While we may like to believe that leading others to literacy and helping people improve their literacy skills is all noble, we know that this isn’t always true. Companies, government institutions, and certain people in power may try to use their hold on literacy as leverage to get what they want. And even people who have good intentions may unconsciously be the sole beneficiaries of a literacy sponsorship.
As Brandt tells us in her article, in the acquisition of literacy there is a relationship, an interchange, a swap because we acquire our ability to read and write through/ with others. Literacy is contextual, social, and deeply dependent on those around us. The unfortunate thing about relationships, especially among people, is that they can easily become imbalanced, one-sided, or no longer mutually beneficial.
I think her concept is incredibly important because it reminds us that there are always power dynamics at work. As I said, we don’t want to believe that people who profess to serve others have ill will or hidden motives, but we need to acknowledge the possibility that even in teaching people to read/ write there can be abuse of power or the desire to gain something.
