Abbys Lament Reaction Paper

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Abbys Lament Reaction Paper Every day, society is changing by setting new laws, political structures and upgrading everything around us. Who’s really in control of this power? After reading Abby’s Lament: Does Literacy Matter by Robert P. Yagelski, it seems correct that at a young age kids are all “irrelevant” after all, what’s the purpose of learning to read and write if it has little power in the life outside of school. I agree with Yagelski even though Abby feels irrelevant in the “political and institutional society” there is no reason for her to stop her education “Literacy does constitute power.” (pg. 4) I remember in elementary teachers would tell me “You can be anything you want to even the President of the United States.” I know I’m sure not the President now, but that did not stop me from pursuing a higher education and moving forward. I believe if we don’t seize the changes we desire as kids or adults we still have the opportunity to get educated for a better future. Having the ability to read, write, and keep learning gives us a chance to carry on with our everyday day life. Can you imagine our lives without having the knowledge to do either of those? We would be stepped on or possibly be perceived as idiots. Therefore I believe this article provided many thoughtful ideas and opinions. At first I began to think that Abby’s was right no one her age being important to society and her not able to prevent it. However Yagelski proved his belief how literacy does matter “to negotiate a car, decide on an insurance policy, or even to understand the minimum wage law.” (pg. 5) The simplest things are done with our intelligence and we don’t even recognize it sometimes. Take the world for example it keeps progressing faster and faster with the power of our
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