The Importance Of Literacy :: Literacy Essays

Rita Mae Brown describes literacy as,a social contract, an concord upon representation of certain symbols (420). Ifthe symbols (letters) meanings are not agreed upon by those attempting tocommunicate, then interpreting one another becomes difficult. Simply stated,literacy is very important. Society has proven time and time again, it willreward those individuals who are efficient and impede those who are not, whetherexpressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a sociallevel.One need look no further than their everyday activities in order torealize how important literary skills are. Without adequate literary skills onemay not be able to see on a label the correct amount of medicine to give achild, or read and interpret a sign giving operating instructions on what to do in case ofa fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacys importance.Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, 4.5 million Canadians,representing 24 percent of the eighteen -and-over group, can be consideredilliterate (Adult Illiteracy 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada.Although many groups are influenceing to render the problem of illiteracy, much workstill lies ahead.As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vitalto economic performance. Without basic literary skills in ones possession theywill become incapacitated in our rapidly changing society. The modern worker must beable to adapt to the changing job-scene. This often means gathering new skillsand knowledge from printed material, whether instruction manuals, computerprograms, or classroom training (text books). It is quite commonly the casethat highly skilled jobs require a high level of literacy. Therefore, literaryskill level is an important factor in predicting an individuals economicsuccess. It will affect an individuals income, their employment stability andwhether they even receive employment opportunities.Presently, our realness revolves around li teracy. Simply being literateallows one to continuously upgrade ones literary skills to a higher level. Itallows one to stay informed of happenings in and around the world throughmediums such as newspapers and magazines. Knowing current news about what isgoing on in this ever changing world of ours is the key to staying ahead. other thought to ponder is this, we rely on those with high literacy levels torecord and document findings and happenings for future generations to reflect on.These writings would most likely be dull and wide or would not exist atall without our current levels of literacy.When viewed from a social standpoint, literacy remains just as importantas when viewed from the economic standpoint. Linda Macleod of the issueAssociations Active in Criminal Justice, points out that, 65 percent of people