Welcome to English 2100 sec HTRA’s online component

Literacy Narrative – Ammaar Janjua – February 23, 2020 – Writing I – Professor Moore

“You’ll like these!” my mother claimed as she slid me a pile of books on my kitchen counter. Reluctant at first, the temptation of curiosity eventually overcame me, and after choosing a book I began reading immediately. At that moment – the age of 10 – I fell in love with books. My mother introduced me to diverse forms of literature in elementary school thinking I’d read maybe one book and the rest gradually. However, an interest sparked in me, enough that I was able to finish all of the books in the pile by the end of that summer. My reads turned from what was petty children’s books turned into the Geronimo Stilton series and then the Harry Potter saga, books I’d handpick from my local library. It was from these experiences I gained a deep love for reading. When I opened J.K. Rowling’s best works, I would be transported into a fantasy realm of wizardry and daring adventures — all in the comfort of my own room; I learned that writing can be fun and humorous. From poetry, I learned the emotional compassion and feelings that can be produced by an author’s words. Being introduced to different types of literature by my mother changed my perception of language: I realized it isn’t just a means of communicating but also an innate tool that people can use in various ways.

In school, I tended to only write enough for writing assignments and basically did the minimum. I never learned to value the usage of language to express my voice in my writing. When I read my first short poetry book, I discovered a pattern in most poems: underlying statements of purpose that poets either explicitly or implicitly. Lessons from childhood, lessons from school, lessons from society, lessons from meaningful experiences, were some of the stories I read in poetry. I learned since we all have our own unique experiences in life, the interpretation of those statements could vary from reader to reader. Additionally, I noticed, in contrast to the generic academic writing I was used to, that poets were using specific diction to induce emotion out of readers. This opened my eyes to the uses of language as a tool. I learned I could express my voice in my writing to spread awareness or even for self-therapeutic reasons. I realized through figurative language such as similes and metaphors I could make readers understand how I feel through comparisons and connections to real-life examples. Through imagery, I could use descriptive language so my reader can enter my visual cortex (I can transport the reader into the scene). Through onamonapia, I could induce an auditory sensation into my reader. Before reading poetry, I viewed language as simple, but that quickly changed as I learned that it is as simple or complex as you make it. Though power lies in language, it is up to the writer to use it.

Where poetry taught me the emotional power of language, reading — non-fiction or fiction — books, on the other hand, taught me how I could improve and update my writing skills through, simply, reading. Because I am always entering new environments and expanding my academic skills in school, I am required to complete more advanced writing assignments. By reading more books, I learned I could borrow methods of writing from authors and apply them uniquely in my own writing to convey messages or strengthen my arguments. Because I didn’t read much before my mom introduced me to diverse forms of literature, I was only familiar with my own way of writing and writing in my comfort zone. However, reading books exposed me to nuanced ways of writing. Though I was able to understand arguments and analyses of them in school, I struggled in expressing my ideas in my essays. Fortunately, I found it easier to write as I saw others forms of writing in published literature. For example, reading scientific articles taught me that I can address a counterargument, deduce what it suggests, and give my take on it all in one sentence. This helped me produce more concise sentences and cohesive arguments in my writing. My relationship with language changed with every book

Most importantly, reading literature taught me the value of written language. In the books I read I always remember the distinct identity and voice each author had in their writing. Their voices were evident in their writing – the way they expressed ideas, dialogue, or chapter endings. Similarly, in spoken language, everyone has their own voice in which they socialize, communicate, or defend themselves with. Drawing on myself, I knew that I was able to talk in public and classroom settings well, so I could use the same voice I use in spoken language in written language. Additionally, reading taught me how to control my voice and the thoughts and emotions of my audience better. This was because I had more power in written language: I was able to thoughtfully craft my arguments and ideas through a filter. In contrast to spoken language, I had less of a filter. Which means that I could sound much more intellectual in writing; this changed my initial belief that writing was pointless if I could just speak what I needed to say rather than write it. I learned that through writing I would be able to convey messages and communicate ideas more efficiently — because writing requires more deep thinking when on paper. The literature I read, I realized, was obviously not the authors’ first drafts. The authors had put substantial thought into their artistic pieces, because written language enables them to. Whereas, spoken language allocates less thought-process in what is being said. To me, that is why I look at written and spoken language differently.

Though it may have taken a while to register in my mind, I realized writing was a tool — not a burden — to express my voice and open my mind to new ideas. My relationship with language now could have never been the same if I hadn’t started intensely reading in grade school.

2 thoughts on “Welcome to English 2100 sec HTRA’s online component”

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February 5, 2020 at 4:25 pm

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AMMAAR JANJUA says:

February 27, 2020 at 9:45 am

Literacy Narrative – Ammaar Janjua – February 23, 2020 – Writing I – Professor Moore

“You’ll like these!” my mother claimed as she slid me a pile of books on my kitchen counter. Reluctant at first, the temptation of curiosity eventually overcame me, and after choosing a book I began reading immediately. At that moment – the age of 10 – I fell in love with books. My mother introduced me to diverse forms of literature in elementary school thinking I’d read maybe one book and the rest gradually. However, an interest sparked in me, enough that I was able to finish all of the books in the pile by the end of that summer. My reads turned from what was petty children’s books turned into the Geronimo Stilton series and then the Harry Potter saga, books I’d handpick from my local library. It was from these experiences I gained a deep love for reading. When I opened J.K. Rowling’s best works, I would be transported into a fantasy realm of wizardry and daring adventures — all in the comfort of my own room; I learned that writing can be fun and humorous. From poetry, I learned the emotional compassion and feelings that can be produced by an author’s words. Being introduced to different types of literature by my mother changed my perception of language: I realized it isn’t just a means of communicating but also an innate tool that people can use in various ways.

In school, I tended to only write enough for writing assignments and basically did the minimum. I never learned to value the usage of language to express my voice in my writing. When I read my first short poetry book, I discovered a pattern in most poems: underlying statements of purpose that poets either explicitly or implicitly. Lessons from childhood, lessons from school, lessons from society, lessons from meaningful experiences, were some of the stories I read in poetry. I learned since we all have our own unique experiences in life, the interpretation of those statements could vary from reader to reader. Additionally, I noticed, in contrast to the generic academic writing I was used to, that poets were using specific diction to induce emotion out of readers. This opened my eyes to the uses of language as a tool. I learned I could express my voice in my writing to spread awareness or even for self-therapeutic reasons. I realized through figurative language such as similes and metaphors I could make readers understand how I feel through comparisons and connections to real-life examples. Through imagery, I could use descriptive language so my reader can enter my visual cortex (I can transport the reader into the scene). Through onamonapia, I could induce an auditory sensation into my reader. Before reading poetry, I viewed language as simple, but that quickly changed as I learned that it is as simple or complex as you make it. Though power lies in language, it is up to the writer to use it.

Where poetry taught me the emotional power of language, reading — non-fiction or fiction — books, on the other hand, taught me how I could improve and update my writing skills through, simply, reading. Because I am always entering new environments and expanding my academic skills in school, I am required to complete more advanced writing assignments. By reading more books, I learned I could borrow methods of writing from authors and apply them uniquely in my own writing to convey messages or strengthen my arguments. Because I didn’t read much before my mom introduced me to diverse forms of literature, I was only familiar with my own way of writing and writing in my comfort zone. However, reading books exposed me to nuanced ways of writing. Though I was able to understand arguments and analyses of them in school, I struggled in expressing my ideas in my essays. Fortunately, I found it easier to write as I saw others forms of writing in published literature. For example, reading scientific articles taught me that I can address a counterargument, deduce what it suggests, and give my take on it all in one sentence. This helped me produce more concise sentences and cohesive arguments in my writing. My relationship with language changed with every book

Most importantly, reading literature taught me the value of written language. In the books I read I always remember the distinct identity and voice each author had in their writing. Their voices were evident in their writing – the way they expressed ideas, dialogue, or chapter endings. Similarly, in spoken language, everyone has their own voice in which they socialize, communicate, or defend themselves with. Drawing on myself, I knew that I was able to talk in public and classroom settings well, so I could use the same voice I use in spoken language in written language. Additionally, reading taught me how to control my voice and the thoughts and emotions of my audience better. This was because I had more power in written language: I was able to thoughtfully craft my arguments and ideas through a filter. In contrast to spoken language, I had less of a filter. Which means that I could sound much more intellectual in writing; this changed my initial belief that writing was pointless if I could just speak what I needed to say rather than write it. I learned that through writing I would be able to convey messages and communicate ideas more efficiently — because writing requires more deep thinking when on paper. The literature I read, I realized, was obviously not the authors’ first drafts. The authors had put substantial thought into their artistic pieces, because written language enables them to. Whereas, spoken language allocates less thought-process in what is being said. To me, that is why I look at written and spoken language differently.

Though it may have taken a while to register in my mind, I realized writing was a tool — not a burden — to express my voice and open my mind to new ideas. My relationship with language now could have never been the same if I hadn’t started intensely reading in grade school.

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