The Influence of Literature

My most intense memory regarding literature includes the infamous Dr. Seuss book, Oh The Places You’ll Go. My brother thought it was time for me to pick up a book and learn to read on my own and as any young child, I was mesmerized by the rhymes and of course the non-existent places I could go. The words came to life, the bright colors only made it more convincing that reading was for me. After that memorable occasion, I became more aware and noticed how present literature truly was. I noticed both my mother and my father deeply entranced in books written by Pablo Coelho but I was deeply disappointed when I realized the content was too advanced for a young child. Though I was young, I understood that books did contribute to ones level of intelligence and wisdom, so I aspired to be like my parents. I took initiative by asking questions, “Dad, what is this book about?” or “Mom, why do you like that author so much” but I was never pleased with the response. I attended a school where activities and basic learning were the simple strategies used on students but essentially, It only contributing to underachieving students. Eventually, I transferred to a different school in a better location that enforced a more advanced pace and introduced me to the 100 book challenge. This environment not only introduced me to thinking outside of the box but also to choose literature that was age appropriate. I finally found an outlet for my curiosity and enjoyed the process of learning independently, even if it was very minimal information. After Elementary School ended, my middle school wanted to focus on improving our writing skills and used more sophisticated writers to enliven our creativity. When we, as a class, first read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, I realized that my writing was not limited to simple adjectives that only portrayed regular or bland emotions; I understood that writers and even a student with a prompt can incorporate emotions or even diction that contributes to different moods. Essentially, my connection with writing also became more profound when I understood that it stretched beyond the “How was your Summer” prompt. Though I did become more enthralled with the idea of writing, I was also entering into a period in which my academic performance was a top priority and personal hobbies had to be put aside. I felt somewhat discouraged that I was unable to deeply explore this newly founded interest. Though I no longer had time to focus on my writing, my teacher, John Gomez, who also happened to be published author, always reminded me that I had the ability to succeed when it came to writing. He always stated I had the potential to become the next Gabriel Garcia Marquez (A Colombian author). Of course, being a young and impressionable tween, I always carried that in the back of my mind and used it as motivation when writing simple prompts. Over the course of my High School career, I explored appeals and figurative language in depth and used that to understand what writers were trying to convey in their writing, only motivating me to read for fun once again. It wasn’t until my senior year in which I recalled the joys of reading for fun rather than for academic excellence, though I must say Macbeth was rather brilliant. During my senior year, I found a book, Dear Martin, based on Social Justice and discriminatory behaviors which inflamed my passion more than any book has. It allowed me to bring my desire to learn about the world and discover it within a couple hundred of pages, eventually allowing me to explore the genre much more. With Social Justice in Literature, I have allowed it to influence my writing and speaking in a way that expresses my perspective rather accurately and only pushes me to destroy the fear of having a strong opinion. My most recent purchase, Born A Crime, has reminded me why I love reading and has also shown me that I can use literature as a magnifying glass into other people’s lives. Overall, Literature furthers my self-discovery and confidence.