Value of My Literacy

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to help and showed me that they understood what I was trying to say, but some people laughed at me. That is the most painful memory in my journey of learning the language. Those laughs were always setting me back, and anytime I wanted to say something I would expect to hear those heart-sinking laughs. It was hard to ignore them, but after awhile it was starting to get better. The laughs were gone and I was starting to have conversation with people. That was my freedom. The main door had opened, sky was and still is the limit.

Now, I do speak, read and write this “not mine” at the times language. I am aware that road is still long and there is a lot I need to learn, but without literacy I would not be in the position I am today. My experiences with literacy brought me to a place today where I am and I am proud of my accomplishments.

As I think what the value and meaning of literacy to me, the most important thing that comes to my mind is ability to read and write. In my opinion, literacy is valuable because our world revolves around it. Literacy shows the skills and knowledge to create, analyze, and use different versions of words and texts. Without literacy our world would function less efficiently and it would be less knowledgeable. Not being literate is like not existing. Not able to speak, read or write English is one of worst experiences I went through. With learning English, I became more effective with daily activities and I was able to find a better job. I didn’t need to rely on my relatives and friends to read and interpret simple instructions, texts, and labels. It made my life go a lot smoother. I was free.

Frederick Douglass understood what freedom would mean to him and he was not afraid to take steps to become literate to achieve his goal. Literacy helped him gain knowledge in various subjects which made him “complete man.” While he was a slave, I was new to the language of English, I also understood what would knowledge of language mean to me and I was not afraid to take steps to gain that knowledge.