Alp Ozgunduz

Prof. Raymond
UWRT 1103
9/27/15
The Values of our Writing
One of the most important tasks a student must do in their life is to understand the
resources and experience that influenced our literature skills. For most students, our reading and
writing techniques are not affected by just one kind of resource. In fact, the different types of
resources that influence our literature skills include people, influence quotes, books, technology,
our daily life, and statistics and documentaries.
Its fair to say that I have very little connection with Lily in regards to The Secret Life of
Bees. The overall setting and situations Lily had experienced were not the same as me. I was not
born into a rough family and not once in my life was I concerned about my wellbeing because of
where I was born. However, near the end of The Secret Life of Bees Lily unravels her secular
actions to August due to her regret. These actions included lying and stealing. It was when I
realized that I too, performed similar actions as Lily once did. I vividly recall lying and stealing
money from my parents to purchase candy at a local candy shop near my school. At first, I didnt
care, however, as time progressed on, I realized that what I was doing and I felt guilty. The guilt
made me feel so broken that I told my parents what I had done. I was concerned that they would
no longer trust me and ground me for an extended period of time. When I did confess my actions
my parents were very understanding and even admitted that they to did the same thing when they
were children. And while I did have to stand in the corner for a solid fifteen minutes, it felt good

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to get rid of that burden. This was not the only time my parents make me feel good for the
actions I did, as they also helped me receive a five out of six on the SAT Writing Section.
One of the most influential individuals who influenced my literature skills was my
mother, Verda Ozgunduz. When asking her about the different resources that impacted my
writing, she said, You werent really good at writing until you started to take the SAT. While
I didnt enjoy admitting it, before taking the SAT, my writing skills were not up to par with my
grade level. This was not a very big surprise to me, as I didnt take interest in writing during my
middle school and early high school career. However, negative perspective changed when I took
the SAT for the first time and received a two out of six on the essay section. My reaction to this
was what I considered to be common for most students. I panicked, quite literally. I considered
myself to be lost as to what to do. Fortunately, my family, in particular my mother, helped me get
back to my feet by providing me with resources and personal assistance from tutors. I practiced
creating high quality essays four times a week while restricting myself to only twenty-five
minutes each essay. As a result, my writing skills grew exponentially and I earned a solid five out
of six on the SAT writing section. This was by far one of my proudest moments; however, the
SAT and my parents was not the only influential tool, as technology influence my literature skills
as well.
Over the course of history, education has been significantly impacted by the use of
technology. Technology is such an influential tool for society, that it even changed how students
conduct their ligature skills. For me, technology has specifically impacted my writing skills. Due
to my slow writing speed, I found it to be difficult to meet my grade level writing standards. The
introduction of technology not only allowed me to quickly compose writing assignments, but

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made peer editing much more user friendly. In fact, I was not the only one who shared the same
mentality as I did. Kristen Purcell, one of the three authors of the article states, 96% agree
(including 52% who strongly agree) that digital technologies allow students to share their work
with a wider and more varied audience (The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and
How Writing Is Taught in Schools 15). Another way my literature skills were impacted was how
I perceived writing.
Writing is, without a doubt, a form of language. Its used as a method of communication
with other individuals and representation of ones skills and knowledge. And like a language,
while it can be improved and perfected, it can be forgotten if one doesnt practice enough or
doesnt have the desire to perfect it. Lewis Benny, a journalist and international traveler states,
the quicker you learn it, the quicker youll forget it (Forgetting a Language: Why It Happens
and How to Avoid It). This quote values the importance of being aware of the knowledge of
ones narrative skills. In addition, I believe that literature knowledge can be used as a form of
understanding ones cultural background. Based on our culture and our knowledge, the diction of
out every individual is different. As Lewis Ben says, Saying that any one of them was a waste
of time is ignores the cultural experience that was my priority all along. (Forgetting a
Language: Why It Happens and How to Avoid It). My perspective in writing was also impacted
by significant figures, such as Malcolm X.
Malcolm X is best recognized as a Freedom Fighter for African Americans. However,
individuals tend to forget that his writing skills were also some of the best for someone of his
background. How did Malcolm X have such exceptional writing skills? Malcolm X taught
himself how to read and write my memorizing words and repeating them over and over again to

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understand their meaning and definition. I also used similar tactics and Malcolm X when
learning new words. Both of us would repeat speaking the same words over and over until we
knew it like the back of our hand. The only noticeable difference was that he used these words to
express the wrongdoings of segregations and race inequality while I memorized words to
understand class subjects.
I never considered stopping and recognizing the value of this literacy narrative project
until now. Beforehand, I believed that it was an absolute waste of time to work reflects on my old
literacy skills. However, after doing this project for quite some time, I learned that selfevaluating my work is very useful because it allows me to identify my strengths and weaknesses.
I learned to ask myself questions such as: How can I improve myself? What can I gain from
doing certain assignments? How much effort should I put into certain topics? Today, I self
evaluate myself much more often not only to identify my strengths and weaknesses in literature,
but for most of my classes and occasionally my personal lifestyle.
My literature skills were impacted by a multitude of resources and people. Without these
resources, my ability to improve my literature skills wouldnt be the same as now. And as time
progresses on, different kinds of resources will be available, thus improving and evolving my
literature skills.

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Work Cited
Buchanan, Judy, Kristen Purcell, and Linda Friedrich. "The Impact of Digital Tools on Student
Writing and How Writing Is Taught in Schools." PewResearchCenter. Pew Charitable
Trust, 16 July 2013. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Lewis, Benny. "Forgetting a Language: Why It Happens and How to Avoid It." Fluent in 3
Months. The NewYork Times, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. .
Loewen, Stanley C. "The Importance of Self Evaluation." Health Guidance. Time Warner Cable,
7 May 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Monk, Sue. "Chapter 12." The Secret Life of Bees. 1st ed. Vol. Volume 1. Rosedale: Penguin,
2002. 302. Print.