Literacy

Scribner and Lunsford offered interesting views on literacy.  I really enjoyed how in depth Scribner went into her analysis of literacy.  Her three metaphors of functionality, power, and salvation gave a very broad idea of what literacy is.  To be really basic about it, literacy is the ability to read and write in symbols.  It’s the ability to take your thoughts and put them down in a way that can be visually interpreted by others.  It is also the ability to read what others have written, and discern what they mean by it.  Anybody can look and a piece of writing and say something like “this is all about cheeseburgers” without the faintest understanding of what it really says.  That skill of understanding what the writer is trying to say is the key. 

I was really happy to see that Scribner showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the three metaphors.  Functionality is important for functioning in a modern society, but people don’t necessarily have to be literate to survive.  Power stresses the “relationship between literary and group or community advancement.”  It stresses that literacy is necessary for social change, but that isn't necessarily true.  Studies have shown that social change promotes literacy(ex: USSR, China, Cuba).  Also, I don’t believe most people write for the benefit of their country or for the collective.  They write to express themselves, and to convey their feelings to others, or just for themselves in the form of a journal.  This goes more into the salvation metaphor in that people write for themselves, but I don’t think any of these metaphors can stand alone.

I was glad that these readings had a more upbeat tone than Carr and Hedges.  Scribner talked about literacy in itself, but Lunsford seemed to be a complete U-turn compared to Carr and especially Hedges.  Lunsford’s studies showed that kids are writing more than ever before, and they also adjust their writing for different audiences and occasions.  Hedges talked a lot about how literacy is growing weaker in this technological age, but I don’t agree.  My generation reads and writes constantly.  Sure it isn't in the traditional medium, but times are changing.  There was a time when only a fraction of the population was literate, and now at least it’s a majority.

Clearly there is still a problem with illiteracy that needs to be addressed.  Too many are under-educated and these people lead lives of crime, because they don’t know what else to do.  I don’t know what the solution is, but I believe getting kids interested in reading at a young age is important.  I don’t believe the shift to internet writing and texting is a bad one.  Kids are reading and writing more in those mediums than ever before.  I think this is admirable, and I hope this trend of increased writing continues.