"I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was 10, but I think that having all those books and sentences composting in my brain may have pushed me toward becoming a writer in the long run."
— Meloy, Maile (born January 1, 1972)
Date
July 30, 2011
Metaphor
"I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was 10, but I think that having all those books and sentences composting in my brain may have pushed me toward becoming a writer in the long run."
Metaphor in Context
I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was 10, but I think that having all those books and sentences composting in my brain may have pushed me toward becoming a writer in the long run.
And meanwhile I had the bike. We lived at the top of a long hill, at the very edge of town, and I could sail down to any friend’s house with the wind in my face, without pedaling once. In summer, I could ride to the city pool with my swimsuit tied around my arm, and bike home with wet hair. With low gears, the hill wasn’t too steep to bike up, except at the end. I didn’t need a ride anymore. I didn’t need an adult to drive me around and keep an eye on me and tell me what to do. I’d passed that crucial moment in childhood when you can start making decisions and see what it’s like. I’d earned the freedom of reading whatever I wanted, and the freedom of flying downhill on my own.
(SR9)
And meanwhile I had the bike. We lived at the top of a long hill, at the very edge of town, and I could sail down to any friend’s house with the wind in my face, without pedaling once. In summer, I could ride to the city pool with my swimsuit tied around my arm, and bike home with wet hair. With low gears, the hill wasn’t too steep to bike up, except at the end. I didn’t need a ride anymore. I didn’t need an adult to drive me around and keep an eye on me and tell me what to do. I’d passed that crucial moment in childhood when you can start making decisions and see what it’s like. I’d earned the freedom of reading whatever I wanted, and the freedom of flying downhill on my own.
(SR9)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Maile Meloy, "Reading and Its Rewards" The New York Times, Sunday Review (July 30, 2011). <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
07/31/2011
