Blog Numero Two

Up until a couple weeks ago, I figured that literacy was not really something that was measured or something that was so deep and abstract; I just figured that it was something that you could either do or not do.  I just thought that people were either literate or illiterate, and that the illiteracy was something that we, as a country, were trying to eliminate.  And in some rights, I still feel that way. However, this class has offered a broader definition of the word, “literate” to encompass not only the ability to read and write letters, words, and sentences, but also to which kinds of letters, words, and sentences one has the ability to read and write.  Society even determines which kinds of reading are “better” than others, meaning that if you read a certain type of book, it makes you a person of higher mental status in the eyes of others.  Like Scribner had said, in this way, literacy can be viewed as a kind of power to ascend the social ladder.  In this way, there is almost a societal pressure to increase your level of literacy, or gain different kinds of literacy, rather.  And since the idea that society has a large effect on a person’s literacy has been brought up, it makes me think, “How has my literacy been influenced by society/sponsors?”

When I was in grade school, I was never very interested in reading books. If I had the choice, I would always sit down and play video games intead of cracking a book open.  That was until my third grade teacher, Mr. Stuart, introduced me to the book order and the “Sideways Stories from Wayside School.”  Upon my discovery of these, I began devouring every book that I found any sort of interest in.

Another factor that contributed to my reading and the kinds of books that I read was my Father, who would read to my sibling and I before we would go to bed.  My Father, being a devout christian, would usually pick a book with religious values throughout it.  The books that I found especially interesting were “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Book of Virtues,” especially when the story was pertaining to the virtue of Courage.  These kinds of stories sparked my interest in fantasy themed stories, which I still enjoy to this day.

Since my Dad is a strong believer in Christ, he always brought me to church with him, where I would read, memorize, and recite scriptures from the Bible.  Also, the preferred version of the Bible at my church was the New Kings Jame’s Version, so I learned from an early age to struggle and get through difficult language and how to find deeper meaning in a work.  The Psalms and Proverbs were a very helpful learning tool to get used to reading and trying to understand metaphors and meaning in poetry.

Wasn’t exactly sure what I was supposed to do here….