Literacy in its most basic definition is the ability to read and write. Being able to read and write are no doubt a vital point in literacy, but there really is much more to it than simply that. As shown in How to Read Literature Like a Professor there are many inter workings to literacy that make it a much more complex concept.
Reading is a skill that most people begin developing at an early age. This is one of the first major steps to becoming a literate person. But being literate isn't simply just about reading something and understanding its basic concept, it's also about being able to see the deeper meaning with what you're reading, and being able to understand the hidden themes, motifs, etc, many of which Foster covers in his book. This is a skill that separates many people in their literary skills.
Writing is also a skill most people will begin to develop at an early age. Another essential part of literacy, writing gives us the ability to communicate our thoughts with others. But, just like reading, there is a more complex part of writing which is having the understanding of literary patterns and being able to implement them into your writing in a way that makes sense. Having this ability allows you to enrich your writing in many ways.
What I believe makes a truly literate person is the ability to see beyond the easy tasks of reading and writing, and understanding the purpose of the words and what they are meant to mean. Literacy plays an important role in our everyday lives and we should always make it a point to continue improving our literary abilities.
I agree with you. Literacy is more than reading and writing. Words and their meaning not only give a deeper power, but they are used in various ways. Like you mentioned, we not only write for ourselves, but we write to convey our words to others. That is why, in order to be literate, we must have comprehension towards the words we use. Many people think a story isn’t much more than its title, and they fail to realize that the theme of any piece of literature is what makes it significant overall. Which is why your second to last sentence encompasses what literacy is completely.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on every point you made, Darius. Literacy is very important and reading and writing are the foundations of literacy. I need to improve my literacy with delving deeper into meanings of texts and books in general. There is always improvement being done to everyone’s literacy and it never stops, there is always learning to do. Writing is the creative part of the literacy couple that is reading and writing. Writing allows the everyday reader to create their own ideas and let others be the reader. It’s a two step program that is always in a constant loop. Even now, as I am writing this, I am reading too, it never stops. There is no way of getting away from this literacy. Literacy is important, and you nailed what it is on the head, Darius.
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