Good Example Of Essay On Remembering Reading And Writing

In her article “Remembering Writing, Remembering Reading,” Deborah Brandt provides some intriguing revelations on the motivation behind the early experiences of reading and writing. According to Brandt, people within the family encourage reading more than writing. As a result, children get the motivation to read because they can comfortably do it within the precincts of the family. On the contrary, writing is not expressed explicitly within the family environment as compared to reading. Consequently, writing in most cases begins as a self initiative rather than a parent-driven initiative.
For most of the subjects interviewed by Brandt, the stories were almost the same. They recalled fond memories of parents reading stories to them in a relaxed family atmosphere. Their reading activities were received well within the family. They also received encouragement and support for their reading attempts when in school. On the other hand, stories from the interviewees revealed that the first writing attempts came from rebellious and lonely circumstances. Therefore, writing was much less celebrated than reading.
Brandt’s revelations differ from the conventional thinking that writing and reading occurs in the same context. The assumption is that parents teach their children how to read and write. To me, for example, there is no clear distinction between the environment in which reading and writing takes place. Although there may be subtle differences in the manner in which reading and writing is imparted to young people, I did not think that writing is less regarded than reading.
Contrary to my experiences, many individuals interviewed by Brandt had different experiences. For example, reading was a home ritual to many of the interviewees. This means that, for the Christian families, religious books such as the Bible would be read to the family members frequently. One of the interviewees, for example, admitted that their grandmother would read parables from the Bible to the family after dinner. In other homes, secular reading was also predominant, and formed part of entertainment and relaxation. Interestingly, most of the interviewees seemed to agree that reading cut across races, generations and different classes of people. Consequently, reading was like a home ritual for many families.
On the contrary, reading was a self-sponsored activity for many of the interviewees. Unlike reading whereby almost the whole family would be involved, most of the interviewees remembered writing as a self-sponsored activity. Writing was modeled quite differently from reading. Most of the people remembered writing as having a less coherent status in collective family life. Whereas there were fond memories of parents, grandparents and siblings reading their favorite stories to their children, reading occurred in lonely, secretive and rebellious circumstances.
The reading and writing patterns beginning during the pre-school period gave way to literacy practices in school. Simply put, literacy practices refer to the reading and writing activities performed under the guidance of an instructor – school teachers in this case. While in school, reading and writing was well-structured with the purpose of developing literacy. This was evident from the class assignments given by the instructors. However, writing was treated in much the same way as the pre-school days. To most people, writing came second to writing. On many occasions, writing was introduced to support or verify reading. For example, students would be given essays to read, and then made to write essays resembling the original texts they had read.
In retrospect, my earliest experiences of reading and writing differ from what most interviewees in Brandt’s experiment revealed. For example, my parents encouraged writing as much as they encouraged reading. My first attempts at reading and writing were celebrated in equal measure. Moreover, my parents took time to make sure that my writing was as perfect as my reading. As far as my recollection goes, my parents did not discourage my reading and writing at any point. In any case, my mother took her time to make sure that I knew how to write the letters of the alphabet and all the numerical letters. The walls provided the most perfect place for me to experiment my writing. I would scribble anything I could on the walls. Surprisingly, I would not be reprimanded for dirtying the walls.
Nevertheless, reading was almost a home ritual within the family precincts. For example, I have fond memories of my parents taking turns to read children stories from “Ollie’s Jar” and “Kitty Wants a Box.” The early reading experiences ingrained a sense of reading culture in me – a feat I still maintain to date. On the other hand, my early writing took place under the guidance of my parents. My mother, for example, would scribble down letters of the alphabet and make me copy them. Although I came to realize later that writing was meant to support my reading, I appreciate the encouragement I received during my pre-school days. For that reason, I still continue to keep daily journals to date.
In conclusion, Brandt’s research matters a lot to the American culture in general. This is because reading and writing cuts across races, ethnicities and generations. The research is important because it helps to understand the individual and family motivations behind literacy and, or, lack of it. For example, the research would be helpful in understanding the education patterns in the Rio Grande Valley. However, the research would have to incorporate basic understanding of the Hispanic culture, which is the predominant ethnicity in the area. The fact that English is their second language means that they have to learn both languages simultaneously.