Ashley Levesque

Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

1.  Alexander however fails to mention that the child prodigy identity always changes or evolves.
   1. In The first body paragraph I am doing a mixture of challenging and adding to Alexanders theory of child prodigies.
   2. This suggests the theory of identity shifts which relates to another scholarly article.
2. The child prodigy identity shift can be caused by a change in values that were upheld as a child.
   1. This paragraph is agreeing with Williams and relating it to Alexander.
   2. This suggests the victim identity shift  which relates to Alexander and Williams.
3. English Professor Deborah Brandt can be recognized for her theory of sponsors and how they affect one’s literacy experiences.
   1. This paragraph is agreeing with Brandt.
   2. This relates to victims as well because it includes negative sponsorship which leads to a negative identity shift.
4. Some limitations are that none of the Scholarly articles make a connection from shifting from one specific identity to another. It also doesn’t mention what identity shifts are most common.

The child prodigy being one of the most changing and conflicting identities also showcases the importance of positive sponsorship. The lack of positive reinforcement towards literacy can result in an unfortunate victim identity shift by the child prodigy. Although it is common for a child prodigy to become a victim, it isn’t always the case. Due to the limitations of observing a child prodigy it is hard to tell if all child prodigies switch to a victim identity. However If sponsored positively the child prodigy can adopt a successful identity such as a literacy winner. Either type of sponsorship will lead to the inevitable identity shift that takes place in a child prodigy. The identity shift that takes place is a crucial part in the growing and adaptation of ones’ literacy abilities. This is because without it there would be no room for growth and improvement. While there are many different types of identities within a literacy narrative, it is rare to see just one due to the shifting of identities, whether it be positive or negative, from peers or from sponsors.

Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

Paragraph 1:

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.

Paragraph 2:

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.

Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

1.  I for the most part agree with Alexander, Brandt, and Williams. However I also feel like I must add that some information can be built off of and made assumptions about. For example I feel as if Brandt doesn’t touch on the fact that child prodigies rarely have sponsors that facilitate literacy but more so the other way around.
2. I have good information on Alexander, Brandt, and Williams however I lack background information on them such as who they are and what they do.
3. I feel as if I don’t have a lot of editing on Alexander, Brandt, and Williams. I included information from all three and I also included examples from three literacy narratives.

Ashley Levesque

Nov 5, 2018

Eng110l

Paragraph 1:

MaryKate could be described as a child prodigy. She was a strong reader at an early age due to her exposure to literacy as a child. Marykate states,”Reading my first book was an exciting moment.. My interest in reading became stronger” (1). As a child MaryKate was more than just good at reading, she genuinely enjoyed it as well. Despite being a strong reader as a child, Marykate soon lost interest in literacy. Marykate says,”Reading was only so exciting for me for a short time period. After awhile it wasn’t as exciting…” (1). MaryKate examines an identity shift from a child prodigy to an outsider who soon struggles with reading. This is known as an identity shift.

Paragraph 2:

Cali from a young age took interests in the Harry Potter book series. Despite it being a difficult series to read she found it magical. Alexander describes a child prodigy as someone who “excels at reading and writing at an early age”. Cali can be considered a child prodigy since she too excelled at reading as a child. Cali recalls, “We tore through the first two book there. And continues reading the series as each book was released” (1). Cali really enjoyed Harry Potter books at a young age which helps to reveal her child prodigy tendencies. However, just because Cali was a child prodigy doesn’t necessarily mean she was bound to continue on that path. Cali states, “Thats when I stopped reading…thats when we stopped believing in magic” (2). Although Cali was a child prodigy she soon lost interest in reading Harry potter when her sponsor passed away. This shows that sponsors play a major role in facilitating reading.

Ashley Levesque

Nov 5, 2018

ENG110l

A specific area of literacy that interests me is the child prodigy narratives because of how it seems to be associated with identity shift. Some specific narratives that can be useful to me are listed as:

The North Wayne library

Living in a fairytale

Learning not to hate english

My favorite first book

Parental advisory

Literacy 1.2.2

Gaining independence

How dance changed my life

A Childs Education

Turn Around

Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

11/1/2018

Taylor’s narrative

Christina’s narrative

Andrew’s narrative

Paige’s Narrative

Kayla:

Name of concept: Victim Literacy Narrative

Relevant passage reading: “When asked to reflect on past experiences inn the confines of literacy narrative, they remember these experiences that haunted them and took away their freedom” (Alexander 618).

Relevant passage narrative: “Then I got to high school an every bit of confidence that I had about writing was stripped. Freshmen year of high school my English teacher,  Mr. Stritch, was the person who ruined writing for me” (Kayla 1).

Explain: The first passage is from Alexanders victim narrative theory. These two are relevant because Kayla blames her teacher for her loss of interest in reading and writing.

Sam:

Name of concept: Sponsorship

Relevant passage reading: “…Sponsors nevertheless set the terms for access to literacy and wield powerful incentives for compliance and loyalty” (Brandt 557).

Relevant passage narrative: “As Miss Foster showed me, writing was more of a creative way to express one’s thoughts and feelings. Hey I thought, this is kind of fun. That’s when I began to gain an appreciation and excitement to write because I could paint a picture through my writing using my creative spirit. For my first assignment, I was to write about something of interest. Hockey had been a passion of mine since I could walk, so I focused on constructing an image that I could transform onto paper” (Sam 1).

Explain: Since Sam had open creativity to write because of his teacher he took an interest in writing about hockey. If his sponsor hadn’t allowed creativity he probably would have taken a disliking to reading and writing.

Blake:

Name of concept: Sponsorship

Relevant passage reading: “Sponsors seems a fitting term for the figures who turned up most typically in peoples memory of literacy learning: older relatives, teachers…” (Brandt 557).

Relevant passage narrative: “My teacher’s name was Mrs. Johnson. At the time I really didn’t like her, although now that I’m looking back on it I realize how awesome she actually was” (Blake 1).

Explain: Blake initially didn’t like his teacher however looking back he sees her as someone who helped him with his literacy journey. This can be considered a sponsor.

Hannah:

Name of concept: Different narratives in one

Relevant passage reading: “They present many  truths about literacy, not one truth about it” (Alexander 611)

Relevant passage narrative: “In the end, I have may not got the best grade on my paper, but that did not matter. I was so proud of my paper, no acceptance letter or B minus was going to change that. I did everything I could to go above and beyond. Teacher’s are always so hard on students, no matter what we do or how we act. Although, we may never fully understood why, teacher’s want us to achieve more. They constantly push us to go the extra mile. They push us and get us to turn our work into something amazing. They try to teach us to not get so caught up in the personal content rather of a story than the assignment itself no matter how difficult that may be” (Hannah 1).

Explain: Hannah demonstrates many identities in her narrative. Therefore her narrative presents many truths. In Hannahs paragraph she shows victim qualities but also does not cast blame on her teacher. That relates to outsiders. However she also overcomes her obstacle like in a hero narrative.

Ashley Levesque

ENG110l

Relates to Sponsorship

Relates to Alexanders idea of: rebel narratives

Relates to sponsorship

Relates to Alexanders idea of: outsider narrative.

Relates to sponsorship.

Relates to sponsorship.

Relates to many different narrative styles as described by Alexander.

Ashley Levesque

ENG110I

10/23/18

“Literacy, like land, is a valued commodity in this economy, a key resource in gaining profit and edge” (Brandt 558) Literacy is valued but is not always seen as a key asset for gaining social goods. This is because it is not valued itself but it is valued for what it can help you gain. Similar to what is stated by Brandt land is valued but not because of the land itself. It is valued because of what you can do with the land. Reading and writing is also something that can be dependent on how one is brought up. Different upbringings may have different opinions on the importance of reading and writing. If a child is raised in a higher income home they might view reading and writing as a chore and blame school for “torture” this is similar with identities.

Two little narratives that interest me the most are the child prodigy and the victim. The child prodigy narrative as described by Patterson is someone who “excels at reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance and intellectual acumen..” (Alexander 615) This is interesting to me because as a child the value of knowledge is not the praise. The value of knowledge to display as a way to seek attention and praise is the goal. This includes children who tell “tales of prolific reading, trips to the library or bookstore, abundant exposure to literate texts, and being read to by parents”(Alexander 615)  The next little narrative that interests me is the victim. Fox describes the victim as a “..victim of negative literacy experiences, in or out of school; casts blame for negative literacy experiences; discussing how someone took the fun out of reading and writing” (Alexander 615) This identity is interesting to me because I have heard and seen a . lot of it in my experiences in school. I think it is most interesting because I have related to such a narrative when I was a kid.

William notes that it is “intriguing to consider the identities students construct for teachers” (344). A narrative identity that a child chooses to take on can be influenced by a sponsor. For example a child with a child prodigy narrative may have been influenced by his or her parents who tell stories of their academic success. This can also be because of how the parent may reflect on their own literacy abilities. Another identity is the hero, perhaps their sponsor is a teacher that views and appreciated literacy greatly. This can lead to a student feeling accomplished and as if they have triumphed in a way. That being said, many sponsors play a specific role on those who they sponsor which can affect the way they view themselves as a learner.

Ashley Levesque

ENG110I

10/23/18

This is understanding that people who are called “sponsors” are considered that because they lend their time, knowledge, and resources to sponsor ones literacy.

This is connecting Gee and Brandt because she mentions how people view literacy narratives as a way to obtain social goods similar to Gee when he mentions discourses.

This is understanding because it says where a majority of sponsors are found. Such as teachers, parents, bosses.

This is connecting because identities can be connected to Gee as a form of a Discourse.

This is connecting because Haas also mentions the use of autonomous text and how it needs to be read to understand.

This is understanding because as stated above writing appears to change based on the social status and upbringing of the author.

This is understanding because both areas represent a type of identity that is common with narratives.

This is questioning and understanding because working with others seems to causes a shift in identity. However, I am questioning this because the identity never truly shifts it just appears as it truly is.

This is understanding because this is a common identity associated with narratives. It is known as a “hero identity”.