Personal Literary History Essay

(Literacy Narrative assignment)

By George Ryan Jones

as such its hard to categorize the effects much of it has had on me. I learned to read
when I was 3 years old, since I had language tutors since I was 2, and all of the walls in my
house were covered in books of all sorts. I was an exceptionally curious child so I taught myself
with some Scholastic materials provided by my parents, though it led to some very high
expectations. I was voracious with books, continuously increasing the difficulty, and finishing
the Lord of the Rings series before kindergarten. This led to me being very isolative around
peers, since it was arduous to relate that young, and I was raised differently. Around 4 I started
gaming, since my parents were very restrictive about TV and they allowed me to entertain
myself this way. I had a habit of idolizing stoic characters in novels, and games I played, since I
didnt enjoy to talk to others for a long time. After joining public school rather than Catholic
preschool I began to understand the socialization requirements, but I had a hard time changing
my actions to others.
While I somehow maintained positive relationships with my peers, my relationship with
my parents began to crumble, because I saw myself as mature enough to manage myself and
they didnt believe so. Since they were always supporting me academically, I attempted to be
rebellious in the 4th grade I was in by dropping out of the gifted program I was in, which was
supposed to make me skip into middle school. I grew less interested in educating myself and

switched to gaming/reading for entertainment. However my passions for computers remained,

since I didnt associate it with my parents. I started learning HTML, and read a lot of eBooks
before they grew mainstream. My time was divided between learning about encryption
methods and stifling emotions. I read a lot of simple books, those that wouldnt be important to
label specifically, but kept me stable as a coping skill. I stopped challenging myself because I lost
all my motivation. Id specify on the reasons, but its fairly personal and I wouldnt like others to
read it.
My parents wanted me to be a writer for a long time, so I switched into learning about
computers. Most of what Ive read online has desensitized me, due to the graphic nature of the
Banned Books I was able to download on the hidden web. Around 8th grade, I started to go back
to regular books, as well as TV series that I enjoyed. I think darker books taught me about the
reality of life, and how relationships were important so I became a lot more social with peers,
though my relationship with my parents seemed stuck. I learned through my early idolization of
stoic characters that in most situations a perceptive eye is preferable to a loud mouth, though
not interpersonally so I acted fairly outgoing.
I started writing again freshman year, and created a few thought catalogues, though
much of it was controversial so I couldnt share it. I also began reading religious texts, because I
wanted to understand my purpose. The Buddhist texts I read gave me an appreciation for
others considerations, and taught me patience. However whenever I would attempt to
broaden my horizons into other sects it would always turn out negatively. Works of Christianity
or Islam consistently described humans as sin-filled and attempted to guilt trip innocent
individuals, so soon after I began identifying as an agnostic. I would identify as atheist, however

the theories currently rely on science that we dont have the ability to quantify currently. I
dont particularly hold any disdain for religious people, since most have adapted their beliefs to
the modern age, but after reading many works and history books I gained an understanding of
the crimes committed.
As a sophomore and junior I moved away, which I believed changed me drastically.
Living in the wilderness and reading Lord of the Flies for 21 days, and other experiences
matured me. I gained more control over my ability to be motivated, once I began to meet
adults I had respect for. I was assigned many books to read throughout boarding school.
Primarily they covered different psychology concepts, like Mans Search for Meaning, The Five
Love Languages, etc. I didnt understand others for a long time, as such I had a bad habit of
treating others poorly. Though going over my mistakes in interactions definitely made close
relationships a lot easier.
To pass the time in boarding school, I read. I still have the stacks I went through
somewhere in my house. I was pretty homesick, so a lot of what I read was old material, though
it helped me solidify important concepts in my mind. I read this book that I forget the title of
that recommended I start experimenting with my phrasing, and how I spoke to others. I started
doing that and noticed I was avoided a lot of interaction. My perception was that others were
simple, which was completely wrong and I worked hard to change that.
After all this work on understanding others, my principle saw me help a peer through a
difficult time in his life and recommended I major in psychology. I planned to do that for a
while, and entered UNCC as a psychology major. I read many books on the subject, and still
have an understanding of psyches, but honestly it wasnt something I was passionate at all in so

I changed to Computer Science. Computer science books arent at all like the psychology
counterparts. While when I read about psychology I started to understand myself and others,
Computer Science had different perks. The Comp Sci books taught me about being methodical,
and helped me organize my life. I still love talking to people about themselves, and I hope to
use that skill in my future career, but I cant see myself doing just that for a living.
Overall I do agree that the literature Ive read has changed me. Its given me hope, and
knowledge that I still use in daily life. Ive used books to escape, as well as deal with my
problems. I hope to eventually write one, when Im much older. If I write a book, it will most
likely be like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, one that can be interpreted uniquely and
influence the reader.