Reading and Writing Skills - Essay Example

Reading and Writing Skills Introduction The just concluded learning period is perhaps one of the most interesting, yet challenging learning periods in my academic life. I have made a lot of progress in reading and writing in this period, as compared to any other period at school. The reading materials were interesting and enriching. This is a reflection on what I have covered in reading and writing skills, particularly from the book "Rereading America". I must admit that I have made a milestone development in my writing skills. When I began the semester, my writing skills were very poor. It was difficult for me to write constructive English sentences. Most of the sentences could not make any meaning. Although I could have the ideas in the mind, expressing them in writing was quite challenging to me. English is not my native language, and as such, I had to learn it as a second language. However, by hard work and dedication, I believe that I have made a meaningful development. The book "Rereading America” was very helpful to me. The essay “Learning to read” by Malcolm X was very inspiring. Malcolm X explained how he learned to read despite the challenging conditions he faced in life. I liked the way he struggled to learn how to read and write. He claimed, “I had commanded attention when I said something. But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional” (Colombo, Cullen & Lisle, 2010, p. 210). His struggle in jail as he tried to learn how to read and write was a great challenge to me. At least, I had helpful and understanding lecturers, friends, as well as useful reading and writing materials. At first, he started by copying everything in the first page of the book he got into his tablet, including the punctuation marks. He went on copying the contents of the dictionary in his tablet, and after some time, he started making meaningful progress. He claimed that after so much practice in writing, he gained up writing speed. I have copied the same idea and I write a lot to improve on my writing skills. I believe that I have learned a lot of writing skills. The only challenging part is that I have not yet gained full understanding of all the vocabulary in the English world. I still need more work to understand the underlying meanings of some of the complicated words. The essay by Jonathan Kozol “Still ‘separate, still unequal” was the most challenging piece of reading, yet most educative. It is undeniable that Kozol gave an extensive research on the status of education in America by exploring the different society issues which affect the education system. Most of his facts in the essay were illustrated with statistical figures. I learned that in order to make a strong point and to be convictive to the readers, facts represented using statistical figures could be very efficient. It is true that the education system in America is changing for the better, but for the times of Kozol, things were out of proportion. He claimed, “Even these statistics, as stark as they are, cannot begin to convey how deeply isolated children in the poorest and most segregated sections of these cities have become” (Colombo, Cullen & Lisle, 2010, p. 219). The piece of work really developed the title of his work. Indeed, he presented the image of the society just the way it was. Racial segregation and discrimination were the most difficult society issues at the time. Perhaps, the same still remains in some regions. The most luxurious privatized learning institutions serve the whites, whereas the low-end learning institutions serve the less privileged black Americans in the American society. Although the learning environments may be different, I have learned from Malcolm X that determination is what matters most. It is possible to go to privatized luxurious institution and fail or attend a low-class learning institution and become successful depending on your attitude, focus, and commitment to education. I read this essay several times and I feel that it has improved my reading skills. The essay with the most interesting title was “Idiot nation” by Michael Moore. I found this title rather intriguing when I first read it. I was really to know what was inside the essay and that was when I discovered that the title of a book or a piece of literature could greatly influence the perception and the interest of the reader at first sight. He presented the bare truth about the state of reading and writing literacy in the American society. Moore claims, “There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level - in other words, who are functional illiterates” (Colombo, Cullen & Lisle, 2010, p. 128 ). He also claimed that only about 11 percent of the American society read the important sections of newspapers. I felt as if Moore was talking about me. I must admit that I was not a voracious reader before I read this essay. I felt that I do not want to be among the illiterate people in the American society. I have taken it as a personal initiative to endeavor to read many literature materials in order to enrich my English vocabulary. By reading many articles, magazines, and current newspapers, I will be able to understand the issues affecting the modern society. Moore illustrated the disheartening truth about the American society. According to his claim, we spend countless hours watching unending movie series and soap operas instead of taking a book for a minute and improving on our learning, reading, and writing capabilities. I have learned a lot from this essay and I must say that it has really changed my attitude towards reading and writing. Conclusion I believe that my reading and writing skills have greatly improved after having gone through this unit. By reading the book "Rereading America" and putting the learning into practice, I feel that I am doing well on my writing. I will use the knowledge I have learned to improve on various aspects of my life. I sometimes feel that I can write English better than some Americans can, but at times, I feel like I am going to fail when I see my marks, especially in reading section. Nevertheless, my writing and reading skills have improved and I will continue the same trend. References Colombo, G., Cullen, R., & Lisle, B. (2010). Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's. Read More