language and literacy draft – ARHAM 

First day of school, 3rd grade. My nine-year-old self had just got to class and was catching up with friends after the break. Once our regular topics of Dragon ball, Pokémon, Beyblade and whatever had been exhausted, someone brought up our literature book for the year. I rolled my eyes and was about to call him a nerd when, to my surprise, all my friends jumped into the conversation. Apparently, everyone loved the book and had not been able to put it down over the summer. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t even paid a thought to the book lying on my table. Heck, I didn’t even know its name. Being left out of the conversation was irritating, so after going home I took out the book and decided to give it a go. 

 

The book was called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl. I had read a couple story storybooks before, but the experience hadn’t really had much of an impact on me. Sure, they were fun, but nothing worth leaving the TV or my Legos for. Nevertheless, I began reading. I read a page, then 2 more, then 4; before long, I had lost track of the pages and was completely immersed in the story. It was as if time had stopped. I was in my own pocket dimension with only Charlie Bucket for company. The words felt less like words and more like an experience- or rather, the memory of one. I could see the skinny figure of Charlie Bucket run past the mysterious Wonka factory on his way to and from school. I could feel the warmth and love in the hut where the Buckets lived, despite their poverty. I could smell the cabbage soup his mom was cooking. Wildest of all, I was craving the Wonka chocolate bars as Charlie unwrapped and tasted them. My mouth still waters when I recall the name: Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight.

One thing that really struck me was the random and often ridiculous-sounding words Roald Dahl made up for his books. Oompa Loompas were a species of short, elf-like humans who provided Wonka with labor in exchange for protection and chocolate. Yeah, if I was given an option to live in the final boss of chocolate factories, I’d probably become a lifelong servant too. He described delicious food with the term scrumdiddlyumtious, which sounds ridiculous but also perfectly conveys what he is trying to say. There is a lot more examples of such words, which were very intriguing. 

Until then, English had just been a subject where I wrote the sentences that sounded natural and got a grade. The back of my English notebook had more doodles on it than the inside had notes. But that year, I actually became excited to write. I would make stories of thieves trying to rebel against the elites, warriors fighting for glory, superheroes protecting the planet from aliens, and I’d enjoy every minute of it.

 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also marked a change in my reading habits. That is to say, reading became my only habit. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, hunger games, mortal instruments, Artemis fowl, and many more became an integral part of my childhood and teenage years. I’d stay up all night, reading, which has permanently made me a night owl. 

I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened my eyes to the different types of English. Obviously, grammar and structure are important, but it’s also important to experiment with them.  My exposure to different writers and styles also helped me develop a fundamental understanding of the English language. I began to pick up on the nuances and subtle variations between people. So while other books have had more impacts on me as a person, Charlie’s story made me connect with English enough to actually read those stories.