Watch the following TED talk:
"The Danger of the Single Story," by Chimamanda Adiche
You are tasked with completing an exercise in framing, which will help you develop analysis and synthesis. Let's say there's a family on vacation in Washington DC. The family splits up on the first day- two older siblings go to a pub and watch a soccer game while the rest of the family goes to several museums. The older siblings take several photos with other patrons at the bar and enjoy lots of talk and conversation with several soccer fans from various countries discussing the law, politics, ethics, and philosophy.
The younger siblings and the parents take pictures of the family at several museums in front of displays and outside the Washington Monument. Loads of pictures are taken, and the experience is framed as family togetherness. Mom and Dad argue that family togetherness is key to literacy learning, and the shared family experience at museums underpinned good literacy learning. The older siblings argue that their experiences in networking, making connections, and meeting new people is key to literacy learning, which they experienced at the pub. Notice that each side of the family is making a claim- and these claims are not in direct opposition to one another, but they are different frameworks that lead to specific claims.
Consider the argument(s) presented in the Chimamanda Adiche paired with claims presented by Brandt. How do these claims relate to one another? How do the claims overlap? Brandt, for example, claims that opportunities for literacy sponsorship often affect how far one may have to reach to obtain literacy learning. Brandt uses comparison between lived experiences of Dora Lopez and Raymond Branch as evidence supporting the idea that literacy learning is stratified, with opportunity determined by factors like socioeconomic standing, race, ethnicity, and gender. How might the point Chimamanda Adiche makes about the danger of a single story leading to over-generalizations connect with an argument Brandt is making? How might you use Adiche's argument to frame the lived experiences of individuals from this week's readings? How might Malcolm X's, Sherman Alexie's, or the experiences of family literacy learning from "Becoming Literate: A Lesson From the Amish," complicate, extend, or challenge claims presented by Brandt and Adiche?
Image this assignment as an invitation to compare claims and supporting evidence and explore further possibilities for complicating and challenging the claims that others make. Remember in Brandt's text, the second section focuses on ways that competition, economic forces, and politics can shape literate practices and the emergence of new kinds of literate skill sets. Brandt used the example of Dwayne Lowery, who was once a successful negotiator supporting unions against governments, struggled when litigation came to underpin negotiations, and instead of traditional verbal negotiations, legal briefs became the standard format for disputes between labor and government. Lowery struggled to learn how to write legal documents, which eventually forced him out of work. How might some of the experiences presented in other readings, your own experience, or experiences you have read about or seen elsewhere, complicate, extend, or challenge Brandt's point that literacy demands are affected by economics, politics and competition?
The examples from the two paragraphs above are great places to start thinking about how introducing new evidence (the experiences of others as presented in other stories) can reshape or extend arguments. These also give you a starting point for thinking through the ways that new evidence might complicate, extend, alter, or challenge a framework for a different argument. You are NOT, however, bound to using these two claims. Brandt makes a different claim in the third part of her piece that you might also use for this discussion.
Earning full credit on this requires that you demonstrate some abilities to synthesize to show that you can look critically at the structure of claims and supporting evidence. Less credit is earned for attempts to synthesize that are not comprehensively developed, but one can earn in the B range for synthesis attempts that fall short. Postings that mostly summarize content without doing synthesis will earn Cs or Ds. Depending on the depth of the summary and the writer's ability to demonstrate understanding of key claims, either a C or a D will be awarded. Putting forth little effort and delivering a simple paragraph will earn a mark of F and those who don't post will earn zeroes.
While reading all of the stories for this up coming class and watching Chimamanda Adiche’s TED talk, I realized that they connected to each other and that I can relate to them also. Adiche talked about how only getting one side of the story could hurt your impression of someone or someplace. It could lead to bias and in turn false assumptions. For example: her roommate thought she couldn’t speak english and that her country, Nigeria, was always in war due to the media being her only sponsor. Brandt talked about the importance of a sponsor in your life growing up by using Dwayne Lowery, Carol White, and Sarah Steele. She taught us that sponsors are the people or influential items you grow up around and that you have to reach farther sometimes to obtain literacy learning. These sponsors she talks about influence your literary skills and levels either for the good or the bad.
ReplyDeleteIn the Malcom X excerpt the influence of his sponsor, the jail library, comes to light but in a positive way. These books inspired him to read and become literate. He taught himself facts about the world and went on to become an influential leader in the Nation of Islam. His sponsors were fairly accessible to him. In Sherman Alexie’s story his sponsor was his dad. He brought him a bunch of books from pawn shops and anyplace cheap he could get them. Alexie ended up teaching himself to read through his Superman comics and this saved his life and made him a famous writer. Unlike Malcom X if Sherman’s dad hadn’t brought back books it would have been a bit harder for him to build up his literacy.
When I was reading through Andrea Fisherman’s piece on the Amish, sponsors again came up but not just as the dad but as the school he attended as well. They both only allowed Eli Jr. to read pieces that were acceptable to them and this shaped his opinions. It most likely gave him only a single story not just about the things he learned but about his whole life. His eyes were only opened to the stories and facts they deemed worthy and this means if he were to try and find information outside of their comfort zone it would be really hard. This shows Brandt’s point about how literacy is really influenced by economics, politics, and competition. Eli Jr’s literary skills are blocked by his religion and way of life if he were to be born into a non Amish family his literary skills would be different.
I was adopted from China when I was 7 months old, I know for a fact that my literary skills and sponsors would have been different if I had stayed in China. They would have been Chinese books, movies, tv show. Yet, I was brought up with American books, movies, and culture. I know that even I have a single view on China due to the things I have read and the asian stereotype. I have even been to China when I was young and I still have that single view due to growing up in America. This shows how powerful and dangerous a single view can be and the importance of sponsors in my literary life.
I had a similar issue in my childhood that you presented in your writing. I was either going to stay in Yonkers, New York and go to catholic school or move to Rye for public school. If i had stayed in Yonkers, I would have had totally different literacy sponsors, knowing that the school in Rye was rated higher than the one in Yonkers. Luckily, moving to Rye helped me a lot because I met a fantastic teacher senior year who pushed me to try new genres of literature, such as philosophy and I began to like reading more and more and it proves that where I grew up really shaped who I am as a reader and writer.
DeleteWith all of the required readings for class, it is certain that their main messages intertwine with one another. Deborah Brandt explained that having a sponsor aid you in the right direction is key to being successful with literacy. She introduced Dora Lopez, Dwayne Lowery, Raymond Branch, Carol White, and Sarah Steele. Each of these individuals came from many different backgrounds, some more privileged than others. For example, Raymond was brought up in an information rich area and had connections to sponsors due to his father working as a professor. On the contrary, Dora Lopez was a minority living in a resource poor area. She was sponsored by whomever her parents could get at that time, leaving her with uncertainties. Brandt discusses how race, upbringing and many other factors affect a person's literacy. Similarly, In Adichies video, she spoke passionately about her life and how reading affected her. She read british and american books, experiencing a lot of different characters which helped her write her own stories with interesting characters. She discusses how african writers saved her from thinking of a single story of what books are which supports Brandts idea that a sponsor can help shape a person and their literacy. Adichies argument that a single story can lead to overgeneralization connects to the fact that Brandt discusses that race or culture can influence a persons literacy, like Dora Lopez. Her access to literature was much less than that of Randall but these are two separate instances, so it proves that it should not be overgeneralized due to one persons situation in their life. In the Malcolm X excerpt, he was influenced by books during his time in jail. He never thought of himself as a reader until he got to jail and realized that people looked up to the wiser individuals. He taught himself to read and write from copying a dictionary each day, and became a famous figure upon his release from prison. Similarly, Sherman Alexei taught himself to read from superman comic books and began his love for reading from his dad bringing home books for him regularly. These two different people have different situations and one may have had a harder time becoming literate which is why we should listen to Adichie and realize that one single story should not make you overgeneralize something. If Malcolm never went to jail, he may have never developed literacy and if Sherman had been rich he may have never found his love for books from his dad, which is very symbolic.
ReplyDeleteI was born in Yonkers, New York and my parents were contemplating sending me to catholic school or to public school. Ultimately they decided public school, but if they had sent me to catholic school my literacy would have been much different and more focused on biblical books than fun books read in public schools. My life, as well as the lives of the others we read about show how unique each persons literacy is due to their upbringing, culture, and more.
My parents and I also went though something like that. I have gone to a private school in Powell, Ohio since preschool all the way up to senior year. I wanted to switch to public during high school but my parents insisted that I stayed at my private school. I know that my literary sponsors would have been different if I had gone to that public school. I had a really amazing english teacher growing up. His name was Mr. Miller and he really pushed us to do better and branch out into all different types of literacy. This led to me taking poetry class, creative nonfiction, and many other classes with him. He really cared about us all and he was the one who pushed me to always make improvements on my papers. He was an impact in my literary life. Do you think that you had to reach farther to gain literacy like Brandt suggests? I know that I didn't have to due to my mom always reading to me and my parents being big readers themselves.
DeleteAfter watching Adichie’s TED talk and reading all the excerpts, I realized they all have something related that brings them together. Deborah Brandt makes the point that a sponsor can lead you in the right direction in order to achieve literary success. Brandt told stories of five very different individuals: Dwayne Lowery, Raymond Branch, Dora Lopez, Carol White, and Sarah Steele, who all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. For example, Raymond Branch was born in a rich area and had connections available because his father was a professor. However, Dora Lopez was born in a minority area that was very resource poor, so she had a harder time becoming literate. Brandt also discusses how upbringing and race/culture could affect a person’s literacy. Adichie made an argument that a single story can lead to overgeneralization, which is saying that a person’s literacy should not be determined simply by race, culture, or upbringing. In the excerpt about Malcolm X, it explained how books influenced him during his time in jail. Malcolm taught himself how to read, write from copying directly from a dictionary. This shows that even though he did not have a great upbringing, he was still determined to become literate. Similar to Malcolm, Sherman Alexei taught himself how to read from superman comic books that his father would bring him. These two individuals came from very different upbringings. The stereotype is that one person may have a harder time becoming literate than others, however someone has to want and try even harder to become literate. This goes back to Adichie’s point that one single story should not make you overgeneralize something.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, my parents debated whether or not to put me into a catholic elementary/middle school. They decided to keep me in public school, however my literacy could have been drastically different if I had gone to the catholic school. This shows that every single person has a different and unique upbringing.
After a lot of critical thinking its safe to say that literary sponsorship plays a big role. literary sponsorship is the task of doing what is right and knowing the meaning of the task at hand. I believe that literary sponsorship means taking the role to be able to be accountable for someone or something in a way to benefit someone. Deborah Brandt stated that with great sponsorship comes great responsibility for being able to hold your self and others. The video gave a lot of great information in regards to how important sponsorship is in this day and age. Many people at times believe that taking care of a fellow friend isn't right but at the end of the day we all should be there to help a friend out when they are in need no matter what, that's what I think sponsorship truly means at the end of the day. As said in the book people don't use sponsorship like they should so therefore we don't take the step to appreciate what it does for us. Me as a student athlete I can apply this to my everyday usage as I embark on my college journey. Its vital to know that when adversity comes me as a person should have someone to fall back on for some help and be able to use them for sponsorship as stated in the story.
ReplyDeleteThrough my readings this week and the Ted video, it is evident that they support each other’s claims and are related. A common relationship is that the literacy someone develops is a result of the sponsors that person has access to which is dependent on their personal situation. Deborah Brandt reveals that people with different situations approach literacy in their own way resulting from the sponsors that surround them. For example, in the case of Dora Lopez there was little accessibility to the literature which she desired, causing her literacy development to not be stopped but inhibited by the lack of materials. These facts also are supported by Brandt's story of Raymond Branch who had much more access to sponsors, giving him a quicker pace than Dora in the development of his literacy. Similarly, Chimamanda Adiche supports Deborah’s claim with her own personal anecdotes, one of which states how when she was little, her limited access to books made it so she believed only white people with blue eyes belonged in literature. As she grew eventually she came to see African literature which changed what she believed literacy was. Adiche also states that a single story is dangerous giving only that sponsors outlook on the matter. There is also a correlation within the excerpt of Malcom X, which shows how your situation/sponsors affect your development. Malcom X’s case discloses how a very articulate man “on the streets” once inside prison becomes nobody, leading him to study for long hours, first with a dictionary then moving onto other books. The story of Sherman Alexie presents his situation as grim, with the prejudice of Indians not being smart. However, given his accessibility to many of his father’s books he was able to quickly develop his literacy, surpassing the prejudices present in his situation. As for the excerpt on the Fishman family, it can be seen that while not similar to others, the Amish have developed their own literacy. As for myself, once I was born I soley spoke Spanish and learned things in Spanish from my parents as a result of my culture, however when I started going to school rather than being taught as my parents were, my situation gave me sponsors that led me to become more knowledgable in English literature due to being in Florida public schools.
ReplyDeleteInstead of complicating or challenging Brandt's theory that literacy demands are affected by economics and society, I am going to extend it. But first I am going to explain a sponsor that very thoroughly affected my literacy. In addition to the other previously mentioned, societal factors also act as literacy sponsors. Personally, twitter impacted my life the most. Prior to the social network, I rarely strove to find and digest news and current event stories, even with a smartphone and a computer. Twitter acted as a sponsor by allowing news agencies and society to distribute literature in the form of news, video, and personal accounts. The concept of sponsor ship goes on to take part in human relation. It turns up in many literary scenes such as between "adults and youths, to schools, and workplaces". A good example is the case of Dora Lopez and Raymond Branch. The two people were born in the same years but had very different literacy upbringings. Dora was born in to lower economic class and learned to read by teaching herself. On the other hand, Raymond branch was born in to a high income family, and as the son of an academic. This along with university access to information and laboratories made it much easier for him to reach literacy. Thus economics play a key role on the development of literacy. Another instance where outside factors determine literacy is the case of Malcolm X. On the street he was "the most articulate hustler out there- I had commanded attention when I said something". However things changed when he was placed in the Norfolk correctional system. He became powerless and he "wasn't even functional". His environmental obstacles forced him to learn to read by analyzing dictionaries and learning how to read with material available in the prison library. Thus his journey to acquiring literacy was much more difficult because of economic, and societal factors. Then there are instances where the family becomes a central factor as a sponsor. Sherman Alexie was a young man that was born with a hindrance that drove many to believe he wouldn't survive. He learned how to read when his father used his extra money to buy interesting books. After stumbling across Superman comics he acquired literacy and matured to become a famous writer. All of this was possible because his father acted as a sole and key sponsor. Lastly is the piece "Becoming Literate: A Lesson from the Amish", it goes in to detail about the literacy development in an Amish community. The mother of the family strictly buys books from the Christian bookstore and an Amish- operated dry good store. This in turn primarily focuses the literacy on the parent's ideals. Thus acting as a key sponsor in the children's life, another instance where societal factors impact literacy. To sum it up, I support Brandt's theory but think it can even apply further to societal influences.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you expanded on Brandt's ideas and theories and tied it together with the other readings. I have never realized it before, but Twitter and other social medias have also had a very large impact on my life as well. Twitter is usually the outlet I go to when I need to know more information on a current event or even a crisis in another country or continent. I've been more interested in current events as well since so many individuals on Twitter share their passion, interests, and opinions. For example, I was not too aware of the Black Lives Matter campaign until the hashtag blew up on Twitter containing videos and news articles. Since Twitter is used world-wide, the ideas and different cultures exposed open you to a whole new side of literacy. So, I completely agree with you and with Brandt when she expresses how there's a large amount of sponsors in the world and each one affects our literacy upbringing. Dora and Raymond were perfect examples of this, which Brandt also expressed.
DeletePosted by Angeleke Kelaris
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ReplyDeleteAfter completing all the assigned readings from the books, I can conclude that all of these readings are connected and have similar characteristics that can create good discussions. Starting with Brandt's "Sponsor of Literacy" which delivers great personal stories of people she has interviewed about their literacy sponsors ,how they found literacy after schooling, and how they applied that literacy to the real world to help them though life. For example, Dora Lopez grew up relatively poor. She taught herself biliteracy by teaching herself to read and write in spanish at a young age. This skill set landed her a job for a cleaning company being a communicator from the english boss to the spanish cleaning ladies, a job that should would not have if she didn't teach herself to read and write in spanish.
ReplyDeleteMalcom X was another great example of a literacy sponsor that we read about. He started out by dropping out of school in the eighth grade, and was a "street hustler" until he was thrown in prison. There, he looked up to the smart people, the debaters, and decided that he wanted to get into books. He copied down every word from the dictionary and fell in love with reading. He said he probably wrote down a million words trying to teach himself better writing and reading. His sponsor would be the books and his self interest in reading, a skill he never would have learned if he stayed on the streets.
Sherman Alexie, and Indian boy who's love for reading came from his love of his father who loved reading. He repeats that he is "lucky" to have had his father be his literacy sponsor because almost all the indian boys didn't take school seriously and it was almost expected for them to fail in school. Alexie taught himself to read at a young age though a SuperMan comic he had, and he could tell what the words said before he could even read just by looking at the picture, which helped him learn to read.
The FIshman family, an Amish family, taught themselves their own literacy, not what is taught in public schools. They believed that the ways taught in public schools were not the way that literacy should be taught. So they teach their children that there is no wrong way to read and they can look at reading in any light they want. As for myself, I have been in the public school system my whole life and never really cared for reading, but my Father really got me into reading forums online about various different topics, which I am interested in so I look at my father to be my literacy sponsor.
These all really tie together because they all show how everybody learns differently and literacy sponsors are very important in furthering your education. Some of these people probably didn't have the intention to further their education at first, but once the did they realize how much of an impact it had on them. Even though some people had to work a little more to get the literacy they wanted, it is all achievable.
I agree with your statement on how everyone learns differently! It amazes me how sponsorship can affect literacy learning and I didn't even realize it until I finished reading the different stories and watching the TED talk. It also amazes me how after they realize how much it has affected them, they will go on to making a difference in the world. They go on to being a sponsor for someone else. An example of that is Sherman Alexie is a sponsor for the indian kids he goes to see from his village and Chimamanda Adiche who within the first 3 minutes of her talk speaks to young african girls and women and gives them a self-confidence boost!
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DeleteGreat point Matthew. The reading this week though us that everyone has a unique way of learning. I grow up with my grandparents. My grandpa was my multilingual encyclopedia (French, Spanish, and English). I used to ask him anything and he always had the right answer. On the other hand, my grandma did not know how to read and write. She did not have the resources to attend school and had to work at a young age, however she was bilingual (Spanish and English). Even though she did not have an education she was able to help me with English homework when my grandpa was not around. For example, how to structure a sentence, identify the verb, and pronoun, adverbs etc. I realized that she did not know how to read and write until I was in 5th grade. Then, I always asked myself, how does she knew I got punish at school if she doesn’t know how to read? (when I was punished at school the teacher made me write 100 times the following sentence: “I will pay attention in class”.) Despite her education limitations she was our family main literacy sponsor, for her education was a priority instead of household chore. She was and still is my main motivation to continue my education.
DeleteLiterary sponsorship has a large role in the development of literacy. While many arguments can be presented from different perspectives, sponsorship does aid with the development of literacy and can come in many different forms.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Malcolm X, a jail library was his sponsorship. Not all sponsorships come in the same manner, but they all help their participants eventually become closer to obtaining literacy. Each person comes from unique circumstances. Due to our individual differences, all unique situations have unique solutions. Many factors, including family, their environment, location, race, religion and gender can make obtaining literacy have a ranging level of difficulty.
For example, Raymond Branch had access to more opportunities than Dora Lopez. Her path and sponsorship to literacy was not as easy as Raymond Branch's. However, both of them still obtained literacy. There are many ways to obtain things in life and their differences can be seen in almost any situation. The family that had traveled to Washington D.C. was experiencing it as well. While there was an argument presented on it, both parties were still experiencing literacy, just in two different manners.
There are many ways to obtain things. Regardless of the struggle, literacy should be obtained and sponsorship is a key way to obtain it. It may come from a parent, a beloved teacher or possibly a jail library, but it is imperative that people receive a literary sponsorship as young as possible. Personally, my parents always encouraged me to read as a child. They read me stories every night and made sure I had plenty of age appropriate books to read. Even if the sponsorship is just encouragement and support, it can easily make the difference in someone's future literacy. No two people are the same, so their path to literacy will not be the same either. Some paths will be straight forward, while others may be difficult. However, this path to literacy must occur and a sponsorship makes it far more likely to occur.
This was posted by OlaToyin Olasimbo.
After reviewing all the examples in class and the TED talk video it is clear to me that Literary Sponsorship is extremely important to our growth. It is the basis of our beliefs and the bias's we have about the world around us. Brandt's examples of socioeconomic diversity and the role it had on our literary development was a perfect example of how people could be exposed to different ways of viewing things by different literary sponsors around us. With Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez, they were exposed to different sponsors based on how they were grown up. Dora Lopez was grown up in what would be considered the minority group who had very poor resources at her disposal. While Raymond Branch grew up in wealth, and had much better resources through that and the fact that his father was a professor. This just shows that the way you grow up and what sponsors you see affect how you grow up and how you see the world around you.
ReplyDeleteFrom personal experience my dad has traveled the world with work and he has met many different people of many different ethnicities. The one thing that they all had in common was that they all did not seem to like the United States of America that much. For a more specific example a Serbian once said to my dad that the reason that they are not fond of the US is that we bombed them last. My dad asked the man, "What did we do that for?" The man replied with, "We were making and selling weapons to Russia and the UN told us to stop." To me that sounds like the UN bombed them not the US but because of the literary sponsors that they are exposed to they are led to think the US is not good. This is the reason that most other countries do not like the United States of America.
Literary sponsors shape us in the world today and will continue to do so in the future to come.
I agree that Literary Sponsorships are extremely important to our growth as people. Literacy is on of the most, if not the most, important things we need in todays society. There are few jobs today that don't require being able to read or write at some level, and a sponsor expands you're literacy so much that it can help you achieve any job position you strive for. Although literacy sponsors are not all about you having a nice job, it also helps in your social life and opens you up to many more possibilities.
DeleteI also liked the last statement about how it shapes us in the world and it will continue to share it. As the generation that has been or is being sponsored, we need to make sure that we repay our knowledge to the next generation so this continuous cycle keeps going.
Great post. I also think that Literary Sponsorships are essential in gaining literacy. I agree that we are diverse in our path for literacy. The example of Raymond and Dora was great, it really established a point, that our literary sponsors vary and create a different path for us. Awesome touch adding in personal experience.
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ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that Chimamanda Adiche’s TED Talk and the works we were assigned to read this week go hand in hand. They all contain a common theme of literacy opportunities and the fact that it is not equal for everyone. People gain literacy at different paces, through different sponsors, and opportunity for it is not fair.
ReplyDeleteWith these works we see people such as Chimamanda, Raymond Branch, and Sherman Alexie who were provided with adequate tools to achieve literacy early in life, while those like Malcolm X and Dora Lopez who struggled to gain literacy in life.
Literacy is unique to each individual; it is shaped by our experiences. Malcolm X gained his while in prison, PRISON. Sherman Alexie’s earliest memories are from analyzing the drawing in a Superman comic book. Dora Lopez taught her self to read and write in Spanish through the use of novels and correspondence with her Columbian relatives. Chimamanda’s experience with literacy changed over time, she was first expose to a very white British/American genre of literature and as she got older she expanded to the prospect of literature with different types of people and their culture. The point is they all went on a different journey to literacy.
What each person does with their literacy is also unique to them and their experiences. Malcolm X became a famous Civil Rights leader through the use of his powerful speeches and radical beliefs, which stemmed partly from his time with Mr. Muhammad who exposed him to the “bleaching” of history. Sherman Alexie used his experience with stereotyping of Native Americans as illiterate fools as an example for Native American children that he broke away and proved that they can be writers. Dora Lopez was accepted into a prestigious university and acted as a translator.
Literacy is very fluid in its obtainment. It varies from person to person. I believe that is what Brandt was trying to say, that we all obtain it differently. It’s something intimate and powerful.
I agree that literacy varies from peroson to person, since our views and opinions are different by our culture, religion, or area we live in are different. We have our own way or own unique way of reading and writing, depends on which is better fit us and is easier for us to learn. People all have differnt habits.
DeleteAfter viewing the provided TED Talk by Chimamanda Adiche, I developed a better understanding of sponsors and why they are so significant to an individual. Adiche mentioned in the beginning of her talk about the type of books she enjoyed as a child. Her description of the white skin, blue eyes, etc. really resonated with me being a fellow WOC (woman of color). I too, enjoyed the same type of fiction until I matured in my readings as I grew older. This personal example allowed me to think a little bit more deeply about my personal sponsors and to look into the experiences Adiche, Deborah Brandt, and Andrea Fishman illustrated.
ReplyDeleteIt’s quite clear that Brandt and Adiche’s accounts on sponsors coincide greatly with one another. Both women talk about the importance of sponsorships and how they affect people in different ways. Adiche recounted an experience she had with a roommate who believed Adiche was sheltered because she lived in Nigeria. Her roommate had little knowledge of the practices in Nigeria because of the news outlets in the United States. Though Adiche didn’t fault her roommate for her ignorance, she brought up an interesting point. Because sponsorships aren’t necessarily universal, it’s okay to not know the experiences of others, but it’s essential to be aware that everyone’s literary upbringings are different. Brandt interviewed several people in her “Sponsors of Literacy” article, each individual having very diverse literary experiences. While Dora Lopez had a difficult family background and had to teach herself to read and write in Spanish without any guidance, Raymond Branch was raised in a great socioeconomic status and had reading and technology easily accessible to him. These two contrasting upbringings are important to note because the sponsorships aren’t related but they’re essential to think about in terms of different literary lifestyles.
Andrea Fishman’s recount of the Amish family’s literary sponsorships is quite unique. Though the Fisher family are essentially cut off from some aspects of the outside world, they’re still able to connect with people who aren’t apart of their lifestyle. Eli Jr. and his sister, Mary have different viewpoints on reading and writing compared to their peers and teacher, yet they are capable of following directions exactly how they’re supposed to. Even though everyone has a different literary sponsor, their connection seems universal.
Literary sponsorship plays a huge part in literary success. Literary sponsorship is being someone’s guide, his or her voice. Leading them through the obstacles they may face. It takes a lot to be a literary sponsor, though. You have to be content with your self; it’s like being a therapist. Managing your own life along with others. It is a huge responsibility. Most often time’s sponsorship is overlooked as something bossier or controlling when in actuality it’s meant is helpful and nurturing.
ReplyDeleteAs a film student literacy sponsorship is important because the film industry is always changing and it is important for people to guide newcomers and keep the film community updated.
Literary sponsorship has always been a large part of society's literacy and I believe it will continue to be throughout the rest of time.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Malcom X took learning literacy into his own hands by getting the dictionary and taught himself words everyday by copying each page down. The way people learn literacy differs from person to person. Malcom had to learn inside a jail cell, while in Sherman Alexie’s story, he learned literacy through the books his father had brought home to him. He had a sponsor who was pushing him to read these books, while Malcom X picked things up on his own. Dora Lopez, born a minority, lived in a small town that had very poor resources, so it took her a long time to learn literacy. Brandt claimed that literacy was learned through race, gender, and socio-economic status. No matter what type of life these people had, they were all able to still develop literacy into their lives. With my own life experience, literacy was brought to me through my aunt who was a big reader in her days. When i was younger, i always remember her coming over and brought me new books and would sit with me and read the books, always pointing out new vocabulary for me to learn. She had taught me more about literacy than my parents did. Through my college experience during the next four years, i plan to expand my literacy which will soon start with this english class.
Maddy flower
After reading all the materials about literacy and watching the TED video presentation by Chimamanda Adiche , I learned and combined the main idea of all those resources and confirm my own thought. In Adiche’s presentation she mainly states that there are certain differences between countries, religions, and cultures in the world. She also uses her own experiences with her American roommate as an example to explain how single story can cause the misunderstanding and disrespect between two people from different cultures. In other hand, Brandit’s article “Sponsors of Literacy” reveals that there are many ways for an individual to obtain literacy sponsorship no matter what culture or environment which the individual lives in. Brandit also claimed that the literacy sponsor is an economic transection and cannot be avoid, I view this concept as a causation. For example, a teacher is the literacy sponsor of a student, and he was not intended to trade with student by teaching him. However, the teacher would still gain his wages and the sense of accomplishment. Brandit’s article “Sponsors of Literacy” has a correlation with Adiche’s presentation; Both of these sources show the importance of diverse literacy.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, there is more examples in other article have correlation with this concept. Sherman Alexie’s sponsor is his father. Alexie’s father would bring books to hum because Alexie likes to read superman comic and this catch his interest in reading. Malcolm X developed his reading interest when he was in a jail. He knows nothing when he got into the jail, but he learned how to read and write by coping the words from a dictionary. In Andrea R. Fishman’s article “Becoming Literate: A Lesson from the Amish”, he observes and collects the information of an Amish kid Eli. In this article Fishman shows the entire culture and the way Amish kid study literacy.
Throughout Adiche’s presentation and all those article evident, I learn that one individual’s cultures and experiences are diversified. This can apply to anyone in the world. We should embrace the differences between people and respect them. No matter how people start to learn literacy, everyone’s goal is to get better in literacy.
--------------------------------Post by Ziwei Huang
--------------------------------9/1/2016
This week reading emerge into illustrating several unique literacy dynamics that affluent one’s outcomes. One might relate to a particular story, by analyzing the opportunities nowadays are available to practice literacy in specific ways such as readying a book, using technology or by speech; as well as the literacy sponsorship offer even by employers as tuition reimbursements.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching “The Danger of a Single Story” presentation and reading “Sponsors of Literacy” both arguments relate by connecting individuals’ literacy, to the social and economic aspect that are involved in the literacy learning process. As well as, explaining the gap on the stories and the strategies to overcome the gaps to develop literacy. For example, Brandt explained and/or present the unequal access to literacy such as the comparison of Dora Lopez limited resources to literacy but she was determined to accomplish her goals. On the other hand, Raymond Branch was not challenge as Dora by the restricted access to literacy in his life experience. Meanwhile, Chimamanda’s demonstrate the comparison of how the limited access to local literacy was somehow affecting her ability to gain knowledge of the unknown story about her own country. Also, how the immediate access to foreign literacy took her imagination to explore the unknown.
While I was listening to Chimamanda’s presentation it reminds me about my lived experiences when I moved to US. When someone asked where are you from? To what I replied proudly from Honduras (to which most people would asked where is it?). Sometimes, I am not sure if I have to be surprised by their answer or get a map to explain that Honduras was part of the 7 countries that keep North and South America together. Also, as readers or in the journey of learning/ practicing literacy we always encounter the risk of misunderstand or consider multiple viewpoints to fully form an idea of a certain place, person, or situation. It leads to explore the consequences of stereotyping by culture, gender, and socioeconomic status.
The topic of this weeks readings, excerpts, and TED talks was clearly how literature plays a role in our lives and how it effects us as we grow. Deborah Brandts reading focused mostly on literary sponsorship. I completely agree with her when she shows how each person has a different past or background that has affected their level of literacy. When I was little, I had never really thought about how I was to read and write and how important it was to me; I always assumed everyone was taught the same way as me because I was surrounded by all my peers in the same programs and classes throughout my schooling years. Now I realize that there are plenty of different stories that have not yet been learned or heard as Chimamanda Adiche declares in her TED talk. For exampke, a few years ago, a friend of mine told me the story of how she grew up in Venezuela and moved to Florida knowing no English. It was a difficult task, but she mostly taught herself the language within 3 years of entering the country. The text reminded me of her story because I realized how relatable it was in the sense that my friend and I ended up in the same schooling and she became very successful despite the strenuous process she went through to become literate. This may relate to the different environments an individual is raised in and how this effects their literacy, such as Raymond Branch who had more access to technology and profession teaching when he was young and Dora Lopez who did not have a large access to learning but still strived and succeeded in life.
ReplyDeleteSponsorship obviously plays a large role in our lives which is show in the separate texts. Like Alexei was inspired by his fathers love of reading and that pushed him to succeed in his career.
- Angeleke Kelaris
DeleteAfter reading these articles and watching Chimamanda Adiche’s TED talk, I found that their arguments all support Brandt’s claim in some ways. According to what Deborah Brandt mentioned in her writing that an individual’s literary experiences can affect by many factors such as culture, environment, and people who are around. There is a correlation between a person’s literacy and his or her sponsorship. In the article “Sponsors of Literacy”, Brandt gives different examples of Dora Lopez, Dwayne Lowery, Raymond Branch, Carol White, and Sarah Steele. Although they come from various backgrounds and have different accessibility to resources, all of them find their unique way to become literate with the assist of their own sponsors. Like what Brandt said, sponsors do not have to be a human; environment can be one of the best sponsors. Malcolm X, someone who barely knows any words, but becomes a famous leader in his later life. He got in to the prison and then started his literacy experience by copying and reading the English dictionary. I can assume that the environment in jail changed him, is a best sponsor who helped him get out from where he was. In the situation of the Sherman Alexei, the superman comic books he read in childhood became the sponsor of his literacy. His father also brought books for him to read which contribute him to become a great writer. For Eli Jr., he had his unique way of learning how to write. His literacy experiences are shaped by his family beliefs and culture. During Chimmanda Adiche’s TED talk, she started reading at three; she read the American and British books that she believed people like her is not able to exist in the story until she is introduced to African books. Which books grow up with her and change her perspectives of life every time she read something new. Her learning experience of reading and writing become her best sponsors and shape how she is right now. All these examples provide evidence that how people surrounding like dad and their action might change one’s literacy. Also environment like jail or African shape one person.
ReplyDeleteWhen Chimamanda spoke at her TED Talk it brought me right back to the reading assignment from this week. I saw one common similarity between all of there works; the different opportunities that were given to everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhen Brandt discusses her idea of sponsorship, she shows that everyone has a different way of how and where they get there literacy. Many like Branch, Sherman Alexie, and Chimamanda show that with certain factors, it is fairly easy to gain literacy, yet with others it is a complete struggle. Everyone starts somewhere, and that is where sponsorship comes into play. Wether it is self taught, a teacher, a friend, or even forced, sponsorship is the foundation of ones literacy.
Take Malcolm X, an oppressed African American man with no education that taught himself and gained his literally while in prison. He told himself that he would become literate, and sponsored himself in the ways that others would not have to ever do. How one is raised is key to there literacy; like Dora Lopez. Lopez taught herself wit hate half of her Spanish relative. By having the ability to own novels and be able to learn from the ones around her. she changed the future of her life for good in a way that makes her more successful in any genre. On that same level is Sherman Alexie, a person who taught himself by looking at his favorite comic books: Superman. Superman become his actual hero, by teaching himself something that might not of ever been given to him before. Everyone has there own path, wether it is because they came from the wrong neighborhood, or came from the best neighborhood, not everyone has the same opportunity to reach literacy.
I came from a house of extreme culture and education. My family came from nothing, and through a unique time in Chicago made something of themselves through hard work. Although my dad, his dad, and his dad can barely read, I had the fortune of becoming literate at a young age. My dad gave me the opportunity he was not allowed to have: to be truly engulfed in reading and education. My father knew of the loss he had, and made it his goal to make sure I did not have that same loss as well. Although my father may not be that literate, he has learned to adapt from his losses, and be an amazing speaker and persuader. My dad never had a sponsor, and never really wanted to, but knew the value in what he never had. This brings me back to the story of Malcolm X, a man with no literacy that become one of the most famous Civil Rights activist to ever lead the black people of America. He made something of himself, and literacy led him along the way.
Perspective is everything, and that is the truth about literacy. Everyone reads the book, but some read it faster.
I liked how you related your story to Malcolm X. It shows that you do not have to come from a rich family to achieve literacy. All it takes is one person or sponsor in your life to inspire you to learn more and gain literacy. Malcolm chose to search out ways to become literate and he probably would not have gained literacy if he had not gone to prison.
DeleteI loved how you intertwined your personal story with the story of Malcolm X. It makes the idea of sponsorships that more universal.
DeletePerspective is truely everything, it is how we view the whole world. I believe our perspectives can be form and change by our sponsors, which our sponsors can be our parents, teachers, friends, community, and culture around us. As the only Chinese in the English class from my High school, I started to read English books because I was in the situation that I must read to improve my reading skills, and I began to be used to it and read them by my own. Studnts, adaption, and the environment become my sponsors that taught me English literacy of reading. And information in the books led my view of the world to change again.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, perspective is such a big art of our lives in the societies we live in. In you case, you took literacy into your now hands by reading english books and expanding your vocabulary. I hope that throughout college you are still able to continue improving your literacy, as do i for myself.
DeleteI agree with you, I think our sponsors in life can widen our perspective of the world, whether or not we're conscious of it. Also i appreciate the connection that you made to learning a new language with perspective.
DeleteAfter reading Brandt’s work, Malcolm X’s and Sherman Alexie's story, and watching the TED talk video featuring Chimamanda Adiche it is extremely evident that they all are trying to get out the same message- sponsorship, and how important it is. In Brandt’s argument she uses 5 different people, all from different backgrounds and families and proves that through sponsorship they all thrived in literacy learning. Dora Lopez didn’t have much of a sponsorship other than herself since she was poor she taught herself everything she knew. Since she was teaching herself another language she was able to get a job being a translate for a company. Malcolm X’s sponsorship was also himself. While in jail he realized who he looked up to in there (the smart ones) and how they always won. He realized it was due to their intelligence that they always won. He wanted to be like them but he wanted to be better than them. He started reading the dictionary and copying it down word by word. Both Dora Lopez and Malcolm X’s sponsors were themselves, their want to become better made them strive to be better.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie’s case was a little different. His sponsor was his dad. Alexie looked up to his father. Since his dad loved reading, Alexie wanted to start reading too. At a young age he read his very first book, a Superman comic book. Alexie remembers going to school and seeing the kids pretend to be dumb in class because that is what they thought was expected of them. Although Sherman Alexie’s sponsor was not himself, it was his dad that pushed him to be great. He now goes back to indian villages to show the young kids that people like them are smart and that it is more than okay to be smart.
Chimamanda Adiche sponsor was her mother who read her stories even though she was only 7 and they probably made no sense. Chimamanda Adiche self-actualization came from books. She thought that girls like her were not good enough (white enough) to play the part in a story. When she realized that there were books with girls like her in it, this is what made her feel good. As a little girl thinking that girls like you were never good enough to be in a story that must have affected her at such a young age. But, when she realizes that there are girls like her this broadens her way of thinking for people that look like her.
Although all the stories are different, they all have one thing in common. No matter who there sponsors were they all thrived and became someone great because of their sponsor and literacy learning.
I completely agree with you, that they were all able to thrive as a result of their sponsors and literacy learning. They were able to do this by pushing themselves to learn from sponsors present to them. While not all of them had the same accessibility due to their own specific situations, they had the drive to learn from these sponsors to become better readers and writers which greatly helps in life.
DeleteI feel the same way, they used what they had a got something out of it. They were able to do this from there sponsors. They had the want to become better as a reader overall. They learned from there repercussions, which gave there writing even a certain style.
DeleteAll of these readings have the factor of literary opportunities in common. They stress the importance of literary sponsors and how individuals grow from them differently based on how they are influenced while they are still developing their literacy skills. They emphasized how everybody has different opportunities to advance, basically, it’s all about how privileged you are to be exposed to such learning. In the article Sponsors of Literacy, she discusses examples of a group of people who came from completely different literary backgrounds. Despite their differing backgrounds, all of these people had grown to be literate individuals through their own means. Being that they all had grown up in different environments, they each had to find their own unique way of expanding their knowledge and skills in literature through the literary sponsors they had established through their lives. And the literary sponsors aren’t limited to just people, they don’t have to be human, as Brandt says. They are anything that helps an individual better themselves or increases their profession at literature. She discussed how books had been her biggest literary sponsor towards where she is now in literacy. She really emphasizes how she made it her own way through her own means.
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