EL336: Havelock (98-126)

Pg. 119:

"In contrast, the illiterates who continues to exist in societies where literacy is practiced, either by a few as in the Middle Ages or by a majority as in modern America, are by definition outside the field of the education."

-Havelock

It's true, today illiteracy is astounding to us. Many people who are illiterate hide it very well, but when others find out, it's extremely embarrassing for that person. In these days, knowing how to read and write is like knowing how to feed and clothe yourself. It's commonplace, an accepted nugget of knowledge everybody should possess in the modern world. When I read this, I found it interesting because of the drastic shift in accepted social norms. In a world before manuscript culture existed to it's full extent-- it was feared. Manuscript culture was even looked upon as unintelligent.

Today, and as Havelock says, even in the Middle Ages, the outlook on literacy is the opposite. Being illiterate automatically lowers the perception of one's intelligence in the minds of others. Many of us cannot even fathom being illiterate because we're taught to read and write at progressively younger ages over the years. My little brother was memorizing books at two years old. Sure, memorization is different than actually reading, but he was shaping his mind for a literate culture, and I'm sure memorizing his favorite Little Golden Books helped him learn to read and write when he started school. He associated the illustrations on the page with the lines of text that accompanied them, and that's how he was able to "read."

I think it is important to mention that Havelock distinguishes between nonliteracy and illiteracy. Nonliteracy is successful acoustic communication-- speaking. Illiteracy is the inability to communicate in a way other than acoustically-- through writing. Havelock refers to literacy as an altered communication condition. Many times it is difficult for humans to adapt to altered conditions, and yet, as Havelock continues to say, too often are people judged based on their level of literacy.