Illiteracy in America

392 Words2 Pages
Illiteracy in America Jonathan Kozel is an educator and a social activist who wanted to provide the public with the awareness of the Illiteracy crisis that is going on in America. Jonathan Kozel wrote ( The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society) Having self-awareness and the ability to improve and recognize the need for improvement is essential for any nation to successfully govern itself properly. The essay is effective in its purpose to bring awareness of the problems illiterates face in society. He states in his argument directed at people of all ages and races concerning people who are victims of illiteracy in every community In America, “ We are now of human suffering and of the ethical dilemmas that are faced by a society that looks upon such suffering with qualified concern but does not take those actions which its wealth and ingenuity would seemingly demand” (pg. 53). Many illiterates cannot read or understood documents well, and tend to often sign things without fully understanding what they have signed. The author discussed how illiterates have a hard time teaching Their child and often do not go to their child’s school afraid of embarrassing their child and themselves. Their children face hard times as well because they cannot rely on their parents for guidance or help in solving certain problems or homework assignments. One woman describes what it is like to be illiterate in today’s society. She states “you don’t choose you take your wishes from somebody else whether in perusal of a menu, selection of highways, purchase of groceries, or determination of affordable enjoyment” (pg. 57). Illiterates tend to stay in they neighborhoods they grew up in because they encounter risks that the educated seldom come across. For instance they cannot decipher most traffic signs, cannot read street signs so out of fear of getting
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