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¶ … Human Cost of Illiteracy" in Illiterate America by Jonathan Kozol
We actually asked for a great big red button, but they wouldn't give us one." -- Royal Navy submarine crewmember, on the method for firing cruise missiles.
Nations of various cultures and societies, have, since time immemorial, given importance to the benefits of literacy, which basically involves development in reading and writing skills. Literacy in American society has been one of its major detriments, which contradicts the country's powerful political and prosperous economic standing in the international community. This point is expressed, discussed, and analyzed by Jonathan Kozol, author of Illiterate America. In this discourse, the author looks into the history, social, and individual implications of illiteracy in America, and how illiteracy 'endangers' not only individual Americans, but the country (in general) as well.
The quote stated above illustrates the importance of literacy among individuals and the society. Kozol presents his arguments about America's illiterate society by discussing the social and personal (individual) effects of illiteracy. These adverse effects, for the most part, concerns exemplars of real-life situations and events wherein illiteracy has proven to be a liability, even a dangerous and deadly condition, for the American society. The illiterate sector of American society, have...
This paper provides a critical analysis of this "red button" rule -- that is, how it has pervaded among America's illiterate society, and led to decreased productivity and increased costs for America. Thus, this paper posits that America's illiterate sector leads to significant loss in the country's social and individual/personal development.
The "red button" rule of illiterate and semi- literate Americans, as the author categorizes, can halt their personal or individual development. In "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society," illiteracy is synonymously associated with "tragedy," because "[i]lliterates live, in more than literal ways, an uninsured existence." Indeed, people who cannot read constantly live a life motivated by fear and uncertainty. The article exemplifies this through the case of the graphic illustrator (in "A Third of the Nation Cannot Read These Words"), where he is considered a "solitary man," detached from his community and unable to establish social relationships with other people. In this example, it is evident that the graphic illustrator's isolation from other people is not a preference, but a necessity, a result of his constant fear that people will discover his 'handicap' of not being able to…
Works Cited
Kozol, J. "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society." Available at http://eserver.org/courses/spring97/76100o/readings/kozol.html.
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