Literacy Autobiography - Assignment 1

My name is Melody McLain and I am a Junior at New Jersey City University. I am a junior majoring in Media Arts and minoring in English with a focus on creative writing. I am interested in reading, writing, playing video games, listening to music, walking my dog and I have started to take up an interest in crocheting. I took this class because I am interested in learning more about literacy and the impact it has on our society in many different ways.

I do not remember how I learned to read, though I remember my mother reading to my sister and I every night before bed. She would point to the words, sound them out for us and we would repeat them back to her. My sister being older than me would understand the words before I did though she would always give me time to figure it out myself. One of the first books I read was “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. My siblings and I were obsessed with this book as we found it equally thrilling and funny, even though it wasn’t that interesting. My mother always encouraged me to read and write. As a teacher, she inspired me to always be the best version of myself and to push myself. I would be frustrated when learning different languages growing up, as my stepfather is Spanish and would only speak and read to me in Spanish so I learnt the language. It confused me though I eventually started to get the hang of it. A couple of my other favorite books as I was learning to read were “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister, “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, and “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. I became obsessed with Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” after reading it for the first time on my own and would constantly want to try the meal for myself. My elementary school had an event where we were served green eggs and ham, thanks to food coloring, and I only got more interested in the book! I found the absurdity and creativity of the entire situation absolutely riveting.

I always enjoyed listening to music and sounds around me as well. I learned the most when I was listening and writing down what was being said. I would struggle taking in information if it was not spoken to me, though I have been able to solve that issue by focusing more on the information I am reading. It was interesting to see how my learning abilities differed from those in my classes, though it has gotten easier.



I began to feel literate when I started reading books on my own. The same feeling applies for now, I feel most literate when I am reading. The last book I read over the summer was “A Certain Hunger” by Chelsea G. Summers.                                        

                    

It is a faux memoir about a cannibalistic woman writing about her experiences with her late lovers from a woman’s jail. It is first-person, and while I tend to stay away from first-person stories, I enjoyed this one. I enjoy literature that has no pauses, there is always something happening and you are always looking forward to something. I like the constant bombardment of information and that is what this book did, in a humorously sinister way.


I work at the New Jersey City Writing Center and my co-workers are constantly inspiring my literacy development. They give me techniques, reading recommendations, and information on how to better myself on my literacy journey. They challenge me to read more and to do more and it is incredibly rewarding.