Literacy Event Essay

Throughout my life I have had many literacy events, but the one that was most important to me would be that of when I went to boot camp and had to write home to my family. This being because this was the only contact I had with them, through writing. The reason I wrote home was because I was gone for 13 weeks in somewhere I’ve never been with hundreds of people I didn't know and have never met before. In return, writing had given me a chance to vent and explain to my parents what I was going through, and to also let them know I was doing well and moving through training without any problems. The social context of the environment in which I was writing was very stressful and negative. We really weren't given any time to write, and when we were it was very brief. Usually when I was writing, everyone else in my platoon was writing too. This being, because we were all in the same boat, being away from our family and friends, as well as being stripped of everything we have ever known.

Other people who were involved with this particular literacy event were my friends and family back home. If I wouldn't have written home to them during my 13 weeks, they would have been in the dark and wouldn't have known where I was in training. The reason it’s so important to keep in contact with them is because it keeps you sane, in a sense. The reason I say that is because, everyday you are stressed to the point where you think you can’t go anymore, and you face numerous obstacles that could potentially cause you to lose hope or un-motivate you. So, writing home to your family gives you the strength and motivation you need, and hearing from someone who actually cares about you is one of the most uplifting things you well ever experience during a time like that. Sometimes during a literacy event like this, conflict can be brought into the situation. A time of conflict for me during writing home from boot camp was that of when I received a letter from my mother, telling me my grandmother had died. This caused a great deal of stress and grief within myself, but I couldn't let it conflict with my training or else I wouldn't be able to get through it. Unfortunately, I had to accept it and force myself to move on, and once I was done with training I would be able to grieve.

Ultimately, the relationship I wanted to establish with my readers was that of an understanding one. This being because they had no idea what the military was like, or what boot camp was like, or what anything was like. So, over the time in which I was gone, I used these letters as a way to connect with them and give them an understanding as to what life was like in the military. As the weeks went on, the fortunately picked up on what I had been saying in my letters, and really started to get a foundation as to how my life has changed, and everything that I have experienced. Throughout this experience, as far as writing is involved,