Author Archives: cinnabarhorse

As we wrap up the semester, for many of us the penultimate semester in our undergraduate lives, I just have a few simple, open-ended questions. Are you content with your personal literacy? Why or why not? and Are you satisfied with … Continue reading →

I had the good fortune to read Carr’s article when it was first published in 2008. I would say that at that time I was on track to becoming something exactly like he describes in the article, a so-called “power … Continue reading →

Since some of you have expressed an interest in alternative education methods, I thought it might be helpful and informative to share with everyone one of the most radical and innovative ways of conducting “school.” It’s called a free school, … Continue reading →

There was some discussion last class about explicitly creating propaganda for the purpose of convincing children and adults to pursue literacy for their personal benefit, similar to the “Be All You Can Be” slogan of the army (“Read All You … Continue reading →

Cintron’s article “Gangs and their Walls” is a complex deconstruction of the ways marginalized people try to reappropriate power from a majority society. While there are many gems of analysis in this piece, one that stood out for me is … Continue reading →

In “Sponsors of Literacy,” Brandt argues that, in addition to familial upbringing and racial status, there exists another force that shapes how we become literate and determines what types of literacies we learn. Briefly examine your own life and pick … Continue reading →

Literacy is the bare amount of knowledge an individual must possess in a given field, whether it be language, technology, science, etc., in order to participate actively (as opposed to passively, e.g., listening without understanding) in said field.