- This type of narrative doesn’t quite fit into Alexander’s outline. Most people would categorize it under the “Victim” category, but Alexander defines it as “a victim of negative literacy experiences, in or out of school; casts blame for negative literacy experiences; [or] discusses how someone took the fun out of reading and writing” (615). This type of narrative is one that has the author of the narrative talking about a hate or a dislike of a type of literacy because of someone or something that happened to make them not like reading or writing. The type of narrative that I am talking about, like Alexandra White’s “Comfort”, is one that talks about being victimized by someone or some event that caused them to turn towards reading or writing. In her narrative, Alexandra White said, “In elementary school I didn’t like the structure of the classroom and that made me not like reading in class. But as the year of 6th grade went on, and I started to find books I liked and I was reading outside of the classroom, I felt more comfortable” (6). Alexandra clearly talks about a negative experience in the classroom, but that reading had helped her become more comfortable around people. The main event in this literacy narrative is a negative one, one that made her a victim of society, however that doesn’t make this a victim narrative. This narrative doesn’t fall under Alexander’s category of “victim”, but falls in this reoccurring theme, which should be its own category.
- There are other writers on the Raising Cairn archive that would fall under this other category, along with Alexander. For example, Abigail Corey was an avid reader from a young age, as well as curious, so she would always read books above her reading level. In 4th grade, she would read books from the “Young Adult” section, although those are generally for at least 7th graders. This, however, wasn’t as accepted in the classroom. Abigail ended up having to find a “sanctuary” for her to be able to read without worrying about other people’s’ opinions. “In my fourth grade classroom there was a little corner next to the bathroom with book cases that had wheels on the bottom, a big rug and a comfy chair. This corner was my little sanctuary where I would always read during quiet time and rely on to choose my next book to read” (4). Though this didn’t stop her from reading, she felt that she needed to be away from everyone while she read so she wouldn’t be judged. This judgement, however, is what pushed her to read more. She felt a disconnect from the rest of the class, because of her curiosity and her higher reading level, so she ended up using reading as an escape. She says, “Reading has always been an escape to me. Often times when I read I escape into my own little world” (2). Because her peers weren’t up to her reading level, she felt a little excluded from the rest of the class, causing her to find a sanctuary where she could read without judgement. This disconnect from her peers is what caused her to turn even more to reading. Many people would incorrectly categorize this as a “victim” narrative, because Abigail wrote about being victimized, and though I would agree she was victimized, she wasn’t victimized in a way for her to turn her away from literacy, but instead in a way that made her take sanctuary in it, so it doesn’t belong in Alexander’s “victim” category.
