More Than Words

Our Tumblr post have created a non-traditional way of doing assignments but I feel as if there are still boundaries. I have enjoyed expressing my opinions on pieces, not simply regurgitating information, but to an extend its still academic so there are  certain guidelines for blogging. Some may include:

Staying on topic

No excessive cursing

Grammar(to an extent) 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/13/right-to-bear-arms-gun-grabbing-sweeping-nation/

When I first began to read Gabor’s piece on “Writhing as a Public Power” I pondered the significance of this piece to our class, she even pointed out that most would wonder. As I continued reading I learned we have rights to civic literacy and most of what we write and compose in our composition classes is our civic literacy rights. We aren't simply regurgitating facts but putting our opinions with them. We all give speeches, make presentations, and write papers in our classes about how we feel on certain subject and what course of action events should take but never give thought to if we are using our rights as citizens

There are many levels of civic literacy and I found it interesting that most young adults have little idea that their every day civic engagement is composed of spoken and written civic literacy. Gabor points out studies that have shown most young adults are turned away from engaging in political institutions because of the lack of belief in their importance in our involvement. Even when asked if they knew how to compose certain documents, would they participate and most answered no. Little do we know that we engage in our civic duties through more local groups. A simple speech or email classifies as civic literacy.

In the reading we got a brief introduction into who John Swales is, a quick description of genre, and an excerpt from John Swales about the 6 characteristics of a “discourse community.” In our own communities we communicate in many ways of writings. From group messages to essays each discourse community has its ways of writing and each style is categorized into different genres. 

When reading I found one characteristic most important to current class discussion: “A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.” Last class we talked about why different writing styles are expected in the various classes we take. As an academic discourse community we are asked to utilize many different genres and as an individual I believe that taking advantage of the different genres as they come to surface will help in joining professional and non-professional discourse communities.

Glade points out the simple fact that different writing styles do exist and not every paper is going to be your cookie cutter 5 paragraph essay. She explains how in the university different professors tend to have different expectations when it comes to writing and one must sway writing style to fit the project at hand. In universities, writing is a way of communicating from colleague to colleague or professor to student and genres vary on each level.Some classes, like UWRT for example, expect a more personal based writing style and classes like Biology and some History Courses expect hard facts and sources to back them up.

"The Town that Shaped Me" 

Sometimes we all feel discouraged about our writing because of the first stages of our work but the, somewhat comical, writings of Anne Lamott brought up the stress relieving fact that all beautiful writing doesn't start off beautiful. I remember all the times I thought about having a journal and when I went to write stuff, it was a scary sight, so I just gave up. "Shitty First Drafts" explains that sometimes well written pieces of writing come from shitty beginnings and even well accomplished writers, such as herself, experience this. 

We can all relate to putting words on paper and hating every word that gets put down, but that's when we take a minute to find the one-thing that isn't so bad and you go from there. I understand, upon getting a writing assignment the only thing you want is to get it done, I've been there but Lamott stresses that the first draft is just a time where you let it all flow out: the good, the bad, the ugly, all come together and is definitely not worthy of turning in. Although shitty there might be something in there that will spark an idea for the rest of the novel, essay, or short story. Rereading, reflecting, and rewriting the first draft will help you to write elegant essays that are more than likely going to get you an A.

I found this piece on Malcolm X's journey to becoming a more literate individual very motivational and empowering. I also learned things about Malcolm X that I never knew before. For example, he only had an 8th grade level of education and furthered his education while in prison. The Malcolm X we all know is the highly intelligent civil rights activist not the slightly illiterate inmate that we see in this reading.

A part of this reading that stuck out to me the most was how he sat and copied a whole dictionary, word for word, to further his knowledge. We've all seen a dictionary and probably all had a teacher say "look it up in the dictionary" to us when trying to spell something. Looking up words in a dictionary have always been a dreaded aspect of reading and writing, the fact that he willingly copied and studied a dictionary shows the thirst for knowledge and determination he had to surpass his current situation. 

After gaining the knowledge he obtained form the countless hours of studying a dictionary, Malcolm still wanted to learn more. He started to read books from the library and it opened his eyes to his history,that being the triumphs of African Americans and the control of the "white man" ,and soon it became a passion. Now in the history books Malcolm X is a very successful civil rights activist.

This story shows what reading and writing can do for your life. For most people it is an outlet to express who you are and what you want to be. Contrary to Brandt's view on literacy with "Sponsorship and Access"referring to social class giving you access to higher knowledge, Malcolm X went against all odds and become his own sponsor to achieve a higher level of education. We can all learn from this determination and strive to become more intellectual individuals.

Brandt's writing gives us a crucial key in understanding literacy. She does not simply try to define literacy in a certain set of words, but looks at the process to which an individual comes to a certain level of literacy. Touching base with the different social and environmental factors contributing to an individual's standing. When reading Brandt's explanation on the different factors, such as environment, resources, and social class, affect our literacy levels, I began to reflect on the factors that guided me to becoming a freshman here at UNCC. Hearing stories from both sides of the social spectrum really put insight into my reflection. I believe that our sponsorship and access has little to do with the level of literacy we reach but more to with the knowledge you obtain and what you do with it. 

Coming from two completely different worlds, Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez, used their advantages and disadvantages to proceed in becoming literate. Raymond Branch, a son of a professor and an established real estate executive, took the resources from his fathers academic connection and used these sponsors to become a software writer. On the other hand Dora Lopez, member of a lower class than Branch, took the resources from her roots and focused in speaking two languages. Although coming from different social standings, Branch and Lopez used their background to become their own form of literate.

I honestly have never given thought to what literacy is. It’s kinda like you’re uncle that lives in Colorado, you know he’s there but you really don’t think about him that often. Until now, Scribner points out that literacy is more than your uncle that lives in Colorado, its in our every day activities, our Sunday morning Church service, and where its always been, school. Scribner writes in her piece “Literacy in Three Metaphors” about the ongoing triumph of defining “literacy.” Many scholars have debated on this definition, all contradicting one another and yet no one has fully grasped the concept. 

Scribner urges that literacy is this phenomenon of “social achievement” and an “outcome of cultural transmission.” To try to grasp the whole concept of literacy she puts then into three metaphors:

Literacy as Adaptation

Literacy as Power

Literacy as a State of Grace

The first metaphor, literacy as adaptation, is how I’ve always looked at literacy. Its what we’ve been taught in school for, oh so, long. Reading and writing for everyday life. But then Scribner brings up some valid questions: is what we do in America the same everyday activities in Asia? Whats a “necessary” task and what is “optional? Cervero pointed out that “it is not logically possible to define this universe of behaviors.” So if this isn’t the complete definition of literacy what is? 

The next metaphor, literacy as power, holds true in all of history. Those who where wealthy where literate. “Not to be literate is a state of victimization” Scribner even says, based on Paulo Freire’s theory. As it holds true to history, this is not entirely the case of today’s society. Each individual, rich or poor, are offered the same education through public school. Although the most wealthy are predominantly the most educated. But we’re still missing parts to the puzzle.

Going the the last metaphor, in trying to grasp the concept of literacy, Scribner points out: literacy as a state of grace. Referring to the spirituality of literacy. In history those who could read and comprehend, even recite, scripture where people whose encompassed “special virtues.” These where the people, in society’s eye, that were intellectual and those who weren’t literate were illegible of learning.  

With the up rise in social media, texting, and emails our society has become a society of writers. Anne Trubek points out this phenomenon in her blog called "We're all Writers Now." After reading this blog I found myself reflecting on the many things I've written:

-long facebook statuses I've posted

-the 140 character tweets that took 15 minutes of thought

-my 4 page essay on hydrogen in high school

-the countless text messages and emails sent to friends and professors, trying to seem witty and interesting. 

-my Europe trip journal