Jilian’s English 207 Blog Another amazing bgsu blog

What I found so interesting about this short excerpt was how surprising it was to me. My language seemed so personal to me; they are, after all, my words. I think of them and I say them. But were they always mine? No. Someone else taught me to speak. My vocabulary extends from my love of reading. Every time I encountered a “new” word, I looked it up in the dictionary. Just because it was new to me, however, did not mean that it was a new word. I did not, after all, invent the words. So reading from someone else that language first exists “in other people’s mouths” (5) was surprising for me.

In general, I think this means that literacy is a very socially dependent process. Perhaps this is why we place so much emphasis on it in school. Many of the educational psychologists, like Albert Bandura, have determined that a great deal of learning happens in the social context. We mimic our peers and we learn from each other. I believe the same will apply to literacy. In its base definition of being able to write, read, and subsequently communicate effectively what we know, this entire process will happen in a social context. We will learn basic communication from our parents, grandparents, siblings, and other family members. We will then form our own language based on the other people we meet, our peers, and others we happen to encounter.

For my own literacy, I’d never before considered how important the social aspect was. I’ve always loved reading and yet I was never sure how this developed. I’m sure it was because my mother placed an emphasis on it and always ensured that I had access to the library. My father, mother, brother, or sister were never as passionate about reading as I was. This is why I was so excited to meet my stepmother, who was just as much of a book geek as I am. She often took me to Border’s, my favorite place in the world, and we would spend hours there, perusing the shelves and picking up books. Many of my friends enjoyed reading, and so this literacy was shaped by the people in my life who supported it. This is just one example from many I could think of, but many of my blog posts are longer than I think my classmates’ are.

To close, I would like to share my favorite quote from the excerpt we read. “How we are saying what to whom affects what we can and will say.” This is so true in any context, especially a social one.

When writing any sort of document, keeping the reader in mind is of the utmost importance. Unless a writer plans on having no one read what he or she is writing (such as a journal), considering the audience is a must. Thus, I have given some thought to my ideal reader for each of the five topics I mentioned in my previous post.

My ideal reader for my music narrative: This person would have to be creative enough to acknowledge that songs can be subjective. Though the artist may have had something else in mind, I believe that music can touch people in ways that the artist may not have considered. Some people have difficulty accepting this, similar to how people have difficulty accepting that literary works can be interpreted differently from how the author intended it. They would, therefore, have to have an open mind and be able to acknowledge and believe in the profound, cathartic effect music can have on people.

My ideal reader for my football narrative: This reader would have to have more specific knowledge. I say this because most of the people who do not like football do not understand football. They don’t understand the rules and thus do not understand how it is the best sport in the world. Thus, my ideal reader for this particular narrative would have to have at least some semblance of an understanding of football. This is also because if a reader did not like or understand football, they would have trouble understanding the importance of football to me. The reader would have to understand that football can be more than just entertainment and that the sport itself is (generally) about more than just being good at it: it is about teamwork and building character.

My ideal reader for my baking narrative: This perfect reader would not have too many qualifications. He or she would just need to have some appreciation for baking because, again, there are some people who just don’t like to bake. I do believe, however, that most people like to eat things that are baked. In this sense, my perfect reader could be just about anyone.

My ideal reader for my interpersonal narrative: This reader would need to understand the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. He or she would need to know how to empathize and understand the patience that it requires. Other than this, I don’t think there are many more specifications for the ideal reader.

My ideal reader for my writing narrative: Simply put, this reader would need to have a love of writing. Unfortunately, many people (especially students) dislike writing and think it has no importance in the world. This is, I believe, because teachers approach writing from the wrong perspective. Consequently, I would need to have a reader that shared a love of reading and writing and could acknowledge the importance of the written word in a person’s life.

I have many literacies. As I believe I have stated before in this blog, I have more literacies than I probably realize. But for this narrative essay, I want to focus on something out of the ordinary, something more dynamic. This isn’t to say that other topics wouldn’t be interesting. I’m sure I could come up with a good narrative about my reading or writing literacies. But when I first heard about this project, assuming, of course, that I understand what’s required of me, I knew I wanted to focus on a different literacy topic. The following are five literacies that I would like to explore.

Music: Though I can’t play an instrument and according to my seventh grade choir teacher, I cannot sing, I still have a great passion for music. I know nearly everyone does but I think that the reasons behind peoples’ love for music can vary. In my own way, I am musically literate because I love listening to songs and deciphering the stories from them. I love the stories that songs can tell and I love picturing them in my head even more. This is probably why I enjoy (some) music videos so much. I also enjoy the powerful emotions that music can make people feel.

Football: I love football and know more about football than most people. On many occasions, I’ve corrected middle-aged men when they were discussing football in a restaurant. I get the strangest looks but I love doing so. Partially because I love explaining things to others (hence my degree in education) but mostly because I love talking about football and showing off what I know about it. I’d love to explore this literacy more in a narrative, especially since most of my football memories are tied in with my family or friends.

Baking: It seems simple enough but most people either don’t know how or don’t have the patience. I think baking well requires a certain sort of finesse and while I am in no way close to the people on the Food Network Challenges (love that show), I think I can hold my own pretty well in a kitchen. This would be an interesting literacy to explore more in a narrative as well.

Interpersonal: A lot of my friends come to me for advice or when they need to talk about something that’s troubling them. I think this is an important literacy to have, both as a person and as a future teacher. This could be a good topic to investigate more in a narrative.

Writing: Though I said I wanted to do something other than writing, I couldn’t think of a fifth topic. I have had some great experiences with writing, both academically related and not. I think writing is closely tied with knowing oneself and I think writing (letters, blogs, short stories, poems) has helped me in this process. It, too, could become an interesting topic for a narrative.

Writing has always been a passion and interest of mine. Yet, when I attempt to come up with an answer for “What is a narrative?” I’m at a loss for words. Again, I’ll revert to my own personal definition. For me, a narrative tells a story. That seems simple enough and yet this can get complicated. Now one must consider what elements are in a story, what a good story is, and what a good story does. A narrative has a definitive beginning, middle, and end. A narrative can inform, entertain, persuade, or even cause the reader to think. Either way, a narrative ought to teach the reader something. The narrative can teach something about a specific topic or a narrative could teach the reader something about him or herself. For me, a story needs certain elements. Thus, a narrative does not necessarily require specific characters but it does require a plot. It ought to include a variety of sophisticated writing tools, such as figurative language. Personally, I find writing to be a singular experience in which the writer can get in touch with him or herself. In this sense, a narrative should have a specific profound effect on the writer and subsequently the reader.

I have an immense amount of experiences with both writing and reading narratives, if my definition of a narrative is accurate. I read and write a great deal. I enjoy getting caught up in a good story and experiences the effects it can have on me. As such, I also enjoy writing a good story (or what I ultimately hope is a good story) and enjoying the cathartic effects of writing. I also enjoy critiquing and analyzing narratives, which I often find myself doing when both writing and reading them.