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"The Illiterate Citizen" |
"Those who use literacy take it for granted -- but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today's world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of 'literacy as freedom.'” writes a United Nations spokesman. If slaves, like Frederick Douglass, had not learned to read and write, where would we be today? Illiteracy takes away the power of thoughts and ideas from people and makes them slaves to society. Frederick Douglass’ education began under the guidance of his mistress. As time went on however, she began to understand her husband’s argument against teaching slaves how o read and write. As Douglass reflects, “She was an apt woman and a little experience soon demonstrated , to her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible with each other” (101) As Douglass’ reading ability improved, with the help of some white children, he began to formulate thoughts and feelings about slavery and his position in the world. He began to question authority, at least in his mind. Literacy helped to develop Douglass’ social and political thought. He began to think of freedom as he had never thought of before. In “Learning to Read and Write” he states, “the reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts and meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery…”( 103). In order to vote, petition, protest, or question authority, one must know how to read newspapers, books, and magazines to know what issues are important and the rights that all citizens have in a democracy. Although some people can read and write, they can still be illiterate. English peasants who lived under Catholicism and feudalism were illiterate because they could not read the bible since it was written in various languages. Thanks to Martin Luther and the King James Bible, they were able to understand and read the bible. This lead to their questioning of authority and to the Enlightenment. Political and Social thoughts helped to develop and free the peasants’ minds and bodies. In a democratic state, the people make the decisions. Therefore they must be well educated or at the least literate. Educated individuals must be able to read about important issues today and to analyze it as well. They must be able to appoint leaders who will fight for their rights. The people’s decision could either hurt or benefit them and their children. Best-selling author, Richard Wright, also states how important literacy is in his essay “Learning to Read and Write.” He was faced with many obstacles that tried to prevent him from getting knowledge. He had to struggle against Jim Crow laws and the attitudes of his peers and adults around him. He writes, “As the outside world grew more meaningful, I became more concerned, tense; and my classmates and teachers would say: “Why do you ask so many questions?” or “Keep quiet” (399). Although he was not a physically a slave like Frederick Douglass, Wright was enslaved by a society that wanted to squash any goals or dreams that “colored” people had. He did not let that stop him because he realized how important it was to be literate. Illiteracy is enslavement. Frederick Douglass freed his mind and eventually escaped slavery because he became literate. Richard Wright became a best-selling African American author because he became literate despite the racist attitudes and prejudice of the South. Both of these men symbolize the importance of literacy in order for freedom to reign. Intellectual freedom and political freedom go hand in hand. You can not have one without the other and you cannot achieve freedom if you are illiterate. |
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Questions or comments? E-mail me at [email protected]. |