Felicia Sanders

English 111

Professor Williams

Nov. 19, 2019

Literaturical: n. To Become Skilled In Literacy and Literature; A Made Up Word

I would have incredible difficulty enjoying writing, let alone just writing, if it hadn’t been

for the exposure to books I’ve had all my life. Books made a dreamer out of me, and from that

creativity comes an ease and enthusiasm to write. Growing up, my parents made sure I was no

stranger to books, or words, or a pencil and paper. I have always had a love of books, and thanks

to my dad and teachers I was introduced to series like ​The Lord of the Rings ​or​ The Magic

Treehouse ​that​ ​deeply affected my writing and creativity. Writing competitions built my

confidence, and Bible studies familiarized me with difficult language and topics of discussion.

Writing comes fairly naturally thanks to books and their extremely positive impact on my life.

When I was in second grade, my father introduced me to ​The Lord of the Rings​ series.

Because I was no stranger to books, I was able to comprehend and

enjoy the story. My father already loved the series, and his

enthusiasm towards me reading the books contributed to my love

for them. My teacher at the time also expressed a lot of respect for

my ability to read, understand, and enjoy such a complex fantasy. I

had no appreciation for what level of reading I was at, but their enthusiasm for me was enough to

spur me on in my reading endeavours. ​The Lord of the Rings ​is probably the most influential

book series in my life because I read it at such an early age; I think I imprinted on Tolkein’s
incredibly descriptive and elaborate fantasy scapes. I know that I held those books to a standard

that other books could only hope to reach.

Tolkien’s works are also the source of an endlessly expanding vocabulary for me as well. There

was a lot of use of Old English, which can be difficult, but that probably also affected my

grammar skills and the way I speak. Mark Atherton, Senior Lecturer in English, Regent's Park

College, Oxford, gives the fourth talk in the Tolkien: The Maker of Middle Earth lecture series,

focusing on Tolkein’s use of Old English ​here​. Tolkein’s books were the largest I had ever read

at that point, and from then on big books were my standard of reading. I know books are the

reason I have a firm grasp on the concept of writing and how to write well--after all, what are

books but pages full of exemplary writing?

As grateful as I am to all my teachers coming up, I think if there’s one person in my life

who has always been encouraging towards my reading and writing, it has to be my dad. Teachers

always expressed their appreciation for my reading level, and told me how advanced my reading

and comprehension was, but no one was as consistently supportive as my father. I received my

love for reading from him, and as supportive as my mother has always been of books as well, no

one was a bigger advocate of reading to me than my dad. As mentioned previously, he’s the one

who introduced me to ​The Lord of the Rings,​ and he wholeheartedly supports and partakes in my

perfectly healthy ardor for bookstores. Again, there has been no greater help to me in my writing

development than books. “As Stephen King notes....’If you want to be a writer, you must do two

things above all others: read a lot, and write a lot... Reading is the creative center of a writer’s

life.’” (Sarah Rhea Werner, ​Why Is It So Important For Writers To Read?​). I believe I’ve gained

a strong imagination from my dad as well, and I know that a very good portion of my vocabulary
is thanks to him and my mom. I will say that both my mom and dad have always been very good

about teaching my sister and I the value of reading.

My parents say I began speaking at only a few weeks old, and from there my sentences

quickly grew in complexity and length. My house and room have always had an abundance of

books. Mom or dad read to me every night until I was able to read the stories to them. Before I

began Kindergarten, my mother had bought me a set of early reader books that were designed to

help me with sight words, and I had a set in both English and

German. Up until I began school and my parents felt it was more

necessary for me to focus on my English, I was bilingual--fluent in

both German and English. To this day I can understand a good deal

of German, but I regret that I do not maintain my bilinguality. I

think that because I was exposed to two languages and my parents

took extra steps to prepare me for school, I had developed a solid foundation for literacy. By the

time I went to Kindergarten I could already write my name and a few small words.

Another very influential book series in my life that would help to develop my

imagination and creativity was ​The​ ​Magic Treehouse

series. My kindergarten teacher Mrs. Poleman would read

to us a chapter from one of Jack and Annie’s adventures

every afternoon. I loved the stories and by Christmas, I

had received my very own collection of ​The Magic

Treehouse​ books. I realize I’m going a little out of order,

but if it hadn’t been for the introduction to chapter books

with a touch of fantasy, I don’t know how well I would have received ​The Hobbit,​ and later​ Lord

of the Rings. ​Jack and Annie also taught me a lot about historical events before school ever did.

“It seemed to me then, and it seems to me now, that I was getting my real education right there

[in the pages of books]...School didn’t inspire me, but those books did.” (Paul Fairfield, ​The

Importance of Reading Books​).

I recall a writing competition in the sixth grade that encouraged my literacy. We had to

write a paper on the effect of water and soil in ecosystems, and it could be

narrative or expository. This was of course also for a grade, but the best

paper from each class would be chosen and then an overall winner would

be selected from said top three papers. I had chosen to write an expository

essay, and I found it rather enjoyable. That experience was made better

when my paper won for the class. While I lost the overall to a friend’s

narrative paper, I came close, and it was enough to embolden me with a

certain amount of confidence in my writing.

While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind in a paper on literacy, church and

Bible studies have also played a role in developing my reading and writing capabilities. The

Bible has some pretty difficult terminology, and exposure to Bible stories early on not only

introduced me to some complex words and sentences, but developed my ability to analyze and

summarize a text. It’s important to be able to summarize and get the big picture from a text, but

the Bible has taught me that details are vital to reading comprehension and writing. As I’ve said,

I started young with introduction to big words and big books; I’ve been familiar with Bible

studies all of my life. I remember a church group I

had when I was four, and we would have lessons that sometimes involved writing things down.

At four years old I was copying down names that I still can’t correctly pronounce, so I know that

helped me at the very least practice my physical writing capabilities. And now that I’m older, I

find reading the Bible and receiving lessons in church help me break down difficult text and

build upon my own formal writing skills.

Reading and writing have always come easily to me, and I regret that it is not so for more

people. Books broaden horizons, and with the ability to read comes knowledge needed to write.

Books feed my imagination and writing allows me to find new ways to express myself

creatively. Had I not been raised in a household where reading was highly regarded and even

prioritized, I wouldn't have developed any strength in writing. The two go hand in hand, and in

today’s society they’re both necessary to go far. Writing is a form of communication needed in

every job and most aspects of life (​Why is Writing Important?​). Arguably, reading is the more

important skill however, because you can read without writing, but you can’t write without being

able to read. Any ability I have to speak eloquently, to write fluidly, to dream vividly, is all

thanks to books and a love of reading. I have long thought that the people who think they hate

books just haven’t found the right book yet. Dr. Suess best sums up my thoughts towards

literacy’s importance, not only in my life, but in everyone’s lives: “The more that you read, the

more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!”
:)