Cultural Literacy

             "Cultural Literacy" Who Is At A Disadvantage?
             "Cultural literacy" can be recognized as many different things. According to E. D. Hirsch Jr, he believes that "cultural literacy" is things that every modern American should know. However, who sets the limits of basic "cultural literacy"? "Cultural literacy" can be anything from the first president of the United States, to what was the cause for America to join in the Second World War. One point that Hirsch mentions is that he feels there are a few people that are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning and "cultural literacy". But who are the people with a disadvantage, and also, should we really feel bad for them?
             Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a disadvantage as, a loss or damage especially to reputation, credit, or finances; an unfavorable, inferior, or prejudicial condition. In "The Decline Of Teaching Cultural Literacy", by E. D. Hirsch Jr., Hirsch refers to those who are disadvantaged as those with a less fortunate backgrounds. Hirsch feels that the people may have disadvantage as early as kindergarten. Hirsch explains his idea of disadvantage in his essay when comparing children who has a less fortunate backgrounds, to children with a more diverse backgrounds. He explains that the children with the less fortunate backgrounds are at a disadvantage because, " Although disadvantaged children often show an acceptable ability to decode and pronounce individual words, they are frequently unable to gain an integrated sense of a piece as a whole".
             I both agree and disagree with Hirsch's idea of disadvantage. Although it is a bit easier for those children with more fortunate backgrounds to better understand and learn, in the end, it is completely up to the individual. As Hirsch stated in one of his examples, lets take a look at Frederick Douglas, a man many of us know about, but not ...

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Cultural Literacy. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:20, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/73130.html