A Look into My Literary History

The first thing I ever remember reading that was insightful was an article in Time magazine. Kneeling near the foot of my bed, my father and mother encouraged me as I slowly uttered each syllable clearly and understood the meaning of each word. At that age, I frequently interrupted to ask questions to reflect upon the meaning of the preceding paragraph. However, as the years have passed, the time that was spent to ponder was replaced by a period of reviewing the materials for familiarity in an expedient manner.

Ever since I could fully understand the themes and messages the author tried to express in the novel, I began to read more. When I was young, reading contests at public libraries motivated me to read often–every book I read brought me closer to the final prize, which was a coveted autographed poster of the Phoenix Suns Gorilla. This approach of motivation has not changed much. Instead of pursuing an autographed poster, it is my future goals that urge and inspire me to read more to gain success in my career.

My selection of books has not strayed far from that which occurred in my juvenile reading contests. At that time, I enjoyed reading adventure novels similar to Gary Paulsen’s The Hatchet. His mastery of detailed imagery stimulated my instincts of self-preservation, putting me in the shoes of the protagonist who struggles to survive in the wilderness. I am always attracted to books that inspire their readers to live the experiences of their protagonists. Often, first person narratives of the bildungsroman genre continue to captivate my consciousness. I enjoy reading comedic bildungsroman books like The Catcher in the Rye, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

I believe writing characterizes its writer. Writers like John Steinbeck create novels that represent their opinions and insights regarding human nature in dealing with the wickedness of morality in The Pearl. These writings personify the emotions, personalities, and dedications of their authors. Writing is a process that requires numerous refinements because there is always something that can be improved. Although they are strenuous and sometimes may seem burdensome, research papers are manageable because they take on challenges like a jigsaw puzzle that once pieced together, create a sensible picture of clarity. In particular, I have enjoyed writing a research paper on the subject of the internment of Japanese during World War II in a first person perspective from an internee through a letter format based on Fort Minor’s song “Kenji.” (426)