Been Illiterate has a negative effect in life. Can you imagine not been able to eat what you want to eat at a restaurant or not been able to go out to any place because you do not know how to go back home. In USA, approximately 60 million people are illiterate. In the story “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” Jonathan Kozol discuss how illiteracy is powerlessness. To be able to have democracy we need to have principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community. Kozol believes that democracy is false and untruthful when illiterates do not have the knowledge to understand their rights, causing a negative effect in the political construction.…
Illiterate people often do not understand the bills they receive and are not able to write the checks to pay them. They often are in the situation of signing documents that they do not understand (230).…
In the reading, The Sponsors of Literacy by Deborah Brandt she talks about how literacy was received and withheld from people because of socio-economic classes. Brandt claims that there is a connection between literacy and economic development or as she refers to them as sponsors of literacy which can either help, sensor, or withhold all together the ability to be literate. Literacy provides an upward mobility or at least the means to move upward in social classes and without literacy there is no means to gain an edge. In her interviews of Raymond Branch (European American) and Dora Lopez (Mexican American) Brandt found that even though both were born in the same year and had moved to the same town when they were younger Branch was introduced…
When students start in year 7 at my school the national curriculum age-related expectations are that the students will be working at a level 4 for Literacy. However this is not always the case. We regularly have students working at a level 3 or lower and a few students working above the expected level for their age. The ability level of the students is extremely varied and this can be due to many different things.…
Knowledge is an effective factor in which human society relies on. Throughout history, those who were knowledgeable were well-respected, honored and revered. Author Jonathan Kozol writes his essay, “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society,” to project the importance of knowledge and to explain that without it, one can suffer disastrous repercussions. He highlights real-life examples of how people suffer as a result of chronic illiteracy, and his entire essay is an advocacy for knowledge and literacy. Other authors such as Frederick Douglass and Richard Wright would use their personal experiences in completely different settings to highlight the power of knowledge. Douglass, a man born into slavery, and Wright, a man living through racial injustice, would present arguments in support of knowledge because it brings freedom and independence. However, they also believe that knowledge is just as much as a curse as it is a blessing. Kozol does not have much in common with the other authors, and has not gone through the same experiences that would lead him to believe that knowledge can also be seen as a curse. Douglass and Wright begin to educate Kozol because they have additional information about the power of knowledge that Kozol does not. This additional information will portray how the power of knowledge can also be seen as a curse through their own personal experiences.…
Only after reading the short story “The Human cost of an Illiterate Society” by Jonathan Kozol, did I realize that 1 out of 5 Americans is illiterate. Kozol points out several examples in his short essay of how many Americans have suffered because they cannot read. Many…
In the essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, written by Jonathan Kozol and published in the Reading for Writers, New York, 2013, the author is raising awareness of illiteracy in the United States and the effects it has on society. He describes the impact that such a large amount of illiterate people can have on voting and the choice of the president. Mr. Kozol uses statistics from the 1980 presidential vote to argue his point, stating that Ronald Reagan likely would not have been the president. Aside from a political view, he provides personal stories to show the difficult obstacles that an illiterate person may encounter on a day to day basis. Furthermore, he explains the health and death risks that the illiterate are faced with…
As I type this essay I am using one form of communication available to those of us who are literate. Sadly not all of us have the ability to do what most if not all of us who are lucky to be literate, take for granted. One such article, "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society?" elaborates on the issue of illiteracy, which is utterly apparent in America. This essay is written using exemplification to show that knowledge is indeed power and those who are illiterate are almost powerless in today's society.…
Educating and guiding students to read and become fluent readers is a life changing experience for the students. Increasing literacy skills in students prepares them for academic and professional careers. Educators must reflect on their own teaching practices and implementation of intervention strategies to meet the needs of all children while taking into account of their individual reading readiness: emergent, beginner, and transitional. As educators are implementing strategies and teaching practices, they are creating a literate environment that is conducive to all readers.…
The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society by Jonathan Kozol, is an article which illustrates the reality for millions of Americans, and the impact illiteracy has on the overall population and that individual and their family. Kozol draws emotional and personal stories which impact the reader as well as allude that the lack of literacy is in direct correlation with Democracy and how illiterate people will vote, if they even do at all.…
In “The Human cost of an illiterate society,” Jonathan Kozol attempts to convince his reader that illiteracy is extremely harmful to a society, and that it is the ultimate destruction of a human being’s life. He explains with great detail how being ignorant (unknown) at something so universal like being able to read the directions on a medicine label, can lead to a lifetime of hardship and long term agony. Kozol develops his reasoning by contributing meaningful but real world examples on how being illiterate is dangerous and fatal. For example He uses not being able to explain where you are if something fatal was to happen, and not being able to understand the dangers of a cigarettes label with a surgeons warning on it. After giving a plenty load of examples, he then brings the discussion back to his central argument on how being illiterate can be costly. When a person does not understand what they have wrongfully done it can be difficult to prosecute or judge that person. If he is not able to read then that person might not be aware that giving a child too much aspirin could result in overdose which can ultimately lead to death. The question that still remains is should that person be held accountable. According to today’s society the answer is still unknown but to protect the people of this society from that illiterate person, the answer is yes that person must be limited. What this ultimately means is that, he must be kept from society so that he won’t cause harm for his on ignorant habits. He will have to be watched, fed, and kept in an environment where he will always be stable. This top of living can cost a lot of money and this is the financial burden that cost a society so much money. In a way this is unfair…
Despite all the actions that have been taken to improve the literacy rate among African-Americans, more problems remain. The school administration, parents and children should acknowledge that it will take them all to dedicate their lives to close this gap. Another alternative solution was proposed to improve the illiteracy rate. The White House and philanthropist recognize that there is a huge gap concerning literacy in the blacks community and in order to improve their lives of young African-Americans, they feel the need to intervene in their lives at an early age so that they can achieve the critical milestone of reading on grade level by the end of the third grade. As a result of that, Grade Level reading was created. Grade Level…
Literacy and education plays an important role in America. More than 4 percent of the adult population does not know how to read or write. (Literacy Partners.) Education is the basis of all jobs, governmental structure, and even society itself. Recent events and documents state the emphasis on the importance of a basic education. The rate of illiteracy is growing at an alarming rate, and nothing is being done about it. Illiteracy is a big problem today because it is directly associated with poverty, crime, and costs the government more money than budgeted.…
In our society today, literacy is no longer defined as being able to read and write very little just to get by, but it is being able to read, write, and comprehend the information presented to you which you can use in order to be a functional and efficient member of society. Even in one of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced countries in the world, literacy is still a matter of concern in modern day America. It is alarming to know that 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read and approximately 35 million adults read below the level needed to function in society, many of whom cannot read at all (Kozol 248, "11 Facts About Literacy in America."). How is this even possible? What problems can undereducation and illiteracy bring? Who does this issue really affect?…
Unequal wealth distribution: People that are rich, just get more money and people that are poor, just get less money. The rich people receive the biggest part of the income and the poor people get a much smaller portion of the income. Wealth should be redistributed so it’s more equal otherwise poverty will be a problem (Magazine, n.d.)…