Summary and Personal Response – Draft Version

Professor Afshin Hafizi
ENG115
April 23, 2013

The purpose of Russell Baker’s “On Becoming a Writer” was to share his love of writing. Not only to share his love of writing, but to also shine light onto those who believe that their dreams are farfetched, or unobtainable. He does this by utilizing an autobiography of his youth. He wishes to convey his passion of writing on to others through his words of his own past. Directed towards a general audience, he uses wording which shows tenderness, commitment, love and passion for the art form of writing. Russell Baker came to be the accomplished writer he is today by overcoming the many different obstacles that were in his youth. Russell states in his autobiography, “the notion of becoming a writer had flickered off and on in my head since the Belleville days.” (Baker, 2011) When Russell says this it gives the reader a sense of purpose, and a commitment attached at a young age. He conveys to reader his hopes and aspirations at a young age of becoming a self-made author. Coming to realize that writing was not looking like the best career choice, he started to become bored of his English classes. Hopes and dreams start at a young age, and for Russell, his seems to be out of reach. He thought that writing was for the rich, that he would not be able to create a life for himself through his writing. He had not realized yet that, our words are the most powerful thing we have to offer. And once he would let his true words shine through the same old boring essays, he would be noticed. Writing an autobiography is Russell’s way of sending a message. By using moments and memories of his own life and past, he can walk the reader through the many hardships he had as a young writer. As a reader, you get a feeling of doubt when Russell talks about his new English teacher in high school. He states that “Mr. Fleagle was notorious among city students for his dullness, and inability to inspire”. Russell makes it very clear that he was not looking forward to his new English class with Mr. Fleagle. This gives the reader the feeling of despair that Russell was feeling at the time. Russell reaches out to the reader in many ways. The tone he uses is a hopeful and positive tone. It changes mostly towards the end of his autobiography. He talks about his own essay that he had to write in his schooling. His tone changes to a happy, joyful, or as he put it, pure ecstasy, as his teacher read his essay aloud to the class. It was at this point when he realized of the possibilities of becoming a writer. As a reader, the feeling of accomplishment and endurance arises. Keep true to your dreams and anything is possible. Becoming a writer was Russell’s dream. Maybe he didn’t know it was his dream when he was younger. But, it’s what came naturally to him. Telling the reader of the hardships and trials of his path, is Russell’s way of conveying a message. A message that describes what it means on become a writer. I feel his goal for the reader, is that nothing is impossible. He gives the reader hope for this by describing his own life in feeling that something was impossible. To have the love for writing that he did, and what he had to do and experience to become the accomplished writer he is today. Now his words will be with us, long after he’s gone.

Works Cited
Baker, R. (2011). On Becoming a Writer. In R. Duane, G. R. Glau, & B. M. Maid, The McGraw-Hill Guide, Writing for College, Writing for Life (second ed., pp. 66-68). United States: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.