Literacy: A Lineage Annotation

Luken uses a great way to open her essay by grabbing our attention: “It would be impossible to discuss my path to literacy without talking about my literacy guardian, the person who inspired and encouraged my love for reading and writing: my father.” p 132

Luken uses words to help us visualize her experience, such as that time when she went bike riding every Sunday afternoon with her father: “We nearly always took the same routine, down to the bike path by the river, circling around, and breaking at Carillon Park under the bell tower.” p132

In her writing she shows and tells us at the same time why writing is important for her which has to do with the close relationship she has with her father whom enjoys reading and writing. “My definition of literacy involves more than the ability to read and write; for me, it is also a tradition, an inheritance I received from my father, and an ability to appreciate language because of him and because of many other writers who came before him.” p 133

I’ve noticed that Luken mentions her father in every paragraph which tells the reader the importance her father was to her in shaping her life. “Because of my father and our shared love of literature, my definition of literacy is intimately linked to the idea of tradition.” p 135

Her essay is written in first person and she manages to let the reader know about her feelings towards her writing and her father.