`` Illiterate America `` By Jonathan Kozol - 959 Words

As I come home one afternoon from school, I see my mother with her brows pressed firmly against each other. I cautiously approach her because I assume she’s upset. The closer I get, the easier I can analyze her face; she abruptly hands me a letter and commands me to read it for her. I read thoroughly and begin to translate the information from english to spanish. The letter came from the IRS; informing her about a balance due next week. She, with a softer look thanked me. Her frustrated attitude quickly disappeared. But, I ask myself today, what if I wasn’t there? What if my mother would ve just put the letter aside due to her incapacity to understand, consequently missing the due date? The author of â€Å"Illiterate America†, Jonathan Kozol expresses his concern on the issue of illiteracy in America. Although his book was published in 1985, illiteracy and the examples Kozol provided in his writing remains relevant to the world we live in today. Kozol’s pu rpose in writing this book was to bring awareness and expose the flaws America purposely overlooks. In efforts to bring his readers out of their â€Å"comfort zones†, Kozol successfully uses the strategies of allusion, analogy, and anecdote. Straight away, Kozol’s use of allusion can be detected; he implemented this strategy to give the audience an opportunity to get out of their safe zone.â€Å"Questions of literacy, in Socrates’ belief, must at length be judged as matters of morality.† (pg.149) Kozol places his first allusion at theShow MoreRelatedThe Human Cost Of An Illiterate Society989 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society† In the essay, â€Å"The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society† written by Jonathan Kozol and originally published in the book, â€Å"Illiterate America†, is a bundle of examples of how people who are illiterate live every day. It showcases the hardships they go through, and how much of a problem it is. 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