What is Literacy? Scribner, Hedges, and Carr

There is a difference between the common definition of standard literacy and literacy as a social understanding of things. The standard definition of literacy is the ability to read and write whereas the understanding of social literacy is a bit more detailed. Scribner describes literacy in three metaphors: literacy as a state of power, literacy as a state of adaptation, and literacy as a state of grace. Literacy as a state of power focuses on the ability to create change in a socio-political climate. This can be seen in most revolutions and rebellions where good citizens attempt to break out of their oppressive leader’s reign. They don’t just fight with weapons; they fight with words and texts as well. Literacy as a state of adaptation generally refers to communication and extreme rural living. During wars or conflicts, various nations create secret texts and codes based off a given language to not allow the enemy to know future plans. In terms of extreme rural areas individuals need to communicate enough to buy food, sell products, and essentially survive, so a basic form of what we would call “social literacy” is required in its most basic form. Literacy as a state of grace refers to the admiration and respect given to those who could read and write. In western and non-western cultures alike almost all have looked up to those individuals. They have seen it as a sort of blessing or a way of getting closer to God. In West Africa lives a very rural people called the Vai. They have no electricity, public water source, medical and educational facilities are nearly non-existent, and the Vai language has never been used in formal published writing, yet they have practiced literacy for over 150 years. They write letters up to 30 or 40 times a month to stay in communication with friends and family, they use their language as a record keeping system, and most importantly, they learn how to read and write in Arabic because they are a Muslim people. They say “the man who knoweth book passeth all.” They view the ability to read the Koran as being closer to Allah.

            These interpretations of Literacy by Scribner are very different from those of Hedges and Carr. They view literacy as the formal definition- the ability to read and write. They use it as a measuring stick, or a statistic, in their analysis of various nations and weigh it against that nation’s thriving or lacking nature. They are correct in most of their assertions that advanced formal reading and writing skills are necessary in a modern society, but they at times neglect the other less formal views of what literacy is.