Josh Cornwall English 1101 Ms. Davis Sept.

4th, 2013

Literacy Memoir

Literacy is not a word that can be easily defined. For many people literacy has a different meaning. For some, literacy is a word that means you can read and write; for others, it has a stronger, and much deeper meaning. To this day, scholars are having a difficult time coming up with an overall definition of what literacy is. Literacy is also constantly morphing. For instance, within the last five years alone, technology has changed drastically. Social media sites, texting, and computer usage have become common and normal in todays society. For example, more elderly people arent sure how to even check e-mail, while for younger generations, that has just become second nature. Literacy for me is both social and individual. I believe that we, as humans, learn to become literate in social environments. We learn with people who come from similar backgrounds and cultures. However, literacy also comes from how we interpret things personally and individually. We as individuals get to choose how literate we want to be, and how far we care to take it. Therefore, in my life, specific events have made me want to be more literate, which includes my upbringing, and the culture we live in. Growing up, I was really interested in writing my name, especially learning how to write my name in cursive. I remember in kindergarten I would spell my name all the time. I remember specifically I would always write my Ss backwards. I would constantly practice writing my name and correcting myself. At a young age as well, I would always try to write my name in

cursive. I had my parents spell it out, and then I would copy it verbatim. It really meant something to me to be able to spell my name out like that. It really intrigued me and made me feel like such an adult. So I remember always looking forward to learning the alphabet and writing in cursive. It really meant something to me. In this way, I do believe that my interest in writing my name, and learning the alphabet really aided me in becoming more literate because the alphabet is the main means of writing, and without it, our words wouldnt make sense and would therefore be irrelevant. Also, writing my name was special to me because it was my name, and its an important part of our lives. Our names are part of our identities, and therefore I think thats why it became so important to me that I learn how to write it. My name is Joshua Michael Cornwall. My parents really liked the name Joshua. My middle name, Michael, came from my great grandfather who Im told was a really great man. Cornwall is my last name and it has British roots. My name meant something deep for me and peaked my interest in writing and reading, and therefore jump-started my interest in becoming more literate. Another important aspect in my life, which really motivated me to become more literate, was this odd competitiveness that I had with my sister, Lindsay. I think the competitiveness was natural, almost like a sibling rivalry, where you just wanted to see who could do better. We also really liked challenging each other. Growing up, my sister was always someone I really looked up to. She was older than me and she was always reading and studying, and dedicating herself to homework. She did very well in school, and so growing up I wanted to do better than her. So for many reasons, my sister was my reason for wanting to become more literate. English wasnt her favorite subject, and she struggled with grammar, so I really wanted to almost excel in English in a way to almost make up for my sisters disinterest in the subject. I enjoyed very much learning the word parts, and doing the sentence corrections throughout middle school and high school. It

gave me the chance to break the word or sentence up and let me look at each part separately and analyze. My desire to do better than my sister, and become more educated in English really made an impact on why literacy has become so important. I enjoyed the books like that of To Kill a Mocking bird, and 1984 that were assigned for reading. I enjoy spelling bees, and making corrections to papers, and I did much better on the reading and writing parts on the SAT over the math section. Finally, one of the most important reasons as to why literacy means so much to me are definitely my parents. They have worked to constantly motivate my sister and I provide a good life for us. Growing up, my sister and I went to very good schools, which were recognized by the state, and therefore were able to receive a good education. They made sure to keep us motivated with our interests and what we were good at. Growing up, I loved writing stories. It really allowed me to sit down and just be as creative as I wanted. I would imagine the craziest, silliest storylines and then incorporate them into a story, typically guided with a small drawing to guide readers. With teachers and my parents constantly being behind me and motivating me to keep up the good work and telling me how wonderful I was doing, it definitely made me proud and want to continue to do well. Also my parents speak very well, and are able to articulate their words in such a manor that Ive always strived for myself. Their words seemed to always fit and flow into the conversation so well and it made them sound very astute. So theyve definitely played an important role in my own literacy. With my own interest in learning how to write, my competitive nature between my sister, and my parents constantly motivating us to do better, these moments have truly played important roles for my being literate. Due to constant social factors, my own literacy has grown on both an individual and social level. In the way of individuality, I feel comfortable in knowing that I can

read and write on my own, and do each of these things well. Ive come a long way, and Ive learned a lot, and writing and reading were creative outlets for me that allowed me to express my thoughts and feelings in a way I wanted to. On a social level, I have always been motivated and pushed and therefore it has really helped me learn to communicate well. Literacy means something for each and every one of us, and therefore I dont think we can ever come up with one specific definition. It is constantly evolving and means something different for each person across the globe.