The Importance Of Literacy :: Literacy Essays

Rita Mae Brown describes literacy as,a social contract, an agreed upon representation of veritable symbols (420). Ifthe symbols (letters) meanings are not agreed upon by those attempting tocommunicate, then interpreting one another becomes difficult. Simply stated,literacy is very primary(prenominal). Society has proven time and time again, it pass onreward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whetherexpressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a sociallevel. wizard need look no further than their everyday activities in order torealize how important literary skills are. Without adequate literary skills onemay not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give achild, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case ofa fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacys importance.Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, 4.5 million Canadians,representing 24 percent of the eighteen-and-over group, can be consideredilliterate (Adult Illiteracy 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada.Although many groups are working to compel the problem of illiteracy, much workstill lies ahead.As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vitalto economic performance. Without basic literary skills in ones will power theywill become lost in our rapidly changing society. The modern worker must beable to adapt to the changing job-scene. This often marrow gathering new skillsand knowledge from printed material, whether instruction manuals, computerprograms, or classroom training (text books). It is quite commonly the casethat highly skilled jobs require a high level of literacy. Therefore, literaryskill level is an important factor in predicting an individuals economicsuccess. It will affect an individuals income, their employment stability andwhether they even nonplus employment opportunities.Presently, our world revolves around liter acy. Simply being literateallows one to continuously upgrade ones literary skills to a higher level. Itallows one to stay sure of happenings in and around the world throughmediums such as newspapers and magazines. Knowing current news about what isgoing on in this ever changing world of ours is the key to staying ahead.Another thought to ponder is this, we rely on those with high literacy levels torecord and document findings and happenings for future generations to reflect on.These writings would most believably be dull and inaccurate or would not exist atall without our current levels of literacy.When viewed from a social standpoint, literacy remains just as importantas when viewed from the economic standpoint. Linda Macleod of the NationalAssociations Active in Criminal Justice, points out that, 65 percent of people