Literacy is defined as the quality or state of being literate, especially the ability to read and write, possession of education, or a person’s knowledge of a particular subject or field.

Although literacy is not limited to reading and writing, they are considered the fundamental building blocks of educations. Learning to read is learning to see. Today’s society requires much more than being able to sound out words; one must be able to interpret text, to see the deeper meaning. Learning to read is learning to communicate. Acquiring basic literacy skills allows us to convey messages to one another, express ourselves, and interact with one another. Literacy in the many forms, allows us to fully understand the world around us, or at least try.

Literacy was limited in the eighteenth century. Those who were fortunate enough to read had a limited source. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that in this day and age with some 775 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills, literacy for all thus remains elusive. Today we are exposed to many different forms of literacy whether through physical copies of books or in electronic forms. With that being said, it almost makes sense to take advantage of this privilege. The lack of literacy is often associated with a low quality of life and poor academic progress. According to the American Psychological Association, Children’s initial reading competence is correlated with the home literacy environment; number of books owned and parent distress (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008). In a nationwide study of American kindergarten children, 36 percent of parents in the lowest-income quintile read to their children on a daily basis, compared with 62 percent of parents from the highest-income quintile (Coley, 2002).

Today’s society is changing rapidly and in order to keep up we must improve our literacy skills. Improving these skills whether academic, non-academic, or even of different cultures, we are improving our role in society and in turn how society operates is enhanced as well. In order to thrive in today’s society, we must maintain and even further enhance our literacy skills, whether it is to read, to write, or even to solve problems.

Sources Cited:

American Psychological Association. "Education and Socioeconomic Status." Web. 23 Jan. 2015.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. "Statistics on Literacy." Web. 23 Jan. 2015.

Khouri Moore

Engl 1102: Blog 1

January.23, 2015

Defining Literacy

Literacy can be defined in several different ways. The definition just depends on who you ask. According to google, literacy is simply defined as the ability to read and write but I agree to disagree. I believe that literacy is the ability to understand and master a certain subject or area. This concept is not limited to reading and writing. However, I also believe that reading and writing is the foundation of all other literacies. Take a mechanic for example, I’m pretty sure there is some reading required to complete a task that he/she has to complete but reading may not be their strongest suit. This doesn’t stop them from getting the job done.

People can be literate in many different areas. Think about the math teachers who stumbles over words while reading, or the English professor that cannot perform long division in their heads. They are not illiterate, they just specialize in a certain area of literacy.

Literacy or the state of being literate is very important in my opinion. It makes understanding what goes on in today’s society a lot easier. Which brings me to my next point, new literacies. One of the questions in the prompt was, Are workers who have limited or no textual literacy better at “new” literacies? For me to answer this question, I had to first learn what is meant by “new” literacies. In this case, new literacies refers to new ways literacy is made possible through digital technology. Based off of googles definition, I would have to say no, workers who are out of touch or limited to textual literacies could not be better at new literacies. Technology is a very complicated concept that we have adopted into our lives, and anyone who uses any form of technology knows that reading is a required literacy to have in order to use that certain technology in the right way.

Literacy is defined by the dictionary as, "The State or condition of being literate."

That begs the question: what is the definition of literate? The dictionary defines literate as, "Able to read and write. Having knowledge or learning. Educated. Cultured."

Literacy is a gift that has waxed and waned with time. Many of us consider literacy as something something special and abundant to us in the 20th and 21s century and rarer in ancient times. In reality, ancient cultures such as the Romans had high literacy rates. If you've ever been to Rome you would understand why they were so literate. It was because they had to be; the written word was all around them on their shops, businesses, signs, temples, and so on. And the Romans brought their written world everywhere they went, which was most of western Europe.

The major event that coincided with massive drops in literacy in the western world was the fall of the Roman Empire.

What followed the collapse of Rome is what we lovingly refer to as "The Dark Ages," when wars were constant, disease was rampant, and literacy was at an all time low. Only the rich and holy men knew how to read and write. It wasn't really until around the renaisance era and onward that we start to see literacy rates really start to rise again. This coincided with the spread of books, thanks to the printing press, as well as the increase in formal education. People learned how to read in school and then could teach their family how to read as well.

What time taketh away, time giveth back. And we are all fortunate for that.

Sources Cited:

The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, including Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association, 1966. 790. Print.

In basic terms, literacy is known to most as just reading and writing, however, it is far more complex. It is an indicator of your intellectual level and means of communication.  Also, as you progress further in strengthening your literacy, you can comprehend different texts and take parts of them to create your own perspectives and meanings of different issues and theories around the world. Literacy has come along way. It is crazy to think, centuries ago, most people knew how to speak, but not how to read or write. Now, reading and writing are top priority and a must.

"But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

Imagine if there was not such a thing as literacy. We would not have the Declaration of Independence, which was a written document from our founding fathers giving us freedom to live in the great place called America. We would not have the Constitution, which states our rights as people of America. An influential leader such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would not have been able to compose such a moving speech that caused a nation to realize where it faults lied, how to change them, and the outcomes to come from them. He did not make a simple statement of the issues. He used techniques and metaphors, repetition, personification, and other figurative language to convey his position of the issue at hand. Presidents such as Barack Obama would not have been able to make persuasive speeches to win elections. The oh-so cherished Twilight Saga would not even exist without the authors literacy skills. Importantly enough, take yourself for an example. You would not be able to read a simple word like stop, which is vital if you drive(which most due), because there are a ton all across America. You would not be able read the sign on a cup of coffee that says something caution I’m hot.

Not all people use literacy in the most accurate  way. Terms such as bitch and ass had actual definition( bitch meaning a female dog and ass meaning a donkey). Then some how it strayed from its true meaning.  In a way, it is quite clever to compare some to a profane word, but at the same time it can be inappropriate. Also, texting is a very unique sort of literacy skill. Take the word skater for example. In texting you would type it as sk8, because the number eight has the same pronunciation as ate(the ending of the word skate). Using the number as a replacement allows the person texting to  type faster.

Literacy should not be taken for granted and should be appreciated by all. We have become who we are today thanks to literacy. We should take pride in how far it has taken us. With literacy, you and I have the ability to do almost anything.

Sources Cited:

Martin Luther King Jr.."I Have A Dream". American Rhetoric. Web.  23 Jan. 2015.