Why are words important to me and how have I been impacted by them?

"For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. Their articulation represents a complete, lived experience." ~ Ingrid Bengis. Just as the quote expressed, words have also influenced my life greatly through the way I speak, learn, and understand. Books were the first tools that enabled me to comprehend words and understand how to interact with others. Words have aided me in understanding my feelings and actions. They have also helped me comprehend different languages and given me expression and inspiration.

Who have I been influenced by? Was it a positive or negative impact?

I have been influenced by my parents, school, and siblings. All of my influences have been both positive and negative. In the past, even though school had impacted me negatively due to the environment I was in and the teachers that taught me, I can now appreciate the positive impact that it has on me while receiving my education online in a more peaceful environment.

How have the words of your influences shaped who you are today?

My parents influenced me to become more confident within myself and to be independent. An example of this is that when I was two years old my mum taught me how to read which has helped me to comprehend more today. My mum continued to homeschool me, resulting in me becoming a more self-sufficient person. Both of my parents have always trained me to believe in myself and stressed that I can be anything I want to be. In contrast, when I was in the educational system the teachers believed that because I struggled in school I would not be able to become an independent learner. However, even though it seemed to be a negative influence, it created more will power within me to become more of an self motivated person.

What impact have words had on my life through poetry?

Words through poetry have helped me read between the lines and gain the ability to make a connection between myself and the written work. Poetry has also opened the gates to someone else's mind and how they think/feel. One of my favorite poet's is Maya Angelou because of the way she brought the words in her poems to life in an impactful manner. One of my favorite poem's by Maya Angelou is "Caged Bird". This is because I thought that it related to my own experience with school because of the fact that just like the caged bird I felt like I had no freedom to have my own mind and think for myself. I was told that I had a problem and that there was no hope to stop struggling in my work.

Maya Angelou

What impact have words had on my life through song lyrics?

Music is a very important part of my life since I play the piano which gives me a way to express myself and inspire others. Listening to music/lyrics help me to have my own identity, have different perceptions on life, and improve my overall mood. My favorite pianist is Yiruma because he expresses music without words which creates an impactful experience for the mind. Playing his piano album "The best of Yiruma" is an enjoyful experience because it makes me feel special to be able to share his music with everyone around me. The genre of music that I like to listen to is R&B/Neo-Soul music. There are loads of artists that I like to listen to, however, the artist I feel has the most meaningful song lyrics is Erykah Badu. My favorite song by her is "On and on"

Erykah Badu

What impact have words had on my life through literature?

As I introduced in the beginning of my presentation, books were the first tools that helped me to comprehend words and interact with others. Literature has impacted me immensely.  It has enabled me to learn my history and heritage (African History), understand my education and increase my vocabulary. Literature both fiction and non-fiction has, over the years, inspired me to become a better writer and build up my imagination. In the past, I used to love detective/spy fiction books and my favorite series was "Ruby Redfort" by Lauren Child, because I could identify with the main character in the book, as she was the same age as me, as well as being a creative thinker.

What impact have words had on my life through Graphic/comic books?

Words through graphic/comic books have helped me to visualize the meaning of words or understand what words fit with the graphic images, that have no words.  For example, last year as I looked through each of the pictures of "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan, I began to visualize the words and even the song lyrics that would fit within the different scenes of the book and understand the feelings that would have been felt by each character in various situation.

What impact have words had on my life through lines from films?

When watching films sometimes I don't catch the lines because I am too concentrated on the film as a whole and the visual side of it. However there are some films that have inspired me such as: "The pursuit of happiness", "12 years a slave", "Forrest Gump" and "Roman J Israel Esq."  The most famous lines that I remember from "Forest Gump" is "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get". This quote motivated me to live my best life and not worry about the future.

Bibliography:

 https://www.thoughtco.com/quotes-about-words-738759

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls069754038/