Right and Left Genes
There have been many literacy sponsors in my life ranging from books to parents to institutions to teachers. As stated by Deborah “Sponsors seemed a fitting term for the figures who turned up most typically in people’s memories of literacy learning: older relatives, teachers, priests, supervisors, military officers, editors, influential authors” (Brandt 116). I want to speak about two main sponsors, my Biology Teacher and my father, who has made me literate in two different spheres and the motivation behind the two was also different.
In tenth grade, my Biology teacher introduced us to the topic of genetics. It was during that one forty-minute class that I realized where my passion lies. The nature of how genes work got me so intrigued that I had to be forcibly separated from my book. This meant that I would never eat, study other subjects, or exercise, I was so engrossed in the book and genes that I forgot that a world other than the DNA existed. “I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me” (X 150). This led me to the world of Genetics which is both fascinating and interesting. It has become my goal to become a genetic researcher, as it demonstrates a world not visible to the naked eye, which plays a major role in everyday life. This passion was given direction in my secondary education when I took up biotechnology. It has been rightly stated by Malala Yousafzai that primary education unlocks your potential and secondary education gives you wings.
With current developments in gene cloning and creating artificial living organisms has become so easy and so fascinating that it has opened a variety of permutations and combinations.
To gather more knowledge on this subject I visited the campus of NCBS (National College of Biological Sciences Powered by TATA), it was during that visit that broadened my thinking capability which was narrowed by the books. Books, I feel do not give the right justification and do not help broaden a person’s thinking capability as a practical doe. There are more than 25,000 genes in the nucleus of each cell in the typical adult human body and studying each cell in detail would have been very difficult without the usage of modern technology.
In the end, the subject which has transformed and will continue to transform our lives is genetics, and nothing, but a mutation can change it. Sometimes changes are necessary in the case of cancer genes, wherein the gene causing cancer needs to be removed. I firmly believe in Deborah Brandt‘s words “Where once the same sponsoring arrangements could maintain value across a generation or more, forms of literacy and their sponsors can now rise and recede many times within a single life span” (Brandt 128). This has been my case, if not for the way a specific teacher taught a specific part of a specific subject then I would not be favoring it.
Therefore, we can favor something until the same sponsor is there, if there is a change in the sponsor we might or might not like the literacy.
Politics was one literacy that I did not like, because of my father. He did not take an interest to have any conversation with me. He never took any interest in what feedback my teachers gave in the parent-teacher meeting. He was always glued to the television watching the news. The first thought which crossed my mind was to switch off the television in order to talk to my father. Later, I heard my father’s voice and my brother arguing about some political debate that was airing. This is what sparked the idea, the idea to discuss ongoing political issues with my father. I was never interested in or was never tasted what politics was and what the pressing issues going around in the world were. Therefore, my motivation to learn politics and acquire debating skills was speaking to my father.
This happened during my eleventh standard. It was during that time that there was a buzz for runners. It was basically people who go for this Model of the United Nations. Model United Nations as the name suggests is a model of the United Nation. There are many conferences which take place in the country and worldwide, of which there are two which stand out that are the Harvard and the Ivy League Model United Nation Conference. The main theme of this revolves around how good you in different genres of diplomatic relations are. The different genres include negotiation, talks, and acting in an aggressive manner leading to potential wars. In the end, awards are given according to how they performed. It is a holistic scoring event. It also includes how one behaves with other delegates.
In this competition, students act as certain countries tackle and solve some of the most burning questions such as the Syrian Crisis and Terrorism. Students as a diplomat of their respective countries must provide solutions. Model United Nations gives all participants literacy in speaking, debating, and writing skills, critical thinking, and leadership abilities.
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So, I decided that I will participate in these competitions so that I can spend some time with my father discussing the agenda of the competition. This proved to be a successful idea as my father participated in my research which resulted in me winning the best delegate in several conferences such as Harvard Model United Nations and Ivy League Model United Nation Conference. My experience in these conferences was something that was unforgettable, there were many instances where I lost my cool, and it was during these events that I remembered my father and kept calm and negotiated calmly.
So, the only question is why I did this, I did all this to talk to my literacy sponsor, my father. This could be compared to Sandra Cisneros’s “Only Daughter “. In that, the daughter seeks her father’s approval and even in my case I want my father’s approval which is why I learn more about politics. This is also called misappropriation of literacy, as stated by Deborah “Misappropriation is always possible at the scene of literacy transmission, a reason for the tight ideological control that usually surrounds reading and writing instruction … They are also meant to suggest that diversionary tactics in literacy learning” (Brandt 128). I wanted my father’s attention and did not aim to get literate. This is a clear case of misappropriation in my life.
So, in conclusion, I would like to reiterate the two literacies, Biology and Politics, and the sponsors of these literacies, my Biology teacher and my father. These literacies have helped me a lot in life. They have given me many life skills and memories which I would cherish. Even today I negotiate and research in the DNA field, so my literacy has been a blessing to me. In the end, I would like to state that everyone has or can have literacy sponsors ranging from a child who teaches technology to old people who give life advice but what is necessary is the will to learn from them. the essay which gives it a proper ending.
Works Cited
Brandt, Deborah.” Sponsors of literacy “. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. 3rd ed., edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martins, 2017, pp. 68-99.
Cisneros, Sandra.” Sponsors of literacy “. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. 3rd ed., edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martins, 2017, pp. 101-105.
X, Malcom.” Sponsors of literacy “. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. 3rd ed., edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martins, 2017, pp. 106-115.
My Reflections
The process of this essay started just after I read Brandt’s article. I reflected on my life to understand the sponsors who have helped with different literacy. It ranged from my badminton coach to my brother who introduced me to the very addictive world of social media. The two who stood out and who have had a massive impact on my life are my Biology Teacher and my father. So, I wrote about them and my focus did waiver, but I did not have as positive thoughts to write about at that time. Next thing was to start relating to the terms such as literacy and literacy sponsor, but these were not a problem for me to understand as the confusion was cleared in class discussion.
My writing was always tailored to peers with who I work, so I did not have much tailoring to do but the only pre-requisite for me was that they have a basic knowledge of science and politics. The styles which I chose were narrative and a little contrasting. The reason why I chose these styles was that peers would like to listen to the story being portrayed and compare it to their lives. During the peer review session, I only received two pieces of feedback regarding grammar and citation. In contrast, I received useful feedback from Professor Vazquez regarding parts that were not clear, and the main feedback was that I forgot to write a conclusion that I and my peer missed. This was the most global change that I made. The clear idea of my literacy sponsor made it easy for me to do this project.
Even though it was easy for me I learned my weakness in my writing. I forgot to add words and sometimes a paragraph and in order to make it right I started reading it out loud in order to notice if I forgot anything. If I had more time I would have loved to add more literacy sponsors and would have also loved to add more details if I did not have a word and time limit.
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