The Sculptors Of My Literacy

The people who have impacted my literacy the most are definitely my parents. When I was younger, and just beginning to investigate the written worlds, it was my mother who read most of my bed time stories. I couldn't fall asleep without one. With her I explored the solar system with the little prince and I travelled with Dorothy through all of her adventures in Oz. She smiled as I met Toot and Puddle, the pig couple that I soon grew to love, and who's simplistic life view I still admire. When the days of talking animals had passed, and I had left the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve in Narnia, she gave me a complete collection of Shakespeare's works. I perused his sonnets, not understanding the great feelings of love that he wrote about, but desiring to feel them myself all the same. While my father gave me a sense for the emotion and movement in Shakespeare's plays, my mom analyzed them and showed me their inner meanings, translating the archaic english for me. Since my parents met while working at The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC I could not have asked for better tutors. My father was acting there and my mother was a dramaturge, their combined skills were imparted to me through years of grooming. They molded me into a teenager who could fully understand the complex language that Shakespeare wrote with, and who was beginning to experience the feelings that he captured. While many people my age shy away from any mention of the Bard, I embrace all his works. I love delving into the text and figuring out exactly what he is trying to convey. I adore the feeling of accomplishment that comes with understanding an ancient reference, and being able to speak the words with total comprehension. Thanks to years of reading with primarily my mother, my father could take all my reading experience and transfer it into the world of Shakespearian acting. Their efforts have forged me into someone that will always have an appreciation for literature. I am so lucky to be growing up in a family that values literacy and a love of literacy so highly. Thanks to them I'm one of those weird kids that reads Shakespeare for fun, and I love it.