Literacy: A Narrative Analysis

If a person is unable to read this essay, then that person is illiterate and therefore unintelligent. Inversely, any person who is able to read this essay must clearly be an intelligent person. Those two sentences reflect what American society as a whole would consider a fair description of literacy: the ability to read and write. There is a negative cultural assumption attached to this definition: one who can read and write is educated and intelligent and can contribute to our society, which an illiterate person is simple and stupid and can make no such contribution. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the prior claims, what cannot be argued is that it takes the guidance of many mentors, or literacy sponsors, to help a single student become literate.

For example, a child whose parents read her a chapter from a children's book such as Harry Potter before bed each night will likely foster an eagerness toward reading and writing, while a child who has an English teacher who is unapproachable and inaccessible in her teaching methods might develop anxiety around being asked to read or write. The child who enjoys reading and writing will read in her free time and may even create short stories for herself, while the child who has trouble with literacy in the classroom will avoid reading and writing outside of school. It is important to note that a person's literacy and disposition on reading and writing can shift drastically over time due to positive and negative impacts brought on by varying literacy sponsors, as is my