Why Literacy Is Important Essay

Reading: somewhere, somehow it is all around us. Everyone learned to read through different methods and sources. As I grew up, education was not a question. I was taught to focus on school and everything else would fall into place. I knew that I would attend college and be given the opportunity to have a great education. However, other people are less fortunate than I have been. Minorities and people living in poverty cannot afford to read books and expand their knowledge. This hurts them as they age and causes them to fall behind in school. Literacy is very important to our culture, as it affects how our country is ran and decisions that are made in state and national offices. In my younger years, my parents would read to me often. They thought it was critical for me to be exposed to literature at a young age. It was not long before I read my first book. I was introduced to many Dr. Seuss books. Therefore, it was no surprise that Green Eggs and Ham was the first book I read by myself. From then on I progressed into my favorite series of books, Magic Treehouse. These books followed two kids, Jack and Annie, who discover a treehouse with magical powers. They travel back in time to the dinosaurs, mummies, and ice age. They also traveled to
Frederick Douglass, a black slave during the 1800’s, eventually became free and aided in the abolitionist movement. He could not read for some time. However, one of his slave masters’ wife taught him how to read. This made Frederick Douglass realize that the slaves who were uneducated did not know the predicament they were in and the opportunities that they had available to them. By being literate, Douglass saw the world differently and yearned to escape the shackles of slavery for a free life up North. By becoming cognizant of the importance of literacy, Douglass left slavery and became a leader in the abolitionist movement to help others escape