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Abdulaziz Alammar
Professor Dutta
ENGL 1101
Feb 20
th
2014

Literacy is an interesting concept in my opinion. Even though I believe that most people
have their own definition of literacy, I think they have somewhat the same general idea. Perhaps
the most common definition of literacy is the ability to read and write. I think this is a general
definition. However there are different types of literacy depending on the field that is being
discussed.
While growing up, I was going to a religious school. The school had better Arabic and
Islamic classes of course. After middle school, I went to a regular high school. After meeting
new friends in high school, friends who attended their elementary and middle school in regular
(without religious focus) schools, I found that my classmates who attended religious schools, like
me, had better grammar and literacy levels than others. This of course had an important role in
my literacy life. My mother was the main reason I went to that kind of schools; because she
wanted me and my older brother to be raised in a religious environment.
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The Noble Quran

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The Noble Quran is the ultimate book in the Islamic point of view. We believe its
perfect because it is the word of god. Personally, the Quran is one of the main things that
contributed in my literacy. The level of language in The Quran is very advanced that the god
challenged the people in Arabia at the time of the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) to
come up with even a verse that has the level of eloquence as the Quran. Also, do you know what
was the first word that god told the prophet Mohammed thru the angel Gabriel? The word was
read. Yes, this is how important reading is in Islam. So, I always try to read The Quran more
and more to learn a drop of the knowledge sea of The Quran. However, this does not mean that
all I read is Quran. I learned English and Im trying to learn other languages. I hope that one day
I would be fluent in more than five or six or even seven languages.
My journey in the English language started since I was a child. When I was around two
years old, we had a housekeeper that spoke English. So I learned some basic vocabulary. Also,
during my teen years I was fond in American movies and series. I used to spend hours every day
watching English TV. So that built a good vocabulary and little bit of grammar in my head.
Finally, after graduating from high school, I applied for the US student Visa. And since my
brother has been here since March 2010, he was helping me applying for ELTI and UNCC. After
waiting around four months, I finally received my US student Visa. And I was so excited and
happy. In the same night, which was January 15
th
2012, my flight to Charlotte took off.
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My first day at Charlotte

My first day at UNCC (my second day at Charlotte)
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Every parent wants the best for their children. Thus, most parents do what they are
capable of to help and support their childrens future. I really wish to put my children in the same
road my parents put me in; because Im truly convinced that religious schools are better than
regular schools. However, as most parents, I wish that I will be able to give them better than I
had. For example, one of the things that I plan to do to my children is to make them grow up
multilingual because Im really interested in languages. I wish I had learned many languages
when I was younger because it would have been much easier. Also, I want them to be so
eloquent in Arabic. I believe its important to be eloquent in ones mother language.
In conclusion, I believe that literacy is one of the things that make our lives much more
interesting and organized. I believe it gives our lives a special and essential flavor. I always
notice that educated people enjoy diving in books and texts because its the nutrition of our
minds. Also, in my opinion literacy would be more enjoyed if the person is multilingual because
just like food for example, every country or culture has their own delicious language, and every
language has its own flavor.