February 8th

Malcom X:
Summary: Even with the disadvantage of being in prison, and having no substantial education in his earlier life Malcom was able to find literary sponsors, and learn to read.  Malcom felt nobody should have to do what he did to learn to read.  In a more fair system.
Reflection:  I read this article first mainly because I am familiar with his story somewhat, and I was most interested to see his article,  which I also liked more than most articles we've read in our assignments.

1.  Ironically enough I think he's writing to an audience that struggles with reading.  Or less ironically, anyone who's disadvantaged in some similar way.
2. To him literacy isn't just the ability to read and write it's also the level of understanding of what you're reading
3.Islam, prison, and the library in prison where he got the books.  The most useful sponsor of his would have to be the dictionary.  Without it he would have struggled even more greatly to learn to read.
4.With his limited literacy when he began the interpretations that built upon this may have been susceptible to flaw.
6.I don't find it hard to believe.  I know college students who don't read unless assigned to,  and  Malcom truly wanted to read.  This claim is reasonable.

A&EI: Well I don't think Skype, and texting are really presentable as equals to the world wide web, but they certainly replace or divert a portion of literacy away from older modes.


Baron:
Summary: In Baron's paper "From pencils to pixels: The stages of literary technologies" he laments about the mal-effect of newer technologies on writing, edging out or damaging the older modes of literacy.
Reflection:  I didn't like this paper mainly because I thought his scope on the issue was too limited allowing him to only see the aggressor, and the shrinking modes of the past.  The way we share information is modernizing.  For the better I think.

2. Well if technology isn't changing the shape, and nature of writing it's surely still doing that in effect by the damage it's done. (Although technology's always changed literacy.[the printing press made literacy realistic to a broader audience])
4. Steel-edged printing press, and the type writer come to mind.
6.All the images in the text are designed to discredit the internet.  Although it was just as easy to burn the book of , or edit the passages of, writers in the past, and erasing someones voice is virtually impossible now.

Alexie:
Summary: Through his life Sherman Alexie dealt with discrimination because he was Indian. From this he builds on how he taught himself to read through comic books, and how that helped him become the talented writer he is today.
Reflection:  I liked this story because it reminded me of Malcom X's own struggle.  Even with his discrimination Alexie proceded through life without much resentment.  (With this being said it's important to note the degree of discrimination to which he was subjected was quite less than that of Malcom's.)

1.  If a child is labeled as being stupid there must be an impact on his self-esteem, as a result his motivation, and without motivation how is someone expected to be driven to become educated.  This is especially cruel for children.  Because there isn't much a child can do to overcome that.
A&EI: While it might help... the motivation to read and write, I don't think, is enough to (for everyone.) escape poverty.  There are other barriers which exist.