Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
As the pages of my favorite childhood story flutter through my fingers, memories of fantastical worlds flood my mind. I begin to read aloud about the four children, sent away to a mysterious house and the wardrobe that transports them to a magical new land. The tale is just as enchanting as I recall, but this time through the story, the magic I appreciate most is not found in the pages of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Rather, I admire the magic light of my youngest brother’s eyes as his imagination latches onto each syllable I read. I can almost see the pictures of the characters forming in his mind. As I share the characters’ journey with him, I become amazed that instead of listening to a bedtime story, I am the one reading.
It was a moment of clarity, almost as if I had come through the wardrobe myself into this new land of adulthood, capable of taking care of others, able to see the complexities in the stories I had ravenously read as a child. As I explored The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with a more mature perspective, I searched …show more content…
Not only was I sharing the tale in the role of an adult, I was revisiting the fairy tale and seeing it for myself in a new light. My adult experiences of travel, loss, and growth allowed me to read the story and reflect upon it with more empathy and nuance. The night I began rereading the story was a turning point, though I did not know it at the time. I revisited other stories, identities, and viewpoints that I had simplified as a child, searching for an appreciation of the intricacies that make each story so powerful and lasting. I found a sense of wonder in complexifying these narratives, especially the stories of people I
As the pages of my favorite childhood story flutter through my fingers, memories of fantastical worlds flood my mind. I begin to read aloud about the four children, sent away to a mysterious house and the wardrobe that transports them to a magical new land. The tale is just as enchanting as I recall, but this time through the story, the magic I appreciate most is not found in the pages of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Rather, I admire the magic light of my youngest brother’s eyes as his imagination latches onto each syllable I read. I can almost see the pictures of the characters forming in his mind. As I share the characters’ journey with him, I become amazed that instead of listening to a bedtime story, I am the one reading.
It was a moment of clarity, almost as if I had come through the wardrobe myself into this new land of adulthood, capable of taking care of others, able to see the complexities in the stories I had ravenously read as a child. As I explored The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with a more mature perspective, I searched …show more content…
Not only was I sharing the tale in the role of an adult, I was revisiting the fairy tale and seeing it for myself in a new light. My adult experiences of travel, loss, and growth allowed me to read the story and reflect upon it with more empathy and nuance. The night I began rereading the story was a turning point, though I did not know it at the time. I revisited other stories, identities, and viewpoints that I had simplified as a child, searching for an appreciation of the intricacies that make each story so powerful and lasting. I found a sense of wonder in complexifying these narratives, especially the stories of people I