The dangers that illiteracy brings to the home, the community, and other private and public spaces are too real; accidents, lost income, and costly legal battles are but few of the events that happen because of illiteracy.
Likewise, the fact that illiterate people are often systematically devoid of their most basic rights by their condition, from the simple act of choosing an item from a restaurant menu to the ability to comprehend the contents of a lease or an authorization form for a medical procedure, also contradicts most of the beliefs that people have about democracy.
It points to the degrading existence of illiterate individuals who are often trapped in both the literal and figurative sense, as exemplified by the terror that accompanies the experience of being lost in a foreign city without the ability to read simple directions and streetsigns, and the powerlessness that results from the inability to take advantage of opportunities that could lift illiterate people from poverty.
2. Most of the reactions to the problem of illiteracy, which range from pity towards people who are unable to read or write to a nagging sense of shame that some people are actually suffering from a condition that poorer countries in the Third World have actually made strides in solving while an affluent society like America continues to deny the presence of the problem.
This inevitably leads to contempt for the institutions and policymakers and test one’s belief in democracy because the persistence of a problem that is as basic as teaching citizens to read and write reveals the weaknesses of so-called democratic institutions and societies in responding to problems that have caused misery for millions. It also raises damning questions about the priorities of the government and policymakers of this country, including how public funds are being used to solve pervasive social problems and if, indeed, these funds are actually being put into programs that benefit the majority of the poor and the illiterate.
Clearly, the existence of illiteracy tests one’s faith in a democratic society. Illiteracy keeps people mired in the cycle of poverty, which contributes to their continued marginalization. As Kozol aptly demonstrates, illiteracy prevents an individual from active participation in the labour force, despite their overwhelming interest to do so.
Illiterate individuals cannot vote wisely, they cannot choose their candidates based on the responsiveness and quality of political platforms, and they are often shut off from the important avenues of political participation. Illiteracy systematically denies the individual access to basic social services and hinders him or her from demanding a better quality of public service. Thus, illiteracy only empowers those who are already in power, which mocks the very foundation of the democracy that the American public professes to champion.
The stigma associated with being illiterate also hinders many adults from seeking needed help, as they fear that their identities would always be associated with their perceived disability. Hence, illiterate people may also find themselves unintentionally breaking the law because they do not know, and they cannot read signs that a particular action is illegal. Illiterate people also cannot defend themselves and their rights, as they are usually not familiar and have not read that such rights exist in the society they are in.
One cannot adequately stress the negative impacts of illiteracy on American society, particularly on its effects on the daily lives of the illiterate. Beyond the consequence of illiteracy on individual human lives, however, the American public must reflect on the wholesale impact of the inability to read or write on American values. American society must contend with the growing alienation of many of its members who are kept from engaging in informed decision-making, which not only undermines the democratic values that America purportedly adheres to, but also casts doubt on the ability of democratic institutions to fully realize the ideals of equality and support the full development of human potential.
Work Cited:
Kozol, Jonathan. “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society.” Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide, 10th Edition. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. United States: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 252-259.
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