Okay girls you know what time it is, lets go!

It was exactly 6pm and my sister and I

let out a quiet sigh and groan and sadly responded, alright mom were coming. My
sister was older and much smarter than I was and decided she would just get it over with,
I on the other hand decided to delay what was to come and make up excuses. Id say I
had to use the bathroom a lot or take a very long time coming down the stairs. Id hear
my mom opening up the workbooks and no matter how hard I tried I couldnt avoid the
inevitable. Throughout my entire childhood my parents believed that you should always
aim to be one of the best in your class. In order to make my sister and I that way, they
purchased workbooks a grade above our current one. As a kindergarten student, my
parents ensured that I was reading at a first or even second grade level. The amount of
questions we got right and how we were able to understand the topic determined our
reward. Sometimes wed get toys that we had begged for and other time we would simply
get a happy meal.
My parents really helped me define and understand literacy from a young age. In my
early years I defined literacy as simply reading passages, answering questions right and
doing my phonics homework. My parents pushing me to practice my English skills made
me realize there will always be work and papers that I wont want to do but it has to get
done. It showed me that although I may not like what I am doing but if I do it right there
would be promising rewards. When I did my homework right I was given toys and when
I write my papers well I am rewarded with good grades. It shaped my current writing
because from that experience of sitting at a table to get work done, that is how I am
currently able to write all of my papers. This vignette relates to power because as a child I
was always reading and learning curriculum for a grade above my own to have a better

chance of doing good the following year. I had a bit of experience in the topics that would
be new to others which made the work easier for me, giving me some power over the rest
of my class. As I grew older my English classes became increasingly challenging and in
my junior year of high school my teacher gave an assignment that also contributed to my
definition of literacy.
This month we will be reading Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Class please have
this book by next week I will be deducting points! Everyone take a number from the bowl
and the number you receive is your chapter. You will analyze this chapter, write a
summary and do a power point presentation. The entire class groaned after hearing
presentation and I had received chapter 15. During this period of my life I was not much
of a reader, I did not like the idea of being forced to read a book for a class but this
teacher made it very interesting. I took this project seriously and as I read all the chapters
including mine, I became immersed in the project, the characters and the storyline. I put a
lot of effort into my work and analyzed every detail. I enjoyed putting my presentation
together and the praise from my teacher and classmates on my project, which made me,
want to write more.
Taking this class changed my perception of literacy and what I had defined literacy as.
At that point in my life I did not enjoy reading and defined literacy as reading and writing
about it. Being surprised by enjoying an English assignment has had a great effect on my
writing. This assignment has affected my writing by teaching me that instead of
prejudging an assignment I automatically thought of it as a hassle until I began to do the
work. This experience transfers into my writing today and in the future because when
writing I should begin with a neutral mindset because I might become interested in what I

am writing about. This experience relates to Scribners definition of literacy as power and
state of grace. As I worked on my project I felt I had the power to do great work and I
did. I did so good that I helped others analyze their chapters. I felt a state of grace
because the grade I received changed the way I say English class, writing and analyzing
all together. Another assignment that has really helped me shape the way I defined
literacy was when I was assigned to write about my passion.
Growing up feminism has always been a topic that I have been passionate about. So
when I walked into my religion class and the teacher assigned us to write about how
feminism is portrayed through music I immediately became interested. This was going to
be something that I knew I would get a good grade in. I was a music lover and I had a lot
of background knowledge of feminism. I found specific artists and decoded their lyrics. I
researched feminist history and womens portrayal through certain types of music
throughout history. By the time I had completed my assignment I was confident in the
grade that I had gotten. My teacher was very impressed with what I had said that she
made copies for the class and told me that I should consider finding a way to use it as my
college application essay. Although I never did use the paper for that, it was one my
proudest pieces.
This experience really helped define me as a person and a writer. It made me realize
that some of your best pieces are the ones that you feel strongly about. Passion has
affected my writing in positive and negative ways today. It has had a positive effect
because when Im writing about something that I care about I become immersed in my
work and its much easier for me to write. Writing about my passion has had a negative
effect because I become overly attached and upset when my paper is being critiqued. This

transfers into my current writing because my passion for a topic can cause me to lose the
main purpose of what needs to be discussed. Composing and using words to
communicate experiences is how we described literacy. According to Dr. Sylvia Scribner
literacy is broken down in to three subcategories, literacy as adaptation, power and state
of grace. My definition of literacy has changed mainly due to this writing class because I
used to define literacy as being able to read and write proficiently. My vignettes closely
relate to Scribners idea of literacy and adaptation and power. These experiences have
made me a better reader, writer, researcher and critical thinker and literacy continues to
play a role in my life because literacy is all around us from simply reading signs to
reading books or instructions. I think other people value my literacy and learn from it, I
value the literacy of others because its always a chance to learn more from what they
say.