Literature to Life
At a young age, I remember being surrounded by shelves overflowing with books. A variety of books: mysteries, romance, nonfiction, textbooks. My mom was the book-lover in the family, as she was the one who owned a majority of the books. From the time I began to read, at 5 years old, I felt so accomplished and confident in my ability that I was always eager to get my hands on a book. I read one book after another, with the goal to learn new and higher vocabulary words. It got to the point where I would be so drawn into a book, I would not be aware of anything going on around me. To this day, the same effect happens while I am reading, where reality melts away.
In 4th grade, I read my most memorable literary series: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. This is the first series I ever read, all thirteen books, cover to cover. It took me a while to complete the series, since it was so long, and also because there were a lot of unfamiliar terms used throughout it. I had to use resources, such as asking authority figures and dictionaries, in order to find out what certain words meant. As I got used to the writing style of the author, I was able to use context clues in order to fully grasp the concepts being portrayed in the book. The series focused on the lives of 3 orphaned siblings and their ill-fated journey from guardian to guardian in order to escape an evil and heartless distant relative called Count Olaf, who was trying to steal the children’s fortune, which was left by their parents. The part of the series that always resonated with me was the fact that the characters were always able to examine and execute a plan in order to get themselves out of horrific circumstances. Each character had specific capabilities and when it was all added together, a master plan resulted. The books also portrayed a sense of light in times that were dark. One character I certainly felt connected to, was the eldest character, Violet. Violet was able to use her intelligence and resources around in order to save the lives of her siblings and herself. For instance, Violet created a grappling hook in order to save her baby sister, who was hanging from a balcony and she created a makeshift alarm in order to alert others that her, her guardian and brother were stranded in the middle of the ocean. As the eldest child, she was looked at as the leader and the character who had the most responsibility. Being exposed to such a strong and clever feminine character at that age, inspired and influenced me into thinking that I was invincible to danger and darkness. As a reader, being able to embrace and integrate a character into my own being, opened up new experiences for me as I was forming the person I wanted to become.
As a child, I admired Violet for being a strong female character. She was a role model for me as I wanted to have her quick-wit and practical qualities. Overall, she influenced me to gain an interest in a field I know that focuses on hands on activities and problem-solving skills. Because of her quick responsive and problem analytic nature I became interested in the medical field, perfectly suited for the person I strive to become. In the medical field, I would have to take the problem into consideration along with the symptoms exhibited by the patient and find a solution. The medical path began to form in high school, as I studied to become a Clinical Medical Assistant. It was a 3 year course of intense studying of medical terminology and medical procedures, both clinical and administrative settings. At the end of the course, a written exam and a practical were given in order to get the certification. I was able to use my knowledge from textbooks and class in order to complete and perform procedures such as, taking blood pressure, medical hand washing and surgical gloving. Furthermore, I was able to complete cases, where a problem was presented and I would have to come up with a solution on the spot, similarly to Violet.
In conclusion, literature and its characters can have a major impact on an individual. I was able to assert Violet as my role model and take inspiration from how she is able to rapidly solve problems, which encouraged me to be in the medical field. By observing certain qualities Violet had, it motivated me to simulate similar qualities for my own character. In general, literature has a significant position which can encourage, empower and inspire individuals ranging from all age groups.
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