In this new edition of the New Yorker magazine, I have had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Semaan, a recent publisher of his short text “The road to a new narrative.” I was able to have the first ever interview with Peter Seeman, an upcoming writer that everyone has their eyes on. This is his first published text and he has already won accolades from critics from the TIMES Magazine and New York Times. This article will focus on our interview and a look into his life as a writer. 

This interview was the first time I ever had the pleasure of meeting Peter Semaan. As soon as he entered the room for our interview he had this gentle smile and warm glow. It only excited my intrigue to get to know Peter better. Throughout our interview I could tell he was a jolly guy, excited to be on the show and share his story about language and writing. 

Interview Highlights

Question 1: Peter, how long have you been a writer for?

“Most of my life I had been writing for school assignments and never really took the time to write for my own pleasure. It wasn’t until I started journaling about my daily life and writing in my little notebook that I started to enjoy writing outside of school. Writing felt like a way of getting my thoughts out and became very therapeutic.” — Peter Semaan 

Peter’s story felt very relatable because many people only write for the purposes of school. His branching out to writing on his own time revealed how much he actually enjoyed writing, which was the initial spark he needed to eventually publish this short text. 

Question 2: Peter, is there any reason you specifically chose this text  to write about and publish to the world?

“This text talked a lot about my struggles with multiple languages as a child from a multilingual family. I feel that many people relate to these struggles and wanted to publish something that showed people they weren’t alone. Dealing with multiple languages was also a big part of my life and has made me who I am today so it felt like the right topic for my first published text.”— Peter Semaan 

In his text Peter talks a lot about the English language he had to learn for school, the Arabic language spoken at home, and the Coptic alphabet he needed to learn for church. A specific anecdote he uses is how easily confused he got with the Coptic and English alphabet. Writing in Coptic that said pain looked like rain, which led to many struggles with grasping the differences between the languages. This gave some backstory to how dealing with three different languages hurt his ability to grasp grammar and syntax, which impacted his writing skills in school. 

Question 3: Can you talk more about the impact Mr. G had on you?

“Mr. G helped me realize what I was really missing in my writing, but also helped me through a lot of personal growth. He made me realize that comparing myself to others wasn’t going to get me anywhere and will only put me in a bad mindset.”— Peter Semaan 

Mr. G was Peter’s sophomore high school English teacher who was a little goofy, always ending class by singing a song on his guitar. This teacher became a role model to Peter; Mr. G helped improve his writing skills and eventually overcome his issues with grammar. 

Question 4: Peter, why did you use these specific rhetorical strategies within your writing?

“I chose anecdotes because it made it easier for me to refer to in my writing. I wanted to create a text where people could see themselves in my shoes. Where they could understand what I was going through and see it in my perspective. It would make it easier for them to relate their own experiences to my anecdotes” — Peter Semaan

The reference to anecdotes really helped deepen the emotional connection to Peter’s text. Every anecdote felt relatable such as when he was dealing with the frustration of the bad grade on the essay. I personally have had countless times where I have just been disappointed with my performance, but Peter shows how you have to just push through and try your best to improve. 

Question 5: Are there any other texts or books currently in the making that readers should be keeping a look out for Peter?

“Right now nothing is really in the works, but I am brainstorming some ideas currently and hope to get it to my readers soon.”— Peter Semaan 

Sadly we couldn’t get an inside scoop on any next writing that Peter is working on. But that is okay because when we hear something our readers will be the first to know!

Text Analysis 

These five questions helped showcase the main points of my interview with Peter. The use of rhetorical strategies really drove his essay forward. The use of personal anecdotes such as his experience with Mr. G showed a pivotal moment in his life. We see so much of Peter’s growth from before he had written his paper to after through the relationship with Mr. G. These relatable anecdotes helped illustrate how Peter progressed in his writing skills and self confidence. He was always comparing himself to others and wondering why he couldn’t do as well when writing essays. The buildup of his confidence through the improvement of his writing helped show an amazing connection that couldn’t have been possible without Mr. G. 

A main point in the anecdotes was the importance of a role model in a person’s life. To readers of this editorial, is there someone in your life that you look up to? Someone who has had a great impact on your growth? Having a role model can push someone to make great changes in their life due to the inspiration they bring. 

This role model helped Peter with his self confidence, which seemed to have sprung from his earlier struggles with grammar and writing. Peter’s usages of compare and contrast helps the reader see the tension he feels. The thoughts of not being good enough or being behind. 

This has a heavy appeal to pathos because of the emotional vulnerability Peter shows, especially after receiving so many corrections on his essay. His initial comparison to his peers only made his mindset worse and increased his feelings of being behind. The role of Mr. G helped lead to a transformation from insecurity to confidence creating a very uplifting story. It leaves the reader with a sense of hope and motivation to think that anything is possible as long as you put in the work. 

Peter wraps up the text beautifully by showing his personal growth as a writer and in his self confidence. He began tutoring younger students and trying to help them with the same problems that he had faced. The grammar errors and frustration that he originally felt with writing were all problems he understood. This understanding allows Peter to be a better teacher to younger generations and help them face these problems. In the same way Mr. G was a role model to Peter, Peter became a role model to his younger students. 

As soon you can see, Peter began this text highlighting his struggles with languages, writing, and self confidence. But through the rhetorical strategies showcased how he was able to master writing with the help of Mr. G. Through his own first person perspective we got a look into his thoughts and frustration, but as the text went on the tone was very reflective and encouraging. Peter was always listening to the critics of Mr. G and learning life long lessons that left a huge mark on him. These lessons helped him come full circle as he mastered writing and then became a tutor so that he could also help others who struggle with the same issues. 

Peter showed his vulnerability, kindness, and grit in this phenomenal text. Readers will find a lot of relatable moments that can make them think of their own experiences. As a fellow reader, I really enjoyed this text and would recommend it to all. It is the story of how Peter turned his weakness into a strength and learned valuable lessons along the way. 

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