Reading and writing for me

Marinda Hsu

English IS

Ms. Guerino

2015.10.12

                                                            Reading and writing

My high school life in the U.S. Requires me to read and write in a language that I don't usually speaks and is my second language. During this summer back at home, I remember my mom saying:" Why are you always on your phone? You used to read so much that I have to ask you to stop." I always answer her with a simple sentence:" I don't know, there's nothing fun to read." Actually, I have the exactly same question my mom is asking to myself, why do I start reading less after I grew older. I used to hide under my blanket with a small light up during sleep time to finish reading all these fiction novels I enjoyed reading so much. I also liked writing and writes good essay in Chinese, it is extremly easy for me since I’ve read so much Chinese books and knows so much Chinese vocabularies, so I can control my essay to be written out with plentiful of good word choices and exciting plot lines.  I liked reading a lot and whenever someone told me that reading is boring and hard, I feel suprise, because it is just like watching a movie for me. I really enjoy reading speculative novels for example, Sherlock Holmes, these genre makes reading exciting and varies, it is like going on an adventure, a trip throughout the book and solving problems step by step together with the characters.

    Within the school year, my ELL classes have been giving us English reading assignments which I mostly do not enjoy reading. Suprisngly, I really like our reading for the first semester--- Pesepolis; it is a graphic novel which we do not usually get and for me, never have had as a class book. With my small amount of known English vocabularies, it is more difficult for me to read a normal, thick novel, I’ll always have to stop and circle words I don’t know. But after all, my biggest problem is that I could not remember so many vocabularies once right after the reading. Eventually, graphic novels are interesting and have gave me a more visual analysis, understanding of the story. Besides graphic novel as my class reading, I actually liked my English class reading a lot back in my school in Taiwan, especially The Boy in Stripped Pajamas and The Giver. I have to admit that books I read outside of class are regularly Chinases books, just because I can connect to the words better and fell more into the story events. It is an immidiate connection and understanding of the words easily while reading books written in my first language I feel so comfortable speaking. I do not have a specific favorite book since in my opnion every book and story have their own property and style. But I really like a series of mandarin novels written by a Taiwanese author called Jiubadao(Chinese pronounciation). Most of his books are positive, inspiring and about youthhood’s adventures. I feel connected to the events in his novel and think that quotes in his books are actually useful and applies to my daily life. I can feel hope and feel my morale boosted up after reading his novel. His writting always made me look forward and expect my adolescence to be colorful, enrich and adventurous.

    In conclusion, I think reading and writting are interesting, enjoyable but at the same time difficult if you’re doing it in another language you’re still learning. I love reading and writing once ago when I was younger and I believe that one day I’ll pick up my good habbit I used to have again to love reading and feel easy about writting no matter in class or outside of school. I also hope that after my school life in the U.S. English can also be a language that I’m comfortable, familiar with.