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 out some notable “literacy sponsors.” How have they shaped your literacy up to this point? Do you feel you owe them something in return? Finally, do you think your literacy would have developed the same without the aid of these “sponsors”?