Summary/Response assignment

I didn't really connect with any of the readings. In the case of Sherman Alexi he felt literacy was important to him because his father was a very active reader. Therefore he wanted to read just like his father. Even though my father loves to read, what my father read (most of them historical and religious books) was uninteresting to me. My experience was sort of the opposite of his. I didn’t automatically love to read. In fact, I didn’t like to read at all. This was probably due to the fact that I was a slow reader and it toke me a little longer than everyone else to understand what I had read. It wasn’t until I was much older in high school that I connected with reading and writing. I then found I was creative because of the stories I made up in my head.  So maybe I did sort of connect with this story but, in a different way than expected. I don’t have any major cultural differences like Amy Tan does. I am a horrible drawer so I didn’t connect with Barry in that way. I do connect with her in the way of her two questions. I have definitely asked myself those questions before. When I ask myself these questions to me my writing becomes less unique. What I should be asking is, is this right for the assignment? When I occasionally write stuff for my own purposes I feel like my real multi-layered personality comes forward and shines. Does this suck? That is a question that I ask myself in everything I do. I have found that when I ask myself that question the answer in almost always yes. That is because I always expect more of myself. It brings down my confidence level and makes me feel stupid. I now don’t ask myself that question as much so that I can feel good about myself.