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On Literacy: The Politics of the Word from Homer to the Age of Rock
Examines the nature of literacy and analyzes the effects on literacy by aspects of contemporary society, such as television, rock music, and the modern educational system
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 20, 2019
“most intelligence in the mind has been, is, and will in all likelihood remain a function of spoken language” (25)
“if there were a price-tag on speech, half the world would be mute” (31)
—Robert Frost was struck by the fresh talk of his students—at least struck by it relative to their dead writing. He liked their cheers better than their papers.
“He can’t read, he can’t swim” was a catchphrase in 5th-century Athens (53). Now we can read into, read out of, read out, read around in, read about, read up on, read over, read up, read down, read through.
“Americans regard language as a functional device for conveying information and asserting practical obligations” (127).
—In our case, the person who can’t read or write is a weak link. Writing can no more be avoided than “I.” But it often is, as is the “I.” Writing is now all but as ephemeral as speech. There is more of it, too, even though it is avoided—writing, that is, as I mean it. Speech is now a kind of writing, in the sense that it makes itself obviously oblivious, as in tweets and posts. It declares, proclaims, just says, orders, tells, advises. Both are captured, cached, archived. Both are clouds in a cloud.
"Let us call the supposed process by which literacy enlightens the individual mind and advances culture the 'prisoner phenomenon.' The most eloquent testimonials to the power of literacy are found in the memoirs of inmates" (134)
—Why not call that "process" “the fugitive slave phenomenon”? But think of all the prisoners and all the slaves, fugitive, freed, and ex-, who didn’t wake up “to be mentally alive” through reading, but kept on being mentally alive without it. Language just isn't a priority on the American people’s list.
“if there were a price-tag on speech, half the world would be mute” (31)
—Robert Frost was struck by the fresh talk of his students—at least struck by it relative to their dead writing. He liked their cheers better than their papers.
“He can’t read, he can’t swim” was a catchphrase in 5th-century Athens (53). Now we can read into, read out of, read out, read around in, read about, read up on, read over, read up, read down, read through.
“Americans regard language as a functional device for conveying information and asserting practical obligations” (127).
—In our case, the person who can’t read or write is a weak link. Writing can no more be avoided than “I.” But it often is, as is the “I.” Writing is now all but as ephemeral as speech. There is more of it, too, even though it is avoided—writing, that is, as I mean it. Speech is now a kind of writing, in the sense that it makes itself obviously oblivious, as in tweets and posts. It declares, proclaims, just says, orders, tells, advises. Both are captured, cached, archived. Both are clouds in a cloud.
"Let us call the supposed process by which literacy enlightens the individual mind and advances culture the 'prisoner phenomenon.' The most eloquent testimonials to the power of literacy are found in the memoirs of inmates" (134)
—Why not call that "process" “the fugitive slave phenomenon”? But think of all the prisoners and all the slaves, fugitive, freed, and ex-, who didn’t wake up “to be mentally alive” through reading, but kept on being mentally alive without it. Language just isn't a priority on the American people’s list.
March 15, 2016
Every instructor needs to read this book. Period.
Pattison presents a centrist-to-right view of the nature of literacy in our age. He concludes by stating that we need to be fluent in both the classics AND in our contemporary literacies. To favor one to he exclusion of another is the worst response. [I have a neighbor who told me last year he will not read a book published after 1900; and I have colleagues who have never read more than a thimble-full of Shakespeare, a sip of Chaucer, a spray of Plato or a whiff of the Russian novelists.] His role model in this in John Milton, who was very fluent in the classical age literature but re-presented it in his age as a premier artistic study. In the 18th C. it was Pope, in the 19th C. it was Mill and Dickens, and in the 20th C. it was Joyce. But Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dante reached further back in order to present to their own age; they synthesized the past into present-able artistic expression.
What also resonated with me is Pattison's powerful definitions of the literary. The superficial definition resides in the act of decoding and simple proficiencies. What is harder by far and thus rarer is the ability to manipulate rhetorical devices for the advantage of the speaker/writer. This capacity of critical thinking and articulation is a sign of true maturity and it happens rarely. Most of our literacy is focused on shaping people to be efficient, expedient members of society and thus easily controlled by the dominant class. To be a leader/reader, one must reach for the meaning of it all. Lenin and Plato were both naive, according to Pattison, because they thought that the politician could be literate and effective. Pattison doesn't have such regard for this age.
This is one for my own library. This book is a gem.
Pattison presents a centrist-to-right view of the nature of literacy in our age. He concludes by stating that we need to be fluent in both the classics AND in our contemporary literacies. To favor one to he exclusion of another is the worst response. [I have a neighbor who told me last year he will not read a book published after 1900; and I have colleagues who have never read more than a thimble-full of Shakespeare, a sip of Chaucer, a spray of Plato or a whiff of the Russian novelists.] His role model in this in John Milton, who was very fluent in the classical age literature but re-presented it in his age as a premier artistic study. In the 18th C. it was Pope, in the 19th C. it was Mill and Dickens, and in the 20th C. it was Joyce. But Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dante reached further back in order to present to their own age; they synthesized the past into present-able artistic expression.
What also resonated with me is Pattison's powerful definitions of the literary. The superficial definition resides in the act of decoding and simple proficiencies. What is harder by far and thus rarer is the ability to manipulate rhetorical devices for the advantage of the speaker/writer. This capacity of critical thinking and articulation is a sign of true maturity and it happens rarely. Most of our literacy is focused on shaping people to be efficient, expedient members of society and thus easily controlled by the dominant class. To be a leader/reader, one must reach for the meaning of it all. Lenin and Plato were both naive, according to Pattison, because they thought that the politician could be literate and effective. Pattison doesn't have such regard for this age.
This is one for my own library. This book is a gem.
April 3, 2014
Definition of literacy: consciousness of language
April 5, 2017
Interesting - one of the earliest books I read on something I take for granted.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews