The Blonde Indian Analysis

By societal standards, literacy is a powerful tool that is essential for the success of a citizen. However, those in society that are in power can control the definitions of what literacies are important to that society, no matter how skewed. In the journal, “Limits of the Local: Expanding Perspectives on Literacy as a Social Practice”, Brandt and Clinton assert, “It is easy to conclude that literacy when it happens is only particular and locally situating. Just because people in interactive contexts spend a lot of time situating literacy locally, does not mean that literacy is can only be situated in that way” (Brandt & Clinton, 2002, 346). This assertion, that the literacies found to be important in a society do not account for alternative experiences,

The ideal forms of literacy are decided in a society by those in power; leaving those skilled in alternating literacies to conform to the new cultural standard, or fail. Knoblauch described this form of literacy as cultural literacy in his writings by stating that it is the awareness of one’s cultural heritage (Knoblauch, 1990). Hayes deep seeded connection to her heritage gave her a strong sense of cultural literacy. However, in Hayes’ situation, the citizens in power were blind to the merit in her specified cultural literacies; their only interest is in their own definition of it. As seen in “The Blonde Indian”, Hayes was willing and excited to conform to these new skewed standards of excellence, yet she still received treatment as if she was lesser (Hayes, 2006, 12-13). Hayes experienced her life in a school, that Anyon would describe as “Affluent” (Anyon, 1996), receiving treatment as if she were just a “Working Class” (Anyon, 1996) child that is not deserving of the same treatment. Knoblauch, provides a window into the thought process of those holding a position of power as he states, “The most familiar literacy argument comes