Slavery was an interesting period in American history. Yes, the fact that one race dominated over the other is a fascinating topic, but the rules created and regulated by whites for the African-Americans are equally as fascinating. Not only was the idea of literacy pushed out of the minds of African Americans, but in some states they where physically punished.
However, something that kept popping up in the Cornelius piece was the fact that African-Americans were more heavily prosecuted if they were found to be learning how to write rather than read. In this system, writing caused more problems because slaves could use writing to obtain more freedoms, like writing to other slaves, writing permission slips, or even forging their masters signatures on checks. Back then, one had to learn how to read before they could write, so the overall process of literacy was slowed down. However, now a days, we are taught how to read while learning how to read simultaneously.
How I view the system back then is that reading is the past, and writing is the future. If the slaves knew how to read, they could comprehend what had already happened, but they could not do anything about it without writing. Writing opened up more doors than reading did; it was the ability to create their own thoughts–something that frightened the slave owners who wished to control them.
My question arises from the old system. What is more powerful/valuable in our current system of literacy teaching? Does writing still hold more power or does reading? Or is it possible that that system all together not exist anymore, that both equally matter in the sense of power?
I think that there has definitely become a much closer balance between the two. I think that reading is something that is far more accepted by society than writing is, but writing is also extremely useful throughout our daily lives. Nowadays, students are being taught reading and writing at the same time, which is different from the older method of teaching reading and then teaching writing. However, if I had to pick one, I would say that writing is the more powerful tool. With the recent academic shift into the field of creative expression and analysis, the concepts of being about to critique and question claims through writing have started to become more important than the ability to understand and read said claims. Although I think it is very close, I would give a slight edge in power to writing over reading.
I agree that the system has balanced out for the most part, as the poster above me has explained. However, I disagree that writing is more important than reading. This is due to the basic need to written direction in day to day life events. If you are unfamiliar with the operation of a new piece of technology then the best way to learn is to read the manual. Writing on the other hand, is only useful for communication, which can be somewhat compensated for by speech. Reading is the skill that needs to be elevated due to the fact that it cannot be compensated in any way.
We had discussed this in class and is something that is still fascinating to me. I love the idea that one could hold more power than the other, however, I feel it unrealistic for me to be the one that has a say in it. I would love to say that writing is more important because it is something that I love to do and something I find important. However, I feel as though I may be shot down by many people saying that writing is as useful as it use to be. This could also be true, I just don’t have much experience in that since writing is my major. I love to read but I personally suck at it. I am a slow reader and I despise when reading is a requirement. It takes a lot of the enjoyment out of it. I have actually just experienced a class where all of our readings are optional and I have read every single one. Where as for other classes where I am told I must do the reading I have this rebellious feeling boiling in me. I think this must be how the slaves felt. It was almost an act of rebellion when learning to read and write and I just love how something amazing came out from that rebellious stage in life.
I agree, I don’t think I have the right to say which skill is more valuable than the other. On a personal level, we value different skills for different reasons. To me, writing is more valuable because it enables me to communicate what I gain from the things I read. As someone who intends to teach, my ability to articulate and communicate ideas is paramount. While I will primarily verbalize these ideas to students, to make it clear to myself, I figure it out through writing.
Although, I suppose if I didn’t have anything to read, there wouldn’t be much to write about. It’s not a one or the other or one over the other concept. Writing and reading are complementary skills. In different contexts, one may seem more important, but the ideal is to have fluency in both taking in information (reading) and interpreting and presenting information (writing).