Literacy

A person who has college level literacy will have the ability to read, write, or listen at a higher level. This allows the person to create his or her own meaning out of literary works, creatively and effectively. A person who is able to be creatively literate is able to do this without overusing outside crutches, meaning the person can construct creative conclusions through observations and critical thinking. An effective literate person is able to create a conclusion that he or she can then make an argument for. As Carver says in On Writing, “For the details to be concrete and convey meaning, the language must be accurate and precisely given” (pg. 848). Meaning, a person should be able to give an organized and non-distracting argument. A person can be creative, but without the ability to be effective, the skill is diminished, and vise versa. Being able to read, write, or listen creatively and effectively should be abilities held by someone who is considered literate at the college level. By showing what a person of college level literacy should be able to demonstrate, a higher standard for the general definition of literacy is made.

            A general definition given to literacy is a person’s ability to read. While Susan Reynolds, in What You Read Matters More Than You Think, shows us that reading is an effective tool in improving or testing one's literacy; it is not what literacy is solely. Literacy is one's ability to decipher or create meaning through reading, writing, or listening. This is a definition that shows that many people can read, but do they retain what they read? Do they read anything worth retaining? As Reynolds states in the same article, “These types of light reading lack a genuine voice, a viewpoint, or the sort of analyses that might stimulate thought. It’s light and breezy reading that you can skim through and will likely forget within minutes” (Para. 3). In this instance the writer is talking about “light reading,” and demonstrates that just because the person is reading does not mean it will in anyway affect the reader for any long-term period (Para. 3). With this, it is seen that what is being read will have a direct effect on how that person writes, another important aspect of literacy.

            Writing literacy has to do with the writer’s ability to create meaning in his or her own way. Meaning, that as a literate writer, one should be able to creatively express their original thoughts. Carver, in On Writing, calls this a writer’s “signature” (pg. 845). This “signature” is what will distinguish one writer from all others, and make them worth reading. If all writers had the same style, reading would be tiresome and repetitive. One’s “signature” is an important part of their writing, and is able to effectively demonstrate one's literary abilities. Literacy in writing is very important, but one can also prove their literacy through other everyday skills.

            With the ever-growing popularity of audiobooks and podcasts, it would be wrong to leave out how one can be literate in listening. Many who do not read at the level that is expected of them have found other ways to prove their literacy. At the collegiate level and higher, many are switching to audio books, because as auditory learners, it is important to use their strengths. The definition that has been made for literacy, for purposes of this writing, is the ability to decipher or create meaning, effectively and creatively. A person, who is able to use auditory learning to decipher meaning creatively and effectively, should not be put into a disadvantage because of the way they learn.

            My strengths as a literary writer include the ability to make an effective and organized argument. As a writer, I have a very particular way of writing, in order to effectively draw my readers into my argument. One of my weaknesses would be how hard it is for me to deviate from my personalized writing style. I have trouble being able to surprise readers because of my predictability.

Work Cited:

Commentary. "What You Read Matters More than You Might Think." Quartz. N.p., 30 June 2016. Web. 06 Sept. 2016. http://qz.com/714987/what-you-read-matters-more-than-you-might-think/

Carver, Raymond. "Writing." SpringerReference (n.d.): n. pag. Web. http://www.faculty.english.ttu.edu/rickly/3360/On-Writing.pdf