Historical Cultural And Social Context

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Recommended: The role of contexts in literature

“Critical literacy demands that the reader deliberately assume a stance that takes other view points into account”

Critical literacy is a technique for exploring a series of contextual forces for their influence on the reader. (Coffey, 2010) Historical, cultural and social contexts are considered based on how they are implemented in the text, how they manipulate the views of the reader and its relevance to the text. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) To value the literal contexts a reader must remain open to accepting the views of others; different cultures, social status and their place in history. (Keesing, 1974) Contexts are explored through the use of Whoever You Are by Mem Fox, I Want To Go To The Moon by Tim Saunders and Who’s In My Family by Robbie Harris.

Historical contexts refer to knowledge about the past and allow for readers to read about moments in history that lead to the way the world is today. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) For some senior members of the community many of the events spoken about are memories of their youth. For youth today it is important for them to develop an understanding of the past; the events that occurred, the views of people in the events and the environment in which it occurred. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) Youth gathering an understanding of the past allows them to see the viewpoints of some of the seniors in their communities, thus creating a mutual understanding of change. (Mansilla & Jackson et al., 2011) I Want To Go To The Moon by Tim Sanders reimagines Neil Armstrong’s early childhood. This story remained consistent with many details of the moment in history; Armstrong’s birthday, when he became a pilot and being the first man on the moon. It is important to encapsulate important moments of time ...

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...must consider the cultural, historical and social context of the literature. Historical contexts are important to keeping our history, remembering events, the people associated with them and their viewpoints of what happened. Cultural contexts are important for the continuation of traditional cultures; encouraging people to accept the views of people from other cultures with different beliefs and values. Social contexts are important to understanding the variations in people’s lifestyles; family structure, culture, their personal history and their interests. Through the use of critical literacy, contextual forces that shape a text can be better understood, thus engaging the reader in the text. To better understand all aspects of the contextual force a reader must take all viewpoints into account and accept the variations of historical, cultural and social contexts.

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