To Be Illiterate
By Marie
If you have ever been to court you know what it’s like sitting there waiting for your name to be called. It’s the perfect place for nosey people due to the fact that everything is said out loud, there is no privacy. It’s like being on the set of a sitcom.
As I sat there trying not to be interested in my fellow citizens dilemmas, there was a man that was called up to be next. The judge called his name and pointed to a young lady standing in line. He very eagerly went over and stood right by her. I should take a moment to tell you that the first thing the judge explained was that once you are called to the front you make a single file line in the isle way and she will see four people in a single file line. That said; you can see the frustration of the judge when the man stood right next to the first lady called.
The judge waved him over to the isle, only he did not understand that part so he just got closer to the lady. At that point the judge yelled “What are you doing? Get away from her!” The bailiff took him by the arm and helped him to his spot. When it was finally his turn, he told the judge that he needed a Persian interpreter. Ah Ha! Now it made sense. He didn’t understand anything going on around him!
I couldn’t stop thinking about how that would feel! Could you imagine looking around you at signs and having no idea what they are telling you? Do they say “Do not enter” or “Caution”? Could they be telling you that there is free coffee, or that you are in a 20 item or less isle? More importantly if your child has chicken pocks or some highly contagious disease to wait in a separate lobby.
Here is a list of things of some things that, just this last week that absolutely required literacy : I verified that the pharmacy made the correct medicine for my daughter, I filled out paper work to be re-reimbursed for my school costs, I wrote a note to my daughters school to inform them why she was absent. I sent and read multiple emails from individuals on a personal and business level. I paid bills. I researched different active ingredients in cough medicine for my older daughter. I also helped that same daughter memorize lines for the musical she is in. We worked on homework together. My son studied for a Social Studies test, in which I quizzed him.
There are adults out there that are illiterate and cannot help their children in school. They undoubtedly sign things that the content to which they have signed are a complete mystery to them other than what they are told. It would be very similar to that poor man that had no idea what was going on around him. I can think of so many different things that I encounter every day that requires me to read on some level. Just try it. Go a whole day without reading or writing a single thing. I imagine it would be similar to the “white fog” (Goshgarian) Helen Keller talks about as she describes the world around her.
Works Cited
Goshgarian, Gary. Exploring Language. New York: Pearson, 2010.
Wow, the example you gave just made me remember so many circumstances in which we judge people, with no bad intentions but because we assume they understand what were saying. The example is a little different because this individual may not be illiterate in his country and the language they speak but because he may have not learned the English language yet, in the United States he is considered illiterate. This shows how important it is to know this countries primary language because although you may know your countries language if you cant communicate to a huge percentage of this countries population you may not be successful. In being successful you must be able to understand and read the language. In this country people may consider a “ up and down knob” a gesture which means agreed. However in other countries this expression may not mean the same. In being literate with the same language we can clarify gestures. However, I need to also point out that being literate is not always verbal, as long as you can critically read and understand the meanings of words. Being literate is why the human race has accomplished so much and is why we have so much power.
ReplyDeleteThat Persian guy story is an awkward event that even I went through. I may not be considered as illiterate, but there are times when I still have no idea what a person is trying to tell me. Now, him being, I am guessing a foreigner, is similar to an American visiting a foreign country such China and Japan. Not only you can’t speak their language, you can’t even attempt to read their writing as you would to Spanish words. Imagine walking around China or Japan and all you can read are numbers, and the rest… scribbles. Visiting a different country is a taste of illiteracy. In my opinion, those who are illiterate in our country should not be made fun of, pointed fingers at, and be called names. Those who wish to enhance their English reading and writing skills are the same way as those who wish to learn a new language. And for those who made fun of people who struggle when it comes to writing and reading, I say go visit Asia.
ReplyDeleteA few months back, I visited a Korean grocery market called H-mart. My boyfriend wanted gum, so he grabbed one that is all in Korean letters except one, the name of it, XYLITOL. Before I did not know that the word xylitol was, until my boyfriend told me. It is actually a substance found in some chewing gum that has been clinically proven to reduce plaque and tooth decay. I thought that XYLITOL was a nicotine gum or something, so I was scared to buy it for him. That moment right there is my experience of being illiterate. I didn’t know what the products were since I cannot read them which made it hard for me to shop.