Bradley Darnell

Professor Agosta

UWRT 1101-006

17 January 2017

Scribner Reading Log

1. Describe what Critical Reading is

Based off what the syllabus has stated, critical reading is having the ability to

read into what has been put in front of you. It does not matter what form of

writing it is. Whether it be a poem or a blog, you should be able to interpret

what the writer is trying to convey to his/her audience. On top of that you

should be able to follow a thought trail that the author has. Which might be

quite difficult at times, but you should still be able to do so. Also, can tell the

difference between factual data and just word of mouth from someone.

Basically, able to fully understand what is being read and connect different

parts of the text even though the connection might be paragraphs apart from

one another.

2. Describe what literacy means to me.

Literacy is hard to describe. Just like in this essay that we are currently

reading. It all depends on where you are from and what you feel literacy

means to each individual person. Before I read this essay, I thought of

literacy as different forms of writing. In many different written ways or

passages or webpages. But as I read more and more, the reading started to

sway my mind some. Now Literacy to me means how literate someone might
be based off their past and exposure to this form of communication. Say for

instance you have an indigenous population who have never been exposed

to anything written in their entire life and ancestors lives. And suddenly you

throw them into a writing class and give them a grade based off how well

they write and understand writing. Another example would be if I threw a

bunch of college level kids into a computer engineering class and gave them

a schematic of an electrical circuit, and gave them a grade based off how

they understood the schematic. Both situations would not end up very well

for both parties. But to those of us who have been exposed to these different

types of literacy, it would be a simple and easy task.

3. Why is Literacy tricky to describe?

My last response plays into my thought process about how this can be tricky

to define. Over the ages literacy has changed. As technology improved, so

has our literacy, depending on who you are and what background you have.

It is tricky also because the term itself is a moving target or a fluid concept.

You cant always shoot in the same spot on a moving target. If you do, youll

miss a good bit of the time. The same goes for the definition of Literacy.

4. Describe the difference between literacy as an attribute of

individuals and social achievement

Well Scribner seems to be coming at literacy from a more If you dont know

words and cant write them, then youre not literate. To me this is not

accurate. Someone who has never been exposed to words or writing can still

draw what they see. Hieroglyphics are a prime example. They are not words
so to speak. But someone who could write/draw them, would be more literate

than someone who cannot. But back to the question. Attribute of an

individual, this is essentially how the person or persons can contribute. Each

individual person brings something to the table and has a big melting pot of

different forms of literacy. Social Achievement What the collective group

has made a standard in the current time. Which also means that the

standard will be forever changing. Scribner advocates a small bit of both in

my opinion. It depends on what stage the society is currently at.

5. Quotes taken from the text

a. Section 1. Literacy as Adaptation
- No justification is needed to insist that school are obligate to equip

children with the literacy skills that will enable them to fulfill these

mundane situational demands. Page 9

I 100% agree with this statement. This is a world that is growing fast, I have

seen people get left behind due to lack of knowledge on how to act or how

to preform to get the better job.

- Is it realistic to try to specify some uniform set of skills as constitution

functional literacy for all adults? page 9

Again, going back to my moving target statement earlier. You cannot put a

set of defined parameters on literacy. It is a constantly moving fluid idea and

as we grow as humans, literacy will grow as well.

b. Section 2 - Literacy as Power

- How can these cultural variations be taken into account? page 13

You honestly can take them into account. For a brief period. And after you

have taken the variations into account, you must go back and do it again.
 - While functional literacy stresses the importance of literacy to the

adaptation of the individual, the literacy-as-power metaphor

emphasizes a relationship between literacy and group or community

advancement page 11

Without group advancement then we would not grow as a people. Our

constant struggle to know more and be more knowledgeable in certain areas

would not progress any further. Without growth, then we will become

figments of the imagination and lost in time.

c. Section 3 Literacy as a state of Grace

- that is, the tendency in many societies to endow the literate person

with special virtues. Page 13

This is one problem that has caused confusion amongst the ages. Just

because someone can read and write should not make them a better person

than others who cannot do the same. But as a society, we continue to belittle

the persons who do not have the higher literacy standard as others. A prime

example is a college degree

- An individual who is illiterate, a UNESCO publication states, is bound

to concrete thinking and cannot learn new material. Page 14

I can see some truth in this, but it still plucks at a string inside of me. Not in a

good way. If youre defining literacy as the ability to learn, then yes this

statement is accurate. But If you teach someone to build a car or fly an

airplane, how is that not abstract thinking? Learning anything at all is a

simple task everyone must do even before we can talk or walk. The truth
side of the statement is as follows, yes you should be able to read and write

to gain and obtain greater status in our current world.