Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

 

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English professor Kara Poe Alexander describes a child prodigy as someone who,“excels at reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance…”(615). Alexander however fails to mention that the child prodigy identity always changes or evolves. The reason a child prodigy identity always has to change is because no one stays a child forever. This is because if a child prodigy continues on that path they will likely end up with a success or literacy winner identity. However, not all child prodigies continue on the path to success and achievement. A child prodigy, unlike every other identity, is set to a certain standard of success and achievement that must be met. Such pressure to excel in literacy can result in an identity shift. An identity shift is when the writer or the character, who was once a certain identity then changes their perspective to a different identity. English professor Bronwyn T. Williams describes this shift as a “…result of working with their peers…,[which] causes not just a shift in identity but at least initially, an identity crisis” (343). Such a shift can be seen in English student Kayla Ferrell’s literacy narrative. She states “I was always a good little reader and writer in elementary and middle school…then i got to highschool and every bit of confidence I had about writing was stripped” (Para. 1). Ferrell recalls being a child prodigy only to shift to a different identity when she got older. Many child prodigies appear to shift to mainly three different identities: rebel, victim, or literacy winner. Although the shift from child prodigy to rebel, victim, and literacy winner appear to be most common, the shift from a child prodigy can result in any new type of identity.

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English Professor Deborah Brandt can be recognized for her theory of sponsors and how they affect one’s literacy experiences. Sponsors are commonly known for being “figures who turned up most typically in people’s memories of literacy learning…” (Brandt 32). They are people who influence one’s literacy journey, either good or bad. A child prodigy typically has positive sponsors who might “lend their resources or credibility” (Brandt 32) such as an elementary school teacher or a parent. These sponsors encourage reading and writing by sharing information, resources, or time with the child. An example of this is when English Student Mary Kate Fitzgerald states, “I remember being introduced to the world of reading…, I was sitting with my mother…, stumbling upon the words of The rainbow fish”(1). In Fitzgeralds case her mother was her sponsor since she provided her time and books for her child to read. However, not all sponsors are positive ones. A negative sponsor might be a discouraging teacher or someone who withholds literary information. Such an experience is what links the child prodigy identity to the victim identity. This can be seen in English student Sarah Manuels literacy essay where she states, “During my senior year my love for books was destroyed. There was no hope for my love for reading and writing to come back after Ms. Lefrancois” (Para 1). Manuel describes having had a love for reading and writing destroyed by one sponsor. Manuel then goes to state, “Throughout the reading I asked for a summarization of what they were saying. She always rolled her eyes and moan, or give off some other unprofessional gesture” (Para 4). Manuel is motioning the idea that her literacy sponsor withheld information from her. This leads for Manuel to shift from a child prodigy to a victim. Manuel and MaryKate are both classic examples of the positive and negative effects of a sponsor on a child prodigy.