Ashley Levesque

ENG110I

10/23/18

“Literacy, like land, is a valued commodity in this economy, a key resource in gaining profit and edge” (Brandt 558) Literacy is valued but is not always seen as a key asset for gaining social goods. This is because it is not valued itself but it is valued for what it can help you gain. Similar to what is stated by Brandt land is valued but not because of the land itself. It is valued because of what you can do with the land. Reading and writing is also something that can be dependent on how one is brought up. Different upbringings may have different opinions on the importance of reading and writing. If a child is raised in a higher income home they might view reading and writing as a chore and blame school for “torture” this is similar with identities.

Two little narratives that interest me the most are the child prodigy and the victim. The child prodigy narrative as described by Patterson is someone who “excels at reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance and intellectual acumen..” (Alexander 615) This is interesting to me because as a child the value of knowledge is not the praise. The value of knowledge to display as a way to seek attention and praise is the goal. This includes children who tell “tales of prolific reading, trips to the library or bookstore, abundant exposure to literate texts, and being read to by parents”(Alexander 615)  The next little narrative that interests me is the victim. Fox describes the victim as a “..victim of negative literacy experiences, in or out of school; casts blame for negative literacy experiences; discussing how someone took the fun out of reading and writing” (Alexander 615) This identity is interesting to me because I have heard and seen a . lot of it in my experiences in school. I think it is most interesting because I have related to such a narrative when I was a kid.

William notes that it is “intriguing to consider the identities students construct for teachers” (344). A narrative identity that a child chooses to take on can be influenced by a sponsor. For example a child with a child prodigy narrative may have been influenced by his or her parents who tell stories of their academic success. This can also be because of how the parent may reflect on their own literacy abilities. Another identity is the hero, perhaps their sponsor is a teacher that views and appreciated literacy greatly. This can lead to a student feeling accomplished and as if they have triumphed in a way. That being said, many sponsors play a specific role on those who they sponsor which can affect the way they view themselves as a learner.