Ethnographic Study on Victorias Secret

Chandler Hollowell

Professor D’Andra White

English 1302

12 September 2015

Writing Assignment 1

Literacy is often times misconstrued and turned into a criterion in which to measure success or academics. There cannot be an honest determination on how literate we actually and how literate we think we are Literacy is not something that you can constantly test and receive the same results each time; it is constantly changing its form. I will agree that a form of literacy is taught to us and that is the ability to read and write, however, this does not mean that we may know how to drive a car, play any sport, or even communicate properly in all other areas. If everyone in the world was all taught by the same literacy standards, the sub cultures that we know today would cease to exist. Our individual literacy is what separates us from one another and defines who we are. It is impossible for all forms of literacy to be taught; it is a value or culture that is learned and adopted into an individual’s life.

Literacy is more than just the surface deep definition of “the ability to read and write”. It defines cultures, race, heritage, etc. By definition, literacy is the ability to read and write. It’s definition is so simple that it applies to just about everyone. In my opinion, literacy is very powerful! It is more than just the ability to read and write, but to understand things said or written, on a larger and deeper scale. It’s the ability to understand and comprehend different skill sets and cultures in the world. The ways in which I can tell what a “Literacy Event” when I see it is a daily occurrence? In the article “The Ethnography of Literacy” the author John F. Szwed stated, “The range of what is or can be “read” or “written” among, say, doctors […] is often surprising.” In this quote Szwed opposes the idea the idea that you cannot merely define literacy in someone just by their ability to read and write. Literacy, within and around the world is more...