To most people home is where you were born or where you grew up, but to others home is a place of comfort and individuality. Home is a place to escape from reality, stress, or people that fail to understand you. My home is a place where silence is the atmosphere, where knowledge can be gained at every corner, and where my eyes grow with excitement at every word on the cover. The library is the home I’ve dreamed of; it gives me a sense of adventure and knowledge through every book I read.
As a young teen the library was my after school and summer hang out spot. I would complete projects after projects and essays after essays at one of the desk in the corner. Additionally, the library was the place where I got rid of the stress from the world around me. To rid myself of stress I would browse every shelf of the teen department until I found a book with the boldest title. Once I found a book that appealed to me, I would then open the book and read the description. To me, the descriptions provide the story and allows for there to be imagery in the brain of what the plot and characters may be like. If the description of the book drew me in I would begin reading the book at that moment and everything around me would go silent. As I sat and read in silence as the images of the characters would fill my brain and it was allowing me to have my own interpretation of the stories setting and dialogue.
Eventually as I got older my interest in literary genre’s began to change. I started to read more classic, suspense, and historic novels. This change came when I started my honors English class and my teacher started exposing the class to novels such as Antigone and Oedipus Rex. These novels were both classics, but presented some historic facts and suspenseful endings. This opened my mind up to read books outside of my comfort zone and in result of this I went to the library and searched for books in other sections of the library I wasn’t familiar with. An example of this would be when I decided to read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky for my English project. This book as well as others on the list were very unfamiliar to me, but I wanted read a complex and challenging novel that was out of my comfort zone. Additionally, my teacher did warn me about the challenges associated with this book and in result of that warning I became more determined to read this book and challenge my mind to interpret plot of the story. I eventually finished the book and became more open to choosing unfamiliar and complex novels. Lastly, this made me realize the library is the place where I can feel free and express my interest and challenge my mind through reading.
In result of the library being my home I figured out who I was as an individual through an intellectual lens. I discovered that reading different literary genres helped me learn different tones of writing such as direct and informative tones. The library has also opened my mind up to different cultures and backgrounds through historical readings both nonfiction and fiction. Learning about multiple cultures and backgrounds has allowed me to see the world from different perspectives and lenses. Lastly, the library has given me the ability to look beyond the internet for answers and to use books because they are primary sources. Using books as sources for assignments has made me a well-rounded researcher and has given me more ways to express my opinion on a topic.
Furthermore, as I began reading more complex and challenging novels I started to develop a list of authors that inspire and influence me as a college student. The author that influences me the most is James Patterson because of his writing style and technique, which gets his readers hooked to his books. His writing style influenced me because it taught me how to write straight forward papers; meaning papers that don’t need a lot of details and just need answers to specific questions or statements. I learned of his writing style after reading an article by Joe Berkowitz titled “World’s Best-Selling Author James Patterson On How To Write An Unputdownable Story” and in the article James Patterson states “I think what hooks people into my stories is the pace…I went on for 20 minutes describing the architecture on the street…you’d feel like “Stop with the description…”This statement sticks with me because it gives the inspiration to write papers that many people will appeal to and understand.
Moving forward, as my literary mind grew I began to develop a love for journalism. I would go to the library and pick up the latest edition of Teen Vogue or Time Magazine; as I read those magazines I became fascinated with the idea of presenting my opinion on a topic or event through writing. Eventually during my senior year of high school I decided to enroll in the journalism course, which turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. The decision to enroll in that course taught me new form of writing and how to interpret multiple forms of writing such as editorials and feature articles. As I became a more skilled journalist throughout the course; I decided to take a chance and become an op-ed editor for my class. I knew this role came with a lot of responsibility, but I knew that my literary and writing skills would help me through. My optimism definitely proofed me right and I became the top journalist in the class with editorials on both politics and entertainment. Lastly, I believe my love for different literary genres influenced me to write on different topics and to express my knowledge of those topics.
The library is my home because it was a place that helped me relieve the stress of my reality. Additionally, it allowed me to grow intellectually through different literary genres and novels. Furthermore, the library has given me the mindset to think further ahead and look for sources outside the internet. It eventually allowed me to love journalism and to take part in journalism in both high school and college. Lastly, it also has given my favorite authors and writers inspiration. The library will continue to influence me as I take literary journey into adulthood.
