ADVENTURES

For my English 1101 class, we were assigned to meet with our writing group at Atkins Library and find a text that would assist us in the development of our literacy narrative project.The day seemed like it would be very dismal, it had been storming all night and continued up until the time we were scheduled to meet at the library. I woke up really late and had to drive to the library in order to make it on time. Once we had all arrived safely we walked into the doors of the library and our adventures began.

After aimlessly walking around overwhelmed by the sheer size of the library, we soon realized that books could be searched for on the computers located at the front desk. Christopher and I began searching for books that would aid in the creation of our entire writing group's personal literacy narratives while De Shaun and Tanner wrote down the call numbers for the possible books. At first I thought the assignment was to find  individual books that would relate to our narrative, but Tanner quickly informed me that it was a singular text that we were all to share. Christopher quickly came up with the idea that we should use The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

The call number for the book was very confusing and much different that the system we learned in high school. We ended up looking for the book on the second floor, and soon realized that we were making a huge mistake. This floor was full of textbooks and texts that teachers would be searching for. We walked back downstairs and asked the librarian for assistance. She looked for the book on her computer and proceeded to tell us that the particular book was located on the fifth floor in the juvenile section.

The elevator was very scary and small. Before this assignment I wasn't even aware that Atkins Library had more than four floors! I soon found that it actually has ten. When we reached the fifth floor we were overcome by the quietness and stillness of the room. The views were breathtaking, but it was so small in respect the floors below. The aisles of books were very tight, but clearly marked and we had no trouble finding our book.

After reading a few pages of the book, and reading the preface and covers we began writing in our day books for the assigned five minute writing.

I found that this book talked about personal adventures and the love of childhood. I thought that I could incorporate those aspects into my writing. For those who have not ridden a horse before, it may be difficult to truly emulate with the message I am trying to get across. But by writing in such a way that relates horseback riding and it's message to other sports and hobbies that people enjoy, I will essentially be able to reach and effect a broader audience. I think this assignment truly helped me take things into a different perspective. While still staying true to my personal experiences, I will hopefully be able to incorporate aspects that will reach a larger group of readers.