A moment when I as a writer felt an influence towards my ability to be literate was in my tenth grade English class, reading the novel Fahrenheit 451. Never before had I shown such appreciation and willingness to understand for a school assigned book, in truth my interest with school readings had been deteriorating due to the consistency of papers and assignments.. For years any school readings were easy to understand and majority held interesting tales, yet no piece of literature (even outside school) could manage to make me say “ I’m buying this book to put on my shelf and read on my own.
Nothing brought “ inspiration” or gave examples of “ unique” to myself personally, only the basic sentence structures and dialogue for conversation. In short, I didn’t care how literate I was because I never saw anything to imprint on myself. The only novel I would like to own needs to impact both my mind and if successful my own writing. However, each passing page of Fahrenheit 451 managed to give me that inner meaning that I wanted my own writing to radiate. As a reader I believe any novel you read has the potential to grab hold of your mind and influence or make contact with ones’ thoughts and ideals, even if one doesn’t want to let it.
With this mentality I approached Fahrenheit 451 with the standard of anything that happens to be written and land in my hands, analyze everything you can until page 40. The moment I knew the novel already had me in its grip was but page seven, barely past the introduction of any significant characters at all. At page seven the main character, Guy Montage, is being questioned about himself and the world he follows without hesitation by no more than a teenage girl. Simple statements such as how fast he drives and if he looks at the flowers were alien ideas to Montage, he hadn’t been told to pay attention to these things so why would he?
Each question caused Montage to look at himself for the first time in a long time, as what he really represents contrasting to the image he’s meant to portray to his society. It was reading this series of self-searching questions that brought my mind to connect with this novel, why hadn’t I looked at these factors for myself? Montage was denied emotions from his society and was encouraged to not think for himself, yet I live in a free land were the opinions of thousands line the streets I walk towards class everyday.
Realizing this was another aid to my writing brought on by Fahrenheit 451 after asking myself similar questions the novel presented. Initially I felt confused at this new format I wanted my writing to fit and therefore angered at what I couldn’t realized. What made the connection from mind to paper was the extent to which you dedicate every paper you write, a feeling I had forgotten. However the willingness to accept these bonds and, most importantly, allowing growth must come from the writer and not the novel they’re reading.
For years I thought my writing style wasn’t changing in the least, like each essay was the same thing Just different words and guidelines. Apparently anyone reading my assignments could tell, especially my tenth grade English teacher, Mrs.. Robinson. For questions or topics concerning analyzing, determining, representation, or anything a textbook clearly described a process for answering I had no issue with. Unfortunately it was growing more and more evident that my writing was Just simply intimation wit n “ no emotion behind the words” and showed my readers that I was “ lacking interest” in the assignment at all.
How could this be an issue for me, but not to people who turned in last second papers without even the most basic literary elements? An A in the class had its own meaning to me of course, but nothing will nag at my brain more than knowing my work isn’t at its full potential. What I believe made me gain this emotion and personalization in my papers was reading Fahrenheit 451 and witnessing the main protagonist Guy Montage go from an emotionless citizen trapped away by a world ruled by government to and individual actually craving knowledge and how to better describe the feelings he was trained to ignore.
The vivid details and emotional depth recognized allowed me to accept and write my own true emotions as well. This made e see what my flaw was and why it was so essential. I don’t live in a restricted world, why should I write like I am? I knew such manners of writing were common and has even been the leading factor in whole movements throughout history, yet I didn’t recognize why. True now I know the documents I write will occasionally not need this skill but also how the proper audience appreciates this link much more than information.
Luckily I began applying this to my articles and essays before reaching any important exams for myself. While in the pre-SAT my writing was lacking, on the actual test my score nearly topped all my other subjects. After reading Fahrenheit 451 personalization was not an obstacle to my writing anymore, personal opinions or thoughts were included throughout my papers with nearly no effort. Now that my assignments were earning better grades my literacy began growing to areas I never tried to include, such as a more welcoming vocabulary for clarifying my thoughts.
Reading the novel Fahrenheit 451 gave me a direct view of a style of writing I wanted to adopt, inspiring to think clearer and truer to myself. While the Bible showed Guy Montage how to experience free thought and his emotions through the tales of reaction and free thought development, Fahrenheit 451 allowed me the same. Do I feel like Vive fully mastered these applications to papers for every document? Of course not.
That’s why I read novels to this day, true I now aspire to better write my papers I still feel a level not quite reached. After all, I’m a freshman in college, I have many more lectures and challenging assignments I’m sure will require papers with them that’ll push my abilities and most likely my patience too. This is why I shall use those opportunities to be literate as an expansion of myself while making personal advancements in my literacy.
