In my own life, when I look at the ways that literacy can affect those I know, the effect of this knowledge is immediate. Growing toddlers are always learning how to read and then they move onto writing. When children begin to confidently read and are able to comprehend in the text that surround them, there is a noticeable change in how they perceive the world. A child who cannot read cannot engage in stories, even children’s fairy tales, without the help of others, and their inability to read even the simplest of signs hinders their ability to engage in some social settings.
When said child gains the ability to read, their entire understanding of fiction and stories changes; suddenly these are characters which they can engage with independently. Before, when perhaps signs confused the child, now they gain confidence in navigating even simple obstacles on their own. In short, literacy is a small grab of power for children, a stepping stone for a life of Independence where they do not have to rely on others to translate the world for them.
From this, it is easy to see that literacy, in my life, has been a liberating force. Although I know that propaganda and banned book lists permeate many people’s literature, for me I tend to overlook such things. In this aspect, I work to improve my passive thoughts regarding other’s experiences with reading and writing.
Similarly in my life, I have also noted the liberating force literacy has had on others, and myself. Personally, if I never achieved at my current level of literacy, I would not enjoy many of my hobbies as much. For instance, I spend a great deal listening to music and recording music using simple programs like Ableton. My music hobby’s enjoyment would decrease without my current level of literacy because I love reading lyrics when listening to songs or albums, which leads to me dissecting each individual line, eventually interpreting the song or album as a whole. Literacy is imperative for this, much like my other hobby of recording music. The program I use is a majority text. You have to scour through hundreds of individually named instruments and sounds to find exactly what you’re looking for. Without literacy, the aforementioned would be near impossible. Even though we may not notice it, literacy encompasses our everyday lives.