Trevor Yu Professor Gonso ENGW 1111 19 1/4/14

Write a 3-4 page (typed, double-spaced) essay in which you describe your prior experiences with writing and reading and explain how these experiences led to your current level of confidence and skill in writing. Do your best to craft a coherent, detailed, well-organized, polished essay.

Writing At a Glimpse

Reading and writing are mans tools to identifying his true self. As children we are introduced to adventure and morality, to good versus evil, and right from wrong. Whether these ideas become rooted in our subconscious, only time will reveal. As children we are taught, as teenagers we experience. Through my teenage years, I have come to understand others and myself. There are certain pieces of literature that we automatically connect with, for me science fiction and mythology are the most prominent. A common factor that hooks us to these various genres of literature is personal identification. Every individual goes through their teenage years trying to find they true identity am I an all -star sports athletea popular kid? The truth is, our identity is engineered to change. From the moment we are brought into this world, society, even nature, mandates we must adapt. Just as a baby lion must adapt to become the king of the jungle, we are challenged to become successful and impactful in our society. It is a harsh reality. In our dawning stages of life we are babied, which of course is completely natural; the competition erupts in middle school where seats at the popular table are fought over, not physically but socially. The few who succeed move forward with more confidence and less self-conscious.

I was not a part of such a group. I found my high school identity and character during sophomore year English class with Mr. Keenan. As we explored a multitude of great literary figures, one in particular captured my interest, Orson Scott Card. Author of Enders Game, a very morally controversial masterpiece, Card engaged me in his fantasy and opened the science fiction world to my mind. Enders Game especially engaged me because it incorporated a troubled protagonist whom surpassed his peers and elder classmates to become an intimidating, yet respected figure. In retrospect, this novel was the foundation for my interest in science fiction. I believe science fiction literature to be one of the most pleasurable genres of novels because it allows your imagination to engulf you into a story, to paint the setting and visualize actions of characters. Primarily it is because your imagination is unique and nobody else can conceive an identical image. Ive often compared my thoughts on novels with those of friends and have found this activity to be most enlightening in that you begin to understand a book through different perspectives, in ways your mind may never have envisioned. Time passed, pages turned. Sometimes until the morning rays of a sunrise filtering through the horizontal white-mahogany wood blinds convinced me it was time to get some sleep. Although I enjoy reading as a recreation, my reading ability is average to say the least. I have trouble analyzing deeper meanings behind the authors text and expanding on these ideas, especially during the middle of my junior year English course. Several of our class assignments were to analyze Henry David Thoreaus works; I remember not

being able to understand how some of my peers thoughts developed . On the other hand, I am very confidant in my writing ability. Both my junior and senior year English teachers have commented on my style of writing. Each of us has our own style of writing and my parents as well as my mentors in several instances have said how well I write. Looking back to high school experiences regarding writing, college application essays become more pronounced. One essay prompt was to write about a single greatest feeling and/or moment we have experienced, limited to 250 words. A college writing tutor helped me to brainstorm ideas until I had the perfect moment captured in text. I vividly remember one of his comments to me, the energy of the words just make you feel like I was there. Coming from an ex-collegiate professor in the art of literature, I felt proud. I believe this moment to be the most memorable of my writing career thus far. In retrospect, my writing style has developed greatly from the amazing work of fantastic educators and mentors; I am confident that my writing will only improve with time through college.