Literacy Development

Source:

Pleasant, Eric. (2008). Literacy sponsors and learning: An Ethnography of Punk Literacy in mid-1980s Waco.” Young Scholars in First-Year Writing, 5 (Spring), pp. 137-145.

This is a review of the article “Literacy Sponsors and Learning: An Ethnography of Punk Literacy in Mid-1980s WACO” by the author Eric Pleasant from Texas A&M University published in the Young Scholars in Writing.

The article discusses literacy beyond its traditional context which limits the term to written/read text only (Pleasant, 2008, p. 138). Instead the article demonstrates how literacy covers the social context of human interaction. People belong to a subculture in the society because they are literate about the slang, mannerisms, beliefs, and other aspects that unify them in a particular sub-culture (Pleasant, 2008, p. 138).

Pleasant (2008) demonstrates literacy as an aspect of human interaction through reviewing the Punk subculture where people identify with punk depending on the angst and rebellious attitude expressed through heavy, unique sound of music, daring fashion-sense, for example, bright-dyed hair, a love for horror arts, or fiction entertainment, intellectual subjects, skating, and inability to fit with agreed-upon societal norms, among other aspects.

This topic is interesting in the sense that the article has expanded the reader’s understanding about literacy. Literacy is not only the ability to read and write, but also to have knowledge on a specific subject, in this case, the Punk subculture, hence article is related to the topic of literacy. Pleasant (2008) demonstrates that literacy is a form of social issue when different people discover that they have shared similar backgrounds or sponsorships which directed them to form friendships or interactions based on their knowledge or understanding of where they are coming from. For example, in the article, Pleasant and his four friends found that they had similar family background situations, belonged to the same social class, grew up in the same pop culture generation, and had interest in subjects that would be appreciated by any person from the Punk subculture (Pleasant, 2008, pp.139-141, 144). As a result of these unifying concepts, which sponsored them into the subculture they are literate with regards to Punk.

The source is reliable as it has been published in a recognized educational journal, indicating that peer-reviewing was done to verify its quality. The author also refers to other relevant texts while stating arguments about literacy being broad in the social context. Reliability of the source has also been enhanced by logic aspects for example, demonstrating the aspect of punk literacy as accurately as seen in real life.

In conclusion, this paper has discussed a source on the topic of literacy development. The source is reliable, and interesting in the sense that literacy has been given a wider definition and demonstrated through a real-life experience in the Punk subculture.

Reference:

Pleasant, E. (2008). Literacy sponsors and learning: An ethnography of punk literacy in mid- 1980s Waco. Young Scholars in Writing 05 (Spring), 137-145. Available at http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/scarter/PLEASANT-pdf.pdf