If
you are reading this sentence, you have your own story to tell. Everyone has a
different perspective to share on literacy in their own life, and many have
written narratives and memoirs, from Malcolm X to lesser-known individuals. Out
of several that I have recently read, the “Canary-Colored Caravan of Death” by
Alison Bechdel was most intriguing. In this graphic novel-like narrative, she
reveals how her encounters with literacy were heavily shaped by her parents.
They were highly literate in various forms, such as poetry, music, acting, and
visual art. Yet they were driven more by excellence and perfection than
communication, as they preferred to exercise creativity in isolation. Her
parents were an elite man and woman who cultivated their literacy day and
night, addicted to their own creative worlds. Bechdel writes, “It’s childish,
perhaps, to grudge them the sustenance of their creative solitude, but it was all that sustained them, and was thus all-consuming.
From their example, I learned quickly to feed myself” (594-595). Her parents
were so caught up in their own creativity that it widened the gap between all
of her family members. The narrative ends with, “The more gratification we
found in our own geniuses, the more isolated we grew…we ate together, but
otherwise were absorbed in our separate pursuits” (595).
Even though
Bechdel eventually conformed to her parents’ ways, the story is splattered with
examples of her desire to connect with her parents. Every time Bechdel
approaches them in this story, they are busy with some sort of creative work.
She records dialogues such as, “Did Chop-in write chopsticks?” with her
mother’s reply, “Sho-pahn. No. Don’t bother me now” (593). When she approaches her
father with, “I’m hungry!” he only says, “I’ll make lunch in fifteen minutes” (594).
It is significant to note that the illustrations of these conversations never
show her parents even looking up at her as they respond. “Their rapt immersion
evokes a familiar resentment in me,” Bechdel narrates. Obviously, she felt
slighted by their artistic seclusion. In the beginning of the narrative, when
Bechdel attempted to share her artistic works, she only received analytical feedback instead personal
and relational responses. It seems Bechdel desires to share her literacy, and
that the mimicking of her parents’ behavior was only out of having given up on
this. I also believe art should be a shared joy, and the purpose of literacy is
the communication that most desire, yet my own experiences are significantly
different.
Countless
influences have shaped my literacy throughout my lifetime, yet there is no
single event I could expand upon without it being heavily embellished with
made-up details. No single tale stands out enough for me to fully recall it and
its true impact on my writing. While I could write a boring list of minute
influences that span across my autobiography at a slow and steady pace, I would
rather call attention to the effects of the internet and, further, I want to
focus more specifically on the recent phenomenon among my circle of friends; I
dub it “the blogging craze.”
While
reminiscing on my personal history of reading and writing, I realized nothing
has influenced my writing—and possibly yours too—more than the new reign of the
internet and text-based communication. The main form of interpersonal
interaction has always been face-to-face, yet in recent years, a good portion
of it has transferred to texting, blogging, and updating Facebook. With a
critical eye, I have seen this as a possible detriment to society and ground
upon which one should carefully tread, but my perspective has suddenly shifted
to include its positive aspects as well.
As
a verbal processor without the natural inclination to think before speaking,
increased opportunities to express myself through writing have significantly
improved my linguistic abilities. Thoughts that would normally come out
fragmented and rough in the presence of others, naturally form into
well-sculpted sentences in the absence of social distraction, leaving me able
to text my thoughts at times in their most artistic forms. The always-available
soapbox of the Facebook status leaves users with
a blank text box begging to be filled. Unlike the blank Word document that
seems daunting as scholarship and academics breathe down our necks, snickering
while we perspire under the stress, the online world better resembles a green
pasture to frolic across—social, casual, and lighthearted. We are free to
practice literacy unaware we are even doing so. Like children, we learn not
through force and formalities, but through play. In this atmosphere written
language appears more colorful, creative, and stylistic. Natural poets and
comedians, such as I, become fluent in writing with confidence and personality.
The internet is a world where
everyone has a voice and a level playing field—amateurs and professionals
alike. We have become our own publishers. Because of this, we are able to
influence each other more greatly through the written word. Not only do I have
easy access to more relevant professional articles to expand my vocabulary and
comprehension, I can also more easily enter the minds of my own acquaintances
and friends.
I
have recently noticed a spurt in blogging among my peers, which has, in turn,
encouraged me to become a more active blogger—and follower. I read the posts of
my friends at Truman, my friends that have left Truman for missions in Thailand
and Kenya, and my dear staff at a summer camp. One blog in particular has
caught my special attention. It is authored by a woman I know and respect with
a specific audience in mind. Though she does include stories about herself, it
is not a blog accounting for the mundane occurrences of her everyday life. She
writes with the purpose of serving fellow women. Daily, she pours out her heart
to be a positive influence in the lives around her, even those a thousand miles
away. While I used to reside with her on the same plot of land in the Texas
hill country, I now eagerly check her blog at my home in Kirksville every day
via the World-Wide Web. Talk about influence.
With
each new day, I am changed in some way through her words that impart wisdom and
hope. This reminds me of the power of words and the influence I can have on
others through my writing as well. It encourages me to write, and to write with
purpose, bringing a new weight that hinges on my ability to communicate well. I
strive for my thoughts to be crafted with the same skill and, consequently,
impact that hers carry. The common exercise of blogging and other forms of online
communication have brought a new kind of conversation to life. It is its own
unique medium of art, which has brought confidence and motivation to my
literary journey, as well as to that of others.
Bechdel, Alison. “The Canary-Colored
Caravan of Death.” Norton Field Guide to
Writing. 2nd ed. By Richard
Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York: Norton, 2010. Print. 583-595.
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