elementary and middle school poetry contest, which I was in six times. Many of my peers read my blog and laugh because they know how I write is how I speak. My community and friends have always had some interest in writing that is another reason I continued to write.

Literacy Sponsor Analysis Sponsor #1 1.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: Walden Pond 2.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: I heard about Walden Pond my junior year of high school when we learned about Henry David Thoreau and transcendentalism. After reading some of his journals I wanted to see what Walden was like and when I went I fell in love. My best friend and I drove there one fall afternoon and sat and wrote and talked and watched the sun set and ever since then that has been my favorite place to get away and write. 3.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: Theres a bench that someone put in the water that I always sit on in the summer because I like to stick my toes in the water. Some days I would just sit with my best friend, Elena, and talk about everything and question our lives. My favorite day was when I went by myself and sat by the biggest tree I found and just wrote and thought about anything and everything. One day I almost went swimming in the pond but it was too dirty so I got nervous and just sat on the ledge and let my feet dangle. Another day, after prom sometime, I went to the pond and walked around Henry David Thoreaus house because I thought one day I would write journals and such like him but then I thought about how much I would miss my friends.

4.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response

to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: Most time I would go to Walden I was in a strange or lost mood when I went there, but I always left feeling either full or empty. Sometimes I would go when I was having a good day and I would leave happily. Other times I would be in a bad mood when I went and be in an even worse mood when I left. A lot of times I would feel inspired though because going to Walden by myself has taught me how important it is to be myself and not let other people influence my choices. 5.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: Whenever I was at Walden I always did my best writing. I think this was because I was outside and it cleared my head and I didnt have anyone around me to disturb my peace. Sometimes going to Walden would cause me to write about the most random things, simply because, I was alone. My mind always wanders so it created the strangest beliefs and ideas in my head. Often times I would be in my own world and act like nothing was ever wrong at Walden so in some way it was bad I was there so often because it caused me not to see all things that are wrong. I like to be this way sometimes, but other times I felt stupid because I wouldnt see things everyone else saw.

Sponsor #2 6.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: Lisa Bellavia 7.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: When I was in 8th grade my brother was a freshman in high school and

Lisa was his English teacher. After school I would go hang out with them then she ended up being my teacher freshman year and junior year but weve gotten very close throughout the years and now were good friends. 8.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: Freshman year was when I really came out of my shell with writing because Lisa loved what I wrote and encouraged me to write more and about different things. My favorite memory was a project we did in her class and I had to write a poem about myself and where I come from. We had to keep making poems about certain things and made an anthology that is my favorite piece of writing Ive done. Whenever I had something I hated writing about Lisa would make me sit in her classroom and edit it until I was done and I always got good grades because of her. 9.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: Whenever I hung out with Lisa I was most always in a good mood. Although sometimes we cried together, most times were happy. A lot of times we have serious conversations though and that helps to clear my mind so I feel accomplished after hanging out with her. Shes also very inspiring and encouraging because when she sees something that has a future shell make you pursue it. 10.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: Lisa has taught me that not everyone writes the same but its not a big deal at all. And just because one person doesnt like what you write doesnt mean its the worst thing in the world. She also taught me to have confidence in my writing and that I should show show my personality through my literature. Sponsor #3

11.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: Shakespeare

12.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: Ive never actually met him, but Ive read things hes written and from that we have a bad relationship.

13.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: When I read Romeo and Juliet my sophomore year I absolutely hated it because I didnt understand the language and the old English. It confused me and thank god I had a good teacher because she understood how flustered with it I got so she helped me out. Then after that when we read Macbeth I just thought it was one of the most stupid stories I have ever read and I didnt understand any of the characters. Senior year when I read Hamlet I grew an even stronger dislike for him because I did horrible on everything having to do with Hamlet. As soon as I started to not understand it all just went downhill from there. Also, I had to read Hamlet myself and do countless, pointless, projects about it. 14.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: Whenever I read Hamlet I was so confused and often didnt pay attention

after two sentences because I got frustrated. It was also really discouraging having to keep read about Shakespeare and his life because frankly I just didnt care. When I was supposed to read any of Shakespeares work I would just look it up on Spark Notes then Google the answers to the questions. 15.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: Shakespeare has made me realize that I never want to learn about old English or take a class all bout his writing. Because I get so angry when I read his work I have also learned that he was a very strange man.

Sponsor #4 16.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: Tracy Arvanitis

17.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: Shes my momma.

18.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: Ever since I was young my mom has always been reading to me and encouraging me to read and write instead of watch TV and such. When I was younger I obviously wanted nothing to do with that but when I grew older I began

to realize that she was on to something. When I started to bring home good grades in writing she would always make me write more and she often encouraged me to read books I normally wouldnt read. 19.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: I love talking to my mom about writing because she is a writer so shes good at editing and revising and giving me tips on certain things. Sometimes we get into fights about what we think is a good book and what not, but that just teaches me that people like different things and thats not even a big deal. 20.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: When I was younger I always wanted to write like someone else and I tried to copy other peoples writing but my mom made me realize that writing is for you and I shouldnt be doing that. When I wrote poems I would always try to make them sound like Robert Frost and she never understood why, I dont understand why anymore either. My mom has always encouraged me to write from my heart and for the time Im writing, disregard what other people would think about my literature.

Part 2 Reflection: From writing this Ive realized that it was through different people and places that I have become who I am now in writing and reading. If my mom never read crazy amounts of books to me and if Lisa never taught me about Walden Pond or anything I dont think my literature would come out as it has. I also learned that there was a reoccurring theme that everyone and every place have taught me- be yourself through your writing. Although that seems clich and obvious, I guess I just didnt get it until now. My feelings about all my sponsors have stayed the same for a while now. Ill always love my mom, Walden Pond, and Lisa, but Ill never even like Shakespeare. Most views of my sponsors are similar, except Shakespeare. I think I got along with Lisa so much because she has similar beliefs

as my mom and thats what I grew up around so I was used to it. Walden just gave me a peaceful piece of mind, along with everyone else- for the most part. The most significant thing I learned from this was that no matter where I go or what I write, I will always write from my heart, unless its about factual things.

Genretized Narrative Reconstruction

For this project I chose to do a blog. Here is the link: http://fromthebeginningtothenow.tumblr.com

Defense Essay Growing up in the 21st century has automatically made me grow up surrounded by technology and a world wanting more. For my literacy genre I chose to do a blog because I feel that digital writing and blogs have influenced my writing and literacy immensely. Within the blog though, I have other genres such as poems, quotes, and pictures. Each of these things has impacted my literacy experience with a reason of its own. My blog is organized from old to new, but bottom to top. The posts at the bottom are the oldest and tell where my literacy came from and it all shapes into how I am the writer and reader I am today. The first post is just an average blog post. I used a regular blog post because of how the internet has impacted my life. Ive grown up using technology almost every day so reading things from a screen is what Im used to. I often find myself reading blogs or articles online, rather than in a book. I also keep a blog of my own which I use to express how I feel or a thought in my head. When you publish things digitally its easier for everyone to access and harder to lose than a piece of paper. Also, having a blog allows for different genres to be added. The next genre I used was a quote/picture. I write out a quote in a unique way because my literacy has always depended heavily on quotes. Ever since I can remember when I hear a funny quote or something inspirational I write it down. This particular quote though is a song lyric. Song lyrics are always playing in my head so I always write them down. I like to think that certain songs stick in my head for a reason, but regardless, I write them almost anywhere that is available.

Theres a piece in my blog that has writing from a notebook. This represents the journal I keep and one of my literary sponsors. Keeping a journal has always allowed me to write how I feel however I want, knowing I wont be judged. This journal entry is about one of my former teachers who has always encouraged me to read books I would usually never read and write the way I want to. The picture of my mom represents more than just my mom, but also the picture itself has symbolism. I am constantly taking pictures of everything because I have a horrible memory and when I see something beautiful I never want to forget it. My mom though, she has always been my go-to person when it comes to writing. Not only did she teach me to read, but she also taught me how to write well. She herself is a technical writer so whenever she edited some of my papers she did it diligently and that taught me to edit my peers papers that way because it helps a lot when youre given good feedback. In my blog there is a small poem about home. I wrote this because all throughout elementary school my favorite things to write were poems. I love poems because they can be short and to the point, or long and with a lot of detail. I have a strong point in writing poems because I am good at rhyming and I can easily pick up a good flow. The other plain blog posts again emphasize how Ive grown up with technology and using the internet more than writing things down. Publishing things digitally has greatly impacted how I view and use literacy because computers and phones are much

more convenient than a book. Books havent completely been ousted, but much more people are reading e-books and internet articles. I felt it would be the most effective to use more than one narrative because my literacy experiences have been influenced in a few different ways. Ive always liked writing poetry and taking pictures, and just these past few years blogs have taught me to express myself somewhere others can share and feel the same way. Blogs have taught me that good writing doesnt have to be fancy or particular, but can honestly just come from your heart and mind. The way I tell my story isnt in the most proper or formal way by any means, but thats because thats the type of writer I am. Ive never been good at writing formal papers or stating facts and thats what I try to get across by writing a blog. The benefits of this genre are I was able to scan things in that I drew or wrote to include. It was also very easy to organize and express how I view writing and where my thinking about it comes from. The weakness about this genre I would say is someone might type in the wrong and if I were to do a sculpture or something the only way I could include it would be a picture. Doing this project as a blog with other genres added in has made me realize that my literacy is affected by a lot more than I thought.