What Literacy Means Essay Example for Free

What Literacy Means Essay For me literacy is very important and has a really strong impact in my life. When I was a kid I remember my father always telling me â€Å"the more you know the better it is†. I never really understood what he meant nor did I pay that much attention. I must admit that I was pretty rebellious back in those days, I wanted to be independent, I dropped out college in my freshman year, started partying, binge drinking, to sum it up I just didn’t wanted to listen or take any advice from my parents or the people that cared for me. They saw the mistakes I was making and the destructive path I was heading to, it was like they were foreseeing the future. It wasn’t until I left my country (Dominican Republic) to live in the united states that I understood what they were trying to tell me, out all the advice they gave me I could only remember the say that my father used to tell me. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a social level. One needs look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literacy is. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a 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 considered illiterate (Adult Illiteracy 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada. Although many groups are working to render the problem of illiteracy, much work still lies ahead. As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vital to economic performance. Without basic literary skills in ones possession they will become lost in our rapidly changing society. The modern worker must be able to adapt to the changing job-scene. This often means gathering new skills and knowledge from printed material, whether instruction manuals, computer programs, or classroom training (text books). It is quite commonly the case that highly skilled jobs require a high level of literacy. Therefore, literary skill level is an important factor in predicting an individuals economic success. It will affect an individuals income, their employment stability and whether they even receive employment opportunities. Presently, our world revolves around literacy. Simply being literate allows one to continuously upgrade ones literary skills to a higher level. It allows one to stay informed of happenings in and around the world through mediums such as newspapers and magazines. Knowing current news about what is going on in this ever changing world of ours is the key to staying ahead. Another thought to ponder is this, we rely on those with high literacy levels to record and document findings and happenings for future generations to reflect on. These writings would most likely be dull and inaccurate or would not exist at all without our current levels of literacy. When viewed from a social standpoint, literacy remains just as important as when viewed from the economic standpoint. Linda Macleod of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, points out that, 65 percent of people entering Canadian prisons for the first time have trouble reading and writing, low literacy is part of a constellation of problems that can limit choices in life and thus lead people to criminal activity (20). Somebody in possession of a high level of literacy will most likely be well informed and tend to make wiser decisions. By obtaining this level of literacy they have also gathered a large vocabulary giving those many words to choose from to express their ideas and feelings. Conversely, many would agree that a conversation with one who has a good grasp of the English language is always more delightful than with one who is less educated. Literacy can act as a window, opening ones view to the world. Presently, we are being bombarded with information, news, trivia and gossip (not that this is always a positive feature in our lives). Without sufficient literary skills one cannot even absorb any of this information. These people will miss out on many of lifes benefits, socially as well as economically. Without sufficient literary skills one would have a tremendously difficult time functioning in our current world. Think about your average day, consider how many times you refer to your literary skills to aid you, could you function without those skills? Finding an address, reading a map, reading a menu, performing a bank transaction, these are just a few common tasks that require your literary skills. Also, when looking at the importance of literacy to our nation, its value is evident. High levels of literacy throughout all sectors of Canadas workforce are necessary, low  literacy levels of workers affect Canadas ability to perform in the increasingly competitive international marketplace (Literacy 7). Literary skills become building blocks. By first creating a well-educated society, then a highly skilled labor force which can compete and adapt to the changing market. These factors lead to an increase in economic growth within the nation which in turn, results in a higher standard of living for its people. As our society moves forward into the future, a higher level of literacy will become more important to ones level of success. Where would our society be without our ability to exchange knowledge and information? How many times have you made a purchase that read on the outside instructions inside? You and I think nothing of this, and in a sense take our gift for granted. For many, deciphering written instructions is a near impossible task, asking for assistance does little more than to further lower their self esteem. Literacy is important. To truly seize the benefits possible in ones life it has to be accepted that literacy is the key. Society will continue to reward skilled individuals and disadvantage those who are not.

An Enemy of the People, Waiting for Godot and Civilization and Its Disc

Science and Human Values in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents Throughout the centuries, society has been given men ahead of their time. These men are seen in both actual history, and in fictional accounts of that history. Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, and even Freud laid the framework in their fields, with revolutionary ideas whose shockwaves are still felt today. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so society has also possessed those how refuse to look forward, those who resisted the great thinkers in science and civilization. The advancement of science and technology is like the flick of a light switch; research may be slow and tedious, but once discoveries are made, they are not long hidden. In contrast, advancement in the ideas of ethics and human values come slowly, like the rising of the sun; there are hints at advancement for a long time before the next step is ready to be made. Because of this, science and technology takes off in leaps and bounds before human values have awakened to find society moving again. This race between science and human values is a common theme in literature. Sigmund Freud discusses it in his essay Civilization and Its Discontents, bringing up themes later reflected in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. In the more concrete story line of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People one finds intertwined this same conflict. It seems generally agreed that science and technology are winning in this race, at the expense of humanity. But there is less agreement as to just what to do about it, or what is needed to save humanity from its own scientific advances. Sigmund Freud breaks t... ...rson with the right balance of science and people skills can help slow science down and awaken the ideas of human values in people regarding scientific advances in human genetics. If human values are to keep up with scientific advancement, there needs to be not complacency but action. Freud saw both science and the search for happiness rooted in the outlet of energy from repressed instincts. The continual recharge of this energy promises to keep the race between these two forces going. As expressed in Ibsen's play, it seems the key to a thriving society is to let neither science nor human values get too far ahead. Works Cited: Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Press,. 1954. Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: W. W. Norton, 1961. Ibsen, Henrik. An Enemy of the People. Dover Publications: New York, 1999.

What Is Worth Fighting for?

Jordan Jackson Mrs. Bugg English351 2/15/13 Family Is Worth Fighting For How is family important to you? Family is important because they are our family, they support us in everything we do, they are always there to protect us, they are there to stand up for us, they are always there for us , they will always be our family members and they will always love us. So shouldn’t we fight for them? Some people have a hard time even starting families on their own, some families are going through financial obstacles, but they will always be a family and they will always stick together.Family is worth fighting for. Families in the military have a hard time adopting children because of the constant moving around all the time whether it is in the states or in a different country. Adoption hasn’t been easy for those families in the military. â€Å"The issue of relocation is one of the major problems our families have faced when they are considering adoption, â€Å"confirms Al Smit h. Families in the military probably have a family but if they want to adopt a child it is going be hard for them.Many people in the military don’t have time to actually produce kids on they’re own so they want to adopt but it’s hard. Al Smith started a foundation where people in the military can adopt kids without having any issues with traveling. Families who have financial difficulties have trouble providing for their family. Sometimes they have a hard time even putting food on the table. Families with a large amount of children have a hard time supporting their family especially if the parents don’t have a good paying job.In some families the parents don’t even have a job. One of the biggest causes of financial issues is job loss. Sometimes one of the children or one of the parents get very ill and paying for all the medical bills can put financial stress on a family. Sometimes parents have to have more than one job to provide for they’r e family. Even when the kids get old enough to have a job they have to get a job to help provide money for their parents to pay the bills and to help put food on the table. Families even have to go through poverty. Today the poverty rate in the U.S. is the highest it’s been in 17 years, affecting some 46 million people. The economy is the main reason why the poverty rate is so high. ( Struggling Families Lift Themselves Out Of Poverty. NPR. org ) Families in poverty have nothing but the other people in their families to depend on. Immigrants that come to America to start a new life most likely start out with financial issues and they are in poverty. Maurice Lim Miller started a foundation to help get families out of poverty. This foundation helps the parents of this family to get back on their feet.They help the families get jobs, they feed the families, they house the families, they give the families clothes to wear. This foundation has helped many families get out of povert y. Some families go through domestic violence and the children have to deal with that for as long as the other parent is willing to deal with the abuse. It affects everybody in the family whether or not they are getting abused or not. It affects the children by having to see and deal with one of their parents or siblings going through that abuse, and sometimes the family has to move away from the place they grew up in to a new place.It affects the mom or dad by not knowing how to deal with the situation and even if they did know how they would have to move out of their house and leave the person that is the parent of their children. Women that are involved in domestic violence have to go to domestic violence shelters with they’re children. Domestic violence doesn’t have to be actually hitting the other person, it could be taking away the other person’s money. Keeping the money away from the other person can stop that person from paying bills and providing for th ey’re family.Family member’s that are going through abuse should be able to go to they’re other family members for advice on how to get out of that situation or for a place to stay to get away from that person abusing them. In conclusion families have to deal with many types of things like poverty, domestic violence, having trouble adopting. At the end of the day they are still a family and they have to push through whatever they are dealing through and be there for each other when they need it the most.Families have to make it day by day and deal with issues that come up, love each other even when they make wrong choices, be there for the other family member when times get hard and be there for them through the good times. Enjoy the time we have with our family now because life is short. Family is important, how are we willing to fight for them? Works Cited Page Fessler,Pam. â€Å"Struggling Families out of Poverty. † (2012) NPR. org. Web. 7 December 201 2. â€Å"Obstacles Facing Military Families. † (2012) military. adoption. com. Web. 7 December 2012.

Government s Financial And Political Interests Coming...

All over the world, we have been facing challenges regarding the government’s financial and political interests coming before citizens’ rights. One of the most recent hazardous situations happened here in the U.S.A. The government failed to keep Flint’s population safe as evidenced by the poisoning of their water. Approximately 100,000 people live in Flint, Michigan according to the 2010 census (Wikipedia, 2016). It is the largest city and the County seat of Genesee County, Michigan, along the Flint River (Wikipedia, 2016). This city became an automobile-manufacturing powerhouse for GM’s Buick and Chevrolet divisions after World War II. Both companies were founded in Flint (Wikipedia, 2016). Unfortunately, the city is also known for its†¦show more content†¦Because of Flint’s financial problems, the city was under the control of a person named by the Michigan State and the most important mission was to cut expenses and save money in order to put the city back on track in its economic situation. Flint was the county that was paying the most in water, so it was decided to turn off Detroit’s system (100 km northeast) and start to get water from Flint’s River. Because of this switch in water supply, water consumption had a huge impact on the citizens’ lives. In September 2015, a citizen asked the state to test the water, which led to other inquiries from other scientists. Virginia Tech University analyzed the water and found out that the lead quantity was higher than the amount of water in proportion. The water could not even be called water anymore; they named it as â€Å"toxic water.† Meanwhile, people started to get very sick. The health services declared an emergency situation because of the high levels of lead in the population’s blood system and all the illnesses that happened after the switch in the water supply. Some of the effects of lead in the body in a long-term buildup cannot be predicted and it can remain in bones for years after exposure. Besides of the lead poisoning, glyphosate was found in high levels in food. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and in high levels can cause cancer. The lead exposure persisted for 17 months. Undoubtedly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency covered up the