Literacy

"Literacy in American Lives" by Deborah Brandt discusses how becoming literate in American society goes beyond simply learning how to read and into the realm of economics, race, opportunity, and structure as influenced by ‘sponsors.’ All of these concepts, although not new, are important to the analysis of what it means to be literate. While there is a point when one is deemed illeteate, there is not a simple split between those who are literate and those who are not. It is in the area of grayscale where a large portion of the populous dwells. Those wishing to properly understand the how's and why's of this, must dive into a social stratesphere interwoven with all the dynamics that contribute to human nature and survival. Literacy, like so many other things in life, is shaped by the social structure that surrounds it.