Kennedy Griffin
"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Kennedy has always struggled to read books consistently. Despite her love for books and certain series, other commitments in life have always seemed to veer her off the road to finishing books that she has started. Every once in awhile, she will go through phases in which she reads almost religiously, spending entire days with a book in her hands. However, these phases never last for more than a few days, as other responsibilities are brought to the forefront, leaving her books to remain unfinished, and sometimes forgotten altogether. Kennedy also reads books that are challenging in more of an abstract way. She chooses to read books that may conflict with her personal morals; books that may frustrate her because of the content. She chooses to do this because she feels that the world will always be full of conflicting ideas, and it is best to get a grasp of this by reading books that make her think about her views on the world as a whole. Certain books with societal differences and taboo rules make her think about why the world is the way it is, as well as what it would be like if it were set up much like The Divergent Series or The Chemical Garden Trilogy. These books have challenged Kennedy in a way that may seem more abstract than simply reading a book with difficult-to-understand literature or deep metaphors. Currently, Kennedy is reading Catacomb by Madeleine Roux; it is the third book within the series entitled Asylum. Over the course of the summer, she read a total of four books. In the previous year, she read eight books. Her favorite authors include John Grisham and Lauren DeStefano. There is an estimated 60 books in Kennedy's house; all of which are hers. Kennedy is a reader who uses her books to help shape her perspective on the world. With this being said, she feels that she has grown in some areas as a reader (such as her maturity regarding the content she reads), while plateauing in other areas (specifically her reading habits and consistency as a whole).
Kennedy would absolutely describe herself as an avid writer. Growing up, she always felt the need to write an endless number of creative stories - she would fill up numerous notebooks with different styles of writing. She was encouraged to learn how to write stories by her mother, who loved to read. Her mother would always express her pride for Kennedy's writing, and this would be the foundation that would encourage her growth as a writer for many years to come. This would also help her tremendously as she began to write for mandatory school assignments, as she found it quite easy and enjoyable to transition into writing essays and research papers. She feels that people write for a multitude of reasons. Many times, people choose to write simply because they have an idea, or chain of ideas, that they feel need to be expressed. Much like Thomas Jefferson though, they do not feel comfortable speaking their minds in a literal sense, so they turn to writing. Others may choose to write as a form of coping with difficult situations they are facing. Just as the infamous J.K. Rowling, they may turn to publishing as a source of not only sharing their stories with others, but also as a source of income. Often, the reasonings all trickle down to the fact that they want to share; as human beings, we feel the need to show our forms of expression to other people, as is done with writing. In order to write well, one must have a purpose first and foremost. If one does not have a purpose, then they will not have the means to pursue something that they have started. If they have found their purpose, then they must have the proper knowledge on language and grammar to form their ideas in a way that can be understood by other human beings. If the writer is concerned with how certain groups of people (or different audiences) will view their writings, then they must then be educated and informed about the societal views and norms of the audiences that they are presenting to, as this will have an impact on the responses. In regards to Kennedy, her favorite kind of writing currently involves research papers; she loves to write about important issues going on in the world that those around her may not be completely educated on. Specifically, her ideas about her writing choices stem from cultural/societal practices that involve someone not being treated fairly, including sex trafficking, child marriages, and FGM. Lately, Kennedy has not written very much at home, for the same reason she has not read consistently at home. She still holds the passion for it, but does not always have the time to write. However, she is very proud of everything she writes, and highly enjoys writing pieces that can be used to inform others. |