Oh 1 Il-Woong Oh Professor Arnold English 1103 21 September 2011 Imagine Reading Back in South Korea, when I was about

three or four years old, I can remember reading books with my older brother, Il-Yong. Although I dont remember particularly what I read, I can recall reading everyday before playtime; I believe those readings were assignments from either school or my parents, but too much time has passed for me to be able to say that statement with certainty. During that time, reading brought me joy and a sense of satisfaction rather than feelings of obligation or boredom. This period in my life remains the earliest time that I can recall being literate. At approximately the age of six or seven, my family and I came to the United States. In the United States, I had to learn the English language- I had to learn to read and write in a completely different language than I was previously taught in South Korea. However, since I was very young, I learned this new language quickly. Upon learning English, I can recall myself reading books strictly for my own pleasure. Throughout my elementary school years, I read books such as The Bible, Charlottes Web, The Doug Chronicles, The Goosebump Series, The Animorph Series, The Magic Tree House Series, et cetera; basically, I read anything that I could find around the house that appeared to be interesting. There remained one constant key factor that kept me interested in reading- I could always try and imagine myself in the story; whether the plot portrayed a fantasy or a realistic storyline, there appeared to be some factor that always made the story of each book personal to my life.

Oh 2 My growing adolescent mind, in contrast to my early childhood, grew a strong emotion of repellence towards books and the act of reading; this emotion lasted through my middle school and early high school years. The thought of spending my time reading books instead of engaging in relaxing and entertaining activities, such as watching television, compelled my mind to make the rational decision- to rid of the less pleasurable activity, which was to read books during my spare time. Upon coming home after a long, tiresome day at school, the activity that I despised giving further portions of my time to was reading, especially when I had the freedom to choose how to use my remaining amount of time at home- why should I read and learn more during my spare time, considering the fact that I spent the whole morning and afternoon, engaging in those activities at school? At school, I am required to read textbooks that are filled with information that teaches me about specific material such as the process of plants using photosynthesis to make food. Rather than the repetitive and exhausting activities of reading and learning more material, I chose to engage in more relaxing activities, such as watching The Simpsons on television. With my increasing desire for personal leisure time, young adolescence was the period of my life when I grew the farthest apart from reading books. Eventually, I encountered a conflict in my life that strongly reignited my passion for reading- my high school English teacher, Mrs. Michael, and her teaching methods. She taught in such a way, that her methods brought out certain elements and aspects of reading that I had not considered before- reading for analysis and insight. When reading about any topic or subject, whether agreeable or disagreeable, there always remains something that can be learned from the reading. Mrs. Michaels unique and specific teaching methods helped me to be able to search for, identify, and express insight; she taught me to express the identified insight through effective expressions of literacy, such as using rhetorical devices or effective diction, in order to clearly

Oh 3 state the conclusion and insight. As an assignment, Mrs. Michael made me read Wuthering Heights; throughout the reading, Mrs. Michael assigned discussion questions that I had to answer, such as Discuss the digression of Heathcliffs character as the novel continues. Is there reader sympathy for Heathcliff? Does it waver? Explain.- these sorts of questions require critical thinking, which consist of analysis and insight, to answer. Through many essays and discussion questions about given pieces of literature, Mrs. Michael grew and refined my literacy skills immensely, which also further grew my passions for reading. As my literacy skills began to grow and develop, the passion for my most important reason for reading also grew, which is to learn more about God and His Purpose for the entire world- from each individual to whole nations. As a Christian, I hold in my heart a grave importance of anything pertaining to the fulfillment of Gods Purpose and Will. Through readings of the past and present, I can clearly see God working in the world, such as the spreading of Christianity from one side of the world to the other, and great Christians such as Martin Luther King Jr., the Founding Fathers of the Nation, and Abraham Lincoln accomplishing great feats during their lives in faith; these accomplishments are examples of Gods providential works through His faithful people. My youth pastor, Steve Lee, introduced me to a book called Experiencing God, which seeks to help Christians in their walk with God; one of the truths, in the book, about truly serving God for the fulfillment of His Purpose is this: Make sure the heart has no will of its own, and seek direction and the Will of God from the Spirit and the Word combined. Pray, study the Scriptures, and reflect. Through reading about Gods Purpose and seeing the truth through the Scriptures, or The Bible, I constantly strive and seek to imagine myself in Gods plan, which I can try to imagine but cant know until He, Himself, reveals His Purpose to me. Truths from The Bible and readings such as Experiencing God are prime

Oh 4 examples of what I can try to imagine and make personal in my life; I can try to imagine myself in the stories of The Bible, such as King David conquering all of his enemies through his strong faith, obedience, and heart in God, which makes The Bible personal to my life- my goal is to become a person of strong faith, obedience, and heart in God as well, through Jesus Christ. While many may disagree, and even oppose, to my most important reason for reading, this reason of seeking the truth remains my most important goal and passion for reading and further developing my literacy skills. Throughout many different periods of my life, with differing levels of growth pertaining my literacy skills, there have been many different aspects and elements to my reasons for reading, such as pure interest or more specific purposes such as spiritual growth. There have been many teachers and leaders who have guided me to grow and develop my literacy skills for effective use in my life, such as my English teacher, Mrs. Michael, my youth pastor, Steve Lee, and my most important teacher, Jesus Christ. As I have seen a continuing level of growth pertaining my literacy skills throughout my life, through the constant use of these skills, I will continue and seek the further development of these skills which may contribute to the fulfillment of Gods Purpose at some point in time, hopefully.