'Philosophy of Literacy Essay\r'

'One function I will never forget in my Life is the miles I passed to School. I place subdued remember those muddy and dusty roads I walked just to get to School. Sometimes I draw to Stay altogether day without food and irrigate non just beca aim I wasn’t peckish or thirsty only because my p bents had no currency to buy them. I did not only walk to nurture nevertheless I did walk without seat or slippers on. Walking was very normal because we had no cars. There was absolutely no means of transportation. I was just 4 years old when I started walking to School.\r\nI had always admired my t individuallyers and all the people who could learn and indite. I just love the way they talked to people. I enjoyed find outing to them. School to me was a source of Hope that my conduct will revision and it did changed my livelihood. Without me sacking to school, I would have still been in Africa or may be dead. I was cap fitted-bodied to get a scholarship from Africa through my school to the United States and here am I nutrition the dreams of my life. So if I can walk almost 6 miles on those muddy and dusty roads just to get to school each day, any sensation can go to School if they really want to.\r\n delineate literacy in our changing world is not easy. several(prenominal) years ago, being literate soulfulness meant being capable to read and write a little. Now, being literate means being able to read and write at a level to be roaring in today’s world and to a fault being proficient at math, knowing how to use technology, and knowing how to solve problems and make decisions. To me, the power of literacy lies not only in the great power to read and write, but sort of in an case-by-case’s content to put those skills to work in shaping the turn tail of his or her own life.\r\nThere are fundamentally three kinds of literacy I know. The first iodin is called serviceable literacy which refers to the ability to read and wr ite well full to understand basic written information much(prenominal) as Newspaper headlines, Job application forms and Signs. usable literacy incorporates reading materials that relate directly to community education and to teaching applicable or serviceable life skills. This to me is the most important of all the kinds of Literacy. The second one is Cultural Literacy.\r\nCultural literacy is the ability to engage with a culture not only as a result of rote learning like the technicalities of the language, tradition and so on; but also as a result of a deeper sympathy of the idioms and escaped content of that culture. Although literature, language and history are useful means of gaining a deeper sagacity of a culture, these whole are not sufficient if one wants to mint a state of cultural literacy: it is equally, important to be able to converse using the common-day phrases and cultural references that are used by natives of that culture.\r\nOne common framework of this is the US comedy series â€Å"The Simpsons”. Someone who has no cultural literacy regarding the US would have trouble understanding many of the jokes, while if the show suddenly do lots of jokes about Chinese culture, for example, many in the US audience would be equally perplexed. some other example is that when the US was trying to persuade France to patronize its cause in the War of Independence in the 18th century, many learned diplomats were sent to Paris, but were unsuccessful.\r\nBenjamin Franklin was eventually sent and although he did not know the French language very well, Franklin had an understanding of French culture and he was successful in his mission. The last kind of literacy is Critical Literacy. Critical literacy is not culture specific. It is associated with a broad range of ideas and perspectives rather than with one viewpoint. Critical literacy refers to the ability to recognize the hearty essence of literacy, understand the fundamentally political temper of literacy and to be able to figure out the agendum of the writer or a text.\r\nLiteracy is an important indicator of development and status. It provides access to information necessary for harvest-feast and decent living. It also provides an account of the socio-economic condition of an individual and his/her family. On the other hand, illiteracy stands for ignorance, defeatism, frustration and wish of aspiration. Literacy and education generate hope, aspiration and ability to come upon forward. Without you being a functional literate, you won’t be able to know about what is going on around you. Life will be miserable and fustrating.\r\nImagine a driver who doesn’t understand the rules and laws of the road. You will not be able to look for a job for yourself because you don’t even know where to look for it. Literacy in my opinion, involves more than than just being able to read a string of letters and understand its importee. However, a literate person must also be able to re shit those letters from memory and string them along in such a way that meaning is conveyed accurately and efficiently. This ability to write is just as essential to the definition of literacy as the ability to read is.\r\nWithout it, a person’s freedom is impinged upon; a person is left exposed to realities created by others without having the ability to refute them; much less the ability to create a new one. Again, in my opinion, a person without the ability to write is naught more than an answering machine †a receiver of messages without the power to create his/her own recorded message. Literacy is very important in our society today. To me those who can read Shakespeare’s books are the same as those who can read a simple website. A literate remains a literate. Imagine living in a republic where the President can neither read nor write.\r\nI here by mean that, if you are not literate, you are indirectly punished because you canà ¢â‚¬â„¢t occupy important positions of responsibility. No one would entrust your judgment. It is better to be the kind of person everyone likes to listen to when you talk, rather than to be the kind of person who has nothing to say and even if you have something to say, no one will like to listen to you. I’m convinced it is time everyone starts to go to school to be able read and write. You can change your life and live the dreams of your life. If I could walk 6 miles each day to School, you can do it.\r\n'