From Wendell Berry's Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Sun May 21 15:41:07 PDT 2000


Mark Jones wrote:


> THE JOY OF
> SALES RESISTANCE
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> Dear Reader,
> This is a book about sales resistance.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> [SNIP]
>
> VII Literacy does not involve knowing the meanings of words, or learning
> grammar, or reading books.
>

Literacy (however defined) certainly does *not* involve learning grammar. For almost three centuries the purpose of studying grammar has been to make a travesty of literacy.

Literacy *need* not involve reading books though, at the present time, it *probably* does. Any definition of literacy that treats Homer or Leadbelly as lacking literacy is itself lacking.

"Learning the meaning of words" is simply not very intelligible standing by itself.

Carrol



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