Ryan Clear Defense Essay English 1101 Instead of selecting only one genre to describe my literacy I felt the

need to select two. For my two genres I made a Wikipedia page and had several links to a blog within the page. Wikipedia allows for me to learn a material quickly just by searching it, by following a blog you can begin to understand the authors personality by the pictures they post. I picked both genres based on the various ways their properties have affected my literacy and life. Ultimately I chose a Wikipedia page just based on how I am. If you are ever watching me and all the sudden I just start staring into space, the chances are that I am thinking about something. Wikipedia always allows me to get a quick answer when I need it. If I dont know something, I search it on Wikipedia so that I will know it. I also chose a blog due to the fact that I was diagnosed with a learning disorder where I am able to learn a lot easier through visual learning than auditory learning. Selecting only one genre didnt seem to show enough about me, I felt that I needed two genres in order to show more of who I am and how I go about life. When it came to research papers I always had a go to source that I used more than any other. This source was of course Wikipedia. Teachers would always say to use more than one source so that you have different opinions to draw from. The great thing about Wikipedia is that it draws from multiple sources in order to create factual articles with accurate information. Having been diagnosed with an auditory learning disorder, in school I would always look for explanative charts, diagrams, and pictures in order to understand a concept. Essentially a blog is nothing more than a series of pictures posted over a period of time. While I may not have any

Comment [R1]: Revision points I will be focusing on: 1.Introduction a.Engaging Audience b.Establishing focus for essay 2.Transition Sentences 3.Providing More Details a.Providing detail to why you made specific content choices in your narrative 4.Repetition a.Refrain from using repeated phrases 5.Conclusion a.What this project has taught me about my writing identity b.How my history with literacy has allowed myself to acquire specific beliefs 6.Comma usage Comment [R2]: Many people develop their personal literacy through different ways. For example one might have had many experiences in their childhood with books while another would always write short narratives. Comment [R3]: Insert comma after literacy Comment [R4]: This Essay will help in defending the genre I chose by stating how the genre in question correlated with my personal literacy experience.

Comment [R5]: Being diagnosed with a learning disorder, visual learning was a lot easier for me than auditory learning. For this reason I decided to choose a blog. Comment [R6]: Delete repeated word throughout paper Comment [R7]: When producing a research paper if allowed, I would always turn to Wikipedia for information.

Comment [R8]: Yielding an article based on many different views but, with accurate information.

direct experiences with blogs I do have experience with the very content within them. For almost all of my science tests in my life, when it came time to study for a test I would whip out all my charts and diagrams. Pictures can show a surprising amount of detail, almost like a story even. There has always been a saying that states a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that there is a triangle of literacy. There are three points of this triangle: the words that we read, the picture that we create from the text, and the picture in our mind that we transfer onto paper through writing. There is more to the sole action of just viewing a picture. Upon viewing a picture you can create a story within your mind of what you see and how you interpret it. By looking through this perspective I have learned how to direct the readers interpretation through my writing. I have learned how to interpret a piece of literature and create the mental images in my head to make sense of it. As great as Wikipedia is however it can sometimes be dangerous when using it as a source. Unfortunately I have learned my lesson the hard way. This danger is known as plagiarism which is when you take something written by someone else and use it as your own words. I have written many research papers in my life but on one of my first papers I used Wikipedia and I received a zero for my grade. I had plagiarized one of my research papers through the use of Wikipedia. Learning from my mistake I always make sure that if I am using Wikipedia I completely transfer the thoughts the website expresses into my own thoughts in order to avoid penalties or punishment. When looking back into my literacy history I never really noticed how much of an impact my sponsors had on me. My sponsors influenced my literary being greatly just by associating themselves with me more frequently than other. When writing my narrative I wanted to make
Comment [R13]: I didnt learn this entirely on my own. However, one of my many sponsors repeatedly stress the importance of using your own thoughts. Comment [R14]: Delete repetitive word Comment [R15]: Insert comma after history Comment [R12]: Insert comma after mistake Comment [R11]: Replace however with a comma Comment [R10]: Insert comma after picture Comment [R9]: Insert comma after states

Comment [R16]: Replace with while

sure that I explicitly conveyed the point that my sponsors impacted me more than anything. Another key point that somewhat correlates with my sponsors was how my socialization affected my literacy. Showing that who I chose to spend my time around would rub off on my personality and how I dealt with literacy. All these ideas however require I use a genre that is easily deciphered and structurally neat. By using the Wikipedia I was basically able to organize my life into different periods and different subjects. My Wikipedia page describes me in third person and touches on the important domains that influenced my literacy as well as experiences. While I didnt structure the site by a time elapsed, I made sure that everything went into its own category and subcategory. Another technique I used was creating links that led to pictures in order to have my literary history appeal to two senses. By doing so the reader would be able to feel more in touch with the progression of my literacy. In order to understand my literacy history through my genre it is important the reader looks at the information from a specific standpoint. The reader needs to use the few short excerpts about some of my experiences as structural support for my summaries regarding my literacy. My genres basically express my life literacy history in the form of an autobiography/ summary. It is imperative that the reader grasps the importance of each domains impact on my literacy. By using the links within the text that lead to pictures the reader will be able to interpret the meaning of topics more easily. There are some drawbacks with everything however. While there are many benefits from the genres I selected, there are also limitations that come with it. One of the great things about Wikipedia pages is the structure and format that expresses an organized depiction of the topic. By adding in a blog I am able to gain another
Comment [R20]: Insert comma after genre Comment [R19]: So my literacy history would appeal Comment [R18]: Insert comma after Wikipedia Comment [R17]: By describing little narratives of experiences I had with my sponsors, I can show the level of importance for that particular experience.

sense being the incorporation of images that correlate with my writing. The blog also works hand in hand with the Wikipedia pages by taking specific moments of my life and showing the detail. But, with all these benefits there are plenty of limitations. Due to the Wikipedia page being written in third person the audience may not be able to feel as in touch with the subject as they might if it was in first person. I am only really able to capture brief moments within my blog. The Wikipedia page doesnt necessarily show as much opinion as other genres would, instead it shows more of the basic description of events and important parts of my life. Regardless of the limitations I feel the benefits overcome the negative factors. I selected my genres for my literacy account specifically because I felt that the characteristics of the genres would help best describe my literacy. By using these two genres together I was able to have one genre fill in holes the other would miss. I also chose them due to the crucial role they played in my life. The clarity of the description and story of my life portrayed by these genres basically defends itself on its own.
Comment [R22]: Each of my sponsors have passed on specific influences that I have been affected by when writing. Some influences being not using to-be verbs while others encouraging me not to produce run-on sentences. Comment [R23]: This project specifically showed me that as I writer build growth through reading novels and encouragement from sponsors. Comment [R21]: Insert comma after person

My website: https://sites.google.com/site/ryanclearsliteracy/