Emily Souders
Eng 308J
Matthew Vetter
10/25/11
My Journey to Literacy
Before jumping in to my stories of becoming literate; I think it is important
to give a little background information on myself. My name is Emily Catherine
Souders. I was born in Cincinnati Ohio on January 23rd 1991. I come from an upper
middle class white family. I live with my two parents, two brothers, and one dog. I
come from your typical Cincinnati suburban area just outside the city. I have
attended Catholic schools my entire life, until college, where I now attend Ohio
University. Both of my parents are extremely close with their families and because
of this our extended family is very important to us. Reading and writing have been a
part of my life for as long as I can remember. My first memories involve drawing and
writing books, and reading all of my favorite picture books; But I believe my literacy
journey goes back even before my time. In my case you must go back a few more
years then just the mere twenty I’ve experienced to get a good look on where my
literacy comes from.
Donald James Souders, better known as Grandpa to me, has been a working
man his entire life. He followed in the footsteps of his father working in a car garage
as a mechanic for the majority of his life. But before he could ever start a life of his
own he was drafted into the Navy and left high school. Having never finished high
school my Grandpa didn’t really finish his education and to this day his messages on
birthday cards seem to be in a foreign language, but I still love them. The next
generation of Souders was my father, Daniel Souders. A young standout baseball
player who did particularly well in school, but was expected to help his 3 brothers
and Dad, and work at the garage with them. But my Dad had a drive and motivation
to do bigger and better things. He wanted to go to college, which none of his six
siblings had done. People criticized him, doubted him, and even his own mother told
him he was wasting his money. Currently my Dad is on the list of the top wealth
managers of Cincinnati and is currently expanding his successful business. These
stories have influenced my literacy in various ways. I admire my Dad’s strength and
determination, and it shows me if he could do it with no support, I can surely
accomplish great things with the love and support he and my Mom have given to me.
Since my Dad has seen where an education can get you, he has always pushed my
brothers and I to read. I remember him asserting, “I don’t care what you read but
pick something up and read it.” As well as my Dad being very adamant about
reading, my Mom was an elementary school teacher before she had my oldest
brother. Both parents have always been extremely interested in the education of my
siblings and I, and I give full creditability to them for my academic successes.
The first time I began to read was at the age of three. Of course I wasn’t really
reading but I began to memorize what letters looked like and what the stories my
parents read to me were. There is a home video of me sitting in a high-chair coloring
and my Mom writes down everyone in my families name and I can “read” at least
half of them off the page. Growing up my parents were not Nazis about reading and
writing but if it was a rainy day and we couldn’t play outside the T.V. was not
allowed on after a certain time in the morning. My brothers and I had to get creative.
We would take sheets and sheets of white paper from my Dad’s home office and
throw any type of writing utensil we could find on the table. We began to write
stories and draw pictures. All of us would make our own books. Being the only girl,
mine were usually about a girl losing her puppy, or a pretty princess but they were
creative stories that my mind produced and my intellect allowed me to transfer into
my own little booklet. This was one of my favorite things to do was to write little
books. I’d proudly show anyone who could handle reading about a lost puppy.
Along with creating my paperback puppy tales, I grew up absolutely loving
reading storybooks. Again at the age of four we have video footage of me reading an
entire book, although I couldn’t necessarily truly read word for word. My love for
reading and writing as a child didn’t exactly blossom into a love of reading as I
began middle school. I have never enjoyed being forced to read although I do enjoy
reading. I have read some of my favorite novels through school, but many times it
was a struggle to get through because of deadlines and due dates. This opinion I
have of reading is not something that has gone away either. To this day I do not
enjoy reading a book that I “have” to read for class, but I do enjoy reading a novel
that one of my friends or family members recommends to me. As far as writing goes
at this stage in my life, nothing has changed. I love to write. I would rather write ten
papers before studying for a midterm. I enjoy writing. I think it can be so much more
beautiful then talking. To this day I have so many ideas for books and stories that I
would like to write some day when I have the time. My goal for when I am older is to
be a full time teacher and to do some free-lance writing on the side while working
on my own stories.
It is so interesting how family and your environment can have such a large
affect on your literacy. There is so much I want to accomplish in my life because I
see what my Dad has done with his. Like Sherman Alexie states in “The Joy of
Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, “My father loved books, and since I loved
my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well.” (pg. 363) This
quote really hits home for me, because like Sherman Alexie my parents have
motivated much of my literacy. Family and friends can motivate you to push
yourself and in sad situations sometimes to not push yourself. Looking at Malcolm X
and his literary journey you see that his sponsors reacted to him in a negative light,
which hindered his literacy, but later on in life motivated him and fed his hunger for
more knowledge. Becoming literate made Malcolm X wish to become even more
literate. “…when white men has written history books, the black man simply had
been left out.” (Malcolm X, 356) The fact that Malcolm X had the ability to read, led
his investigation into the discrimination and mistreatment of the African American
people throughout history. Without his literary skills, which he developed in prison,
Malcolm X would not have been able to dig deeper into his people’s history.
A lot of who I am and they way I read and write has to do with my
background and my family. Not only family but also the schooling a person grows up
with largely affects their literacy. I grew up attending private catholic schools from
the time I was 6 until I graduated high school. These schools were not only
prestigious, but the religious background instilled a bias in my head that is evident
in some of my writing. I would like to believe that my catholic background is a
responsible sponsor for the way I write, not only for the religion part but because I
have been pushed my entire life to exceed expectations. This is something that I
would hope shines through in my writing.
A person’s writing style is heavily impacted by their life experiences and
even their family history. I credit my literacy to my family and my education. Many
people in this country do not have the opportunity or the support that I am lucky
enough to have, and therefore their literacy is not as well developed as mine. I
attribute almost all of my academic success to my parents. It was their motivation
and guidance that has led me to where I am today at Ohio University. It is my Dad
who has inspired me to work hard and never give up on a dream. It is my Mom who
has made me want to be a teacher and to change the lives of young children. It is my
Grandpa that showed me how important it is to be literate and how being illiterate
can hinder your life path. And lastly it has been my Catholic schooling that has also
shaped the way I read and write. I cannot imagine my academic world without these
sponsors shaping the way I have been taught.
Works Cited List
Alexie, Sherman. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.”
Writing About Writing. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 1997. 3-6. Print.
X, Malcolm. “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” Writing About Writing. New
York: Ballantine, 1965. Print