Illiteracy Consequences
Jet Sims
Comp. II
Ms. Choate
February 3, 2012
Illiteracy Consequences Imagine being overseas in an unknown place where everything that is written is unrecognizable. An individual would possibly feel completely lost without any direction, no starting point, and no help. That is a daily way of life for the illiterate. They become lost because of their lack of education at a young age, or because their parents did not give them the opportunity. This education is paid for by the government and free to who ever accepts it, but unfortunately there are still many who do not take advantage of it. Technology is advancing more now than ever, but the illiterates are stuck in their tracks. In 1980, illiteracy was such an important role in deciding the president, as Ronald Reagan received 16 million votes from illiterate citizens (228). This is just one major example of the role illiteracy has effected America. Living illiterate is very dangerous for these individuals. Even the increase in drug use has had a dramatic effect on a child’s ability to learn to read. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for American citizens to get a good education, stress the dangers that face illiterate Americans, and bring to light the possible effects on a child’s ability to read whose mother uses drugs and/or alcohol. Education is a human right, but it is also up to the person. Most of the blame for illiteracy is on the people. Yet, there are still over 822,000 people above the age of 14 who cannot read or write any form of simple English (Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness). The government has been trying to intervene concerning the literacy rate, but the literacy rate is still struggling in education. Therefore, the blame cannot be put solely on our government, but on the citizens too. The opportunities are available for individuals. Illiterates need to take responsibility for their actions and get an acceptable education. Having no education means not being
Comp. II
Ms. Choate
February 3, 2012
Illiteracy Consequences Imagine being overseas in an unknown place where everything that is written is unrecognizable. An individual would possibly feel completely lost without any direction, no starting point, and no help. That is a daily way of life for the illiterate. They become lost because of their lack of education at a young age, or because their parents did not give them the opportunity. This education is paid for by the government and free to who ever accepts it, but unfortunately there are still many who do not take advantage of it. Technology is advancing more now than ever, but the illiterates are stuck in their tracks. In 1980, illiteracy was such an important role in deciding the president, as Ronald Reagan received 16 million votes from illiterate citizens (228). This is just one major example of the role illiteracy has effected America. Living illiterate is very dangerous for these individuals. Even the increase in drug use has had a dramatic effect on a child’s ability to learn to read. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for American citizens to get a good education, stress the dangers that face illiterate Americans, and bring to light the possible effects on a child’s ability to read whose mother uses drugs and/or alcohol. Education is a human right, but it is also up to the person. Most of the blame for illiteracy is on the people. Yet, there are still over 822,000 people above the age of 14 who cannot read or write any form of simple English (Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness). The government has been trying to intervene concerning the literacy rate, but the literacy rate is still struggling in education. Therefore, the blame cannot be put solely on our government, but on the citizens too. The opportunities are available for individuals. Illiterates need to take responsibility for their actions and get an acceptable education. Having no education means not being
Cited: "Illiteracy And Low Literacy In The United States." Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness 90.3 (1996): 286. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. Kozol, Jonathan. “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society.” The Power of Language / The Language of Power. New York: Longman, 2011. 227-33. Print. Nevills, Pamela, and Pat Wolfe. Building the Reading Brain: PreK-3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2009. 24, 30-31. Print.