Literacy as a State of Grace

By February 1, 2016 BlogPost No Comments
literacy

When I initially read the metaphor of literacy as a state of grace, I believe that I failed to give it as much weight as I now feel it deserves. After revisiting the metaphor while preparing for the midterm exam, I began to think more about how cemented in reality the metaphor actually is.

It is not uncommon to hear people state that they don’t read as much as they should. It is also not uncommon for people to express interest and even excitement in exchanging experiences and/or ideas about what they have read with others who have read the same or similar titles, authors, articles, etc. The notion presented by the metaphor of literacy-as-grace, speaks to this phenomenon in ways that show just how far the idea of literacy has come. In a society where literacy, for the most part, is enjoyed by most, it is only natural that the bar is continuously raised.

While basic/functional literacy is something that is still striven after in elementary and secondary schools, the society in which we live has become more demanding. As most possess functional literacy and as inequalities in literacy rates decline, literacy itself is becoming more of a social phenomenon. The leisurely exchange of ideas, realities, and experiences is, in essence, becoming a way to participate in the many wonders of life, as made available through writing.

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