The Power of Literacy
Literature. It is simultaneously a shield against the darkness and an open window that allows new ideas and experiences to float in. Without it, we would have no way to communicate--no way to share our ideas and adventures with others or see those from the past. Literacy is as close as we can get to magic, and it has the power to provide us with humanity, escape, and determination.
Literacy gives us great humanity; it gives us knowledge about the world we live in. For one, in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography “Learning to Read and Write,” he explains his firs experiences with literature. Douglass writes, “The moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. What …show more content…
One example of determination is in the well-known painting “Young Lincoln” painted by Norman Rockwell. In this painting, Lincoln is displayed holding a book in one hand and an axe in the other. He is walking home from his job as a rail splitter and is looking intensely at his book. Consequently, his love of literature allowed him to go beyond his life of poverty to be the President of the United States of America. Literature does this by freeing him through education. Because he is educated, he can make something more of his life and reach self-actualization. Lincoln did not stop at the bare minimum, he chose to improve his life through commitment to literature, and he did. Going along with the same idea that literature gives you determination, the cartoon “Literacy” by Steve Greenberg shows the determination of humans to go above and beyond the expectations set by society. In this cartoon, a man is drawn to be flying past the other forms of “man,” starting out as an ape and ending with a custodian. This gentleman is carrying many forms of literature. This form of evolution displays that, with literature, you can go above and beyond expectations. The man flying could’ve stayed back with everyone else, but instead he reached a higher level of achievement, using education as his wings. Instead of being limited by the Earth, he soared
Literature. It is simultaneously a shield against the darkness and an open window that allows new ideas and experiences to float in. Without it, we would have no way to communicate--no way to share our ideas and adventures with others or see those from the past. Literacy is as close as we can get to magic, and it has the power to provide us with humanity, escape, and determination.
Literacy gives us great humanity; it gives us knowledge about the world we live in. For one, in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography “Learning to Read and Write,” he explains his firs experiences with literature. Douglass writes, “The moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. What …show more content…
One example of determination is in the well-known painting “Young Lincoln” painted by Norman Rockwell. In this painting, Lincoln is displayed holding a book in one hand and an axe in the other. He is walking home from his job as a rail splitter and is looking intensely at his book. Consequently, his love of literature allowed him to go beyond his life of poverty to be the President of the United States of America. Literature does this by freeing him through education. Because he is educated, he can make something more of his life and reach self-actualization. Lincoln did not stop at the bare minimum, he chose to improve his life through commitment to literature, and he did. Going along with the same idea that literature gives you determination, the cartoon “Literacy” by Steve Greenberg shows the determination of humans to go above and beyond the expectations set by society. In this cartoon, a man is drawn to be flying past the other forms of “man,” starting out as an ape and ending with a custodian. This gentleman is carrying many forms of literature. This form of evolution displays that, with literature, you can go above and beyond expectations. The man flying could’ve stayed back with everyone else, but instead he reached a higher level of achievement, using education as his wings. Instead of being limited by the Earth, he soared