Blog 6 Literacy Narratives (A Cultural Story)

Literacy Narratives 2

Questions:
How does the writer find a relationship with literacy?

• Started relationship with writing by reading.
• Mother passed on love of reading to author and two sisters (read to the every night/frequent library trips).
• Sister had an influence on early life of literacy in the author through reccomendations of books, reading together, and follow up discussions.

What challenge does the writer face accepting their role in literacy?

• Did not consider his/herself in the role of a "writer" (Sister filled the role of " writer").
• Considered writing as an academic tool, claimed the role of "good at school" in terms of their writing.
• Fears of judment of work, and judment of audience  
• Cultural Stories keep him/her from realizing they had any merit as a potential author.

How does the writer connect literacy to childhood experiences?

• Used imaginitive play and role playing to connect the art of story creation
• Developed ideas, characters, dialogue and settings through verbal interactions with sisters and friends
• Used this time to piece together stories and ideas through shared experiences.
• Learned to use online communities as an audience

 In Literacy Narrative 2 we meet the author of the piece who struggles to attribute the term "writer" as a self label. Although the author fostered the love of literacy through the influence of family and friends, therer is this self conflict to identify as  a writer because of this "cultural story", or traditions and misconceptions about writing.  I found that this is the theme throughout all of the Narratives read in class. This whole idea of the "literacy myth", or "cultural story" that serves as this connection to the authors story and the effects it had on their roles in literacy. They are these misconceptions and assumptions that literacy or "writing" the challenge the author of this story faces, is this lonely, solitary act, where inspiration comes from the intellegence of ones mind and not their actions. On the contrary literacy for the writer was a shared experience, nurtured through family and friendships. An influence started early with a mother being a role model for literacy and a sister being a peer model. Through these experiences a "story" and a "writer" were developed. The writer had to understand that imagination, play, interactive dialogue and characterization would serve as the framework for his/her ability to create stories. The writer could not connect to writing as and individual like the sister could. The writer connected through environmental responses, being a co-author, or a member of the audience, or an online community where his/her talent could be nurtured through  a social context. Being introduced at a young age to the computer the writer was able to find his/her indivuality or identity as a writer. However just as in childhood their needed to be an audience creating a shared experience. Encouragement was a starting point to a gradual change to "author". Letting go of the cultural story and releasing the labels society puts on writing and literacy shaped the writer's confidence. The writer may have developed into the role sooner if he/she would have honed in on the skill, instead of letting the fear of individuality, and  labeling to define their acheivements.