I’m guessing this question made a lot of us think about the very first statement in the text, “The goal of worldwide literacy is probably the most important struggle we face today” (Blake & Blake, 2005, p.1). While sitting back and carefully listening to the discussions taking place in class, I came up with one conclusion: Although it is true that literacy is most definitely a major problem in society, it also coincides with many of the other issues individuals face today.
The topic of “illiteracy” versus “world hunger” was brought up. Naturally, if any starving person who may be considered “illiterate” or “functionally literate” was offered the choice between a sandwich and a book they would most likely choose the sandwich. However, providing an individual with food, medicine, and shelter will not give them an opportunity for survival unless you expect to maintain these practices on a daily basis. Consequently, teaching someone the literacy skills necessary to read the newspaper, fill-out an application, and independently ask for assistance will make many things possible.
Literacy serves as a bridge and an essential tool to function in modern society. Once a “starving person” is nourished and fulfilled from the hunger of literacy it will serve as a vehicle against struggles such as poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. As with anything else in life, it is what we CHOOSE to do with LITERACY that is IMPORTANT! We can only hope that a continual effort toward literacy improvement will help lighten the seemingly, never-ending struggles existing in society. So…what do you think? Is literacy the most important struggle today?
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Your thoughts are so well-worded and concise! I like your wording of literacy being something that will serve as a "vehicle" against other difficulties. It isn't like literacy is THE answer to all of the world's problems but, like you said, it can serve as a "bridge" for someone to function well in modern society.
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