Power, Privilege, and (il)Literacy: Part 2

Some people would argue that this child has an advantage over some other children when it comes to literacy. Someone, they would say, has introduced this child to the concept of reading, of printed text, of photographic images and the information they convey. This child probably sees people reading and is learning to imitate that behavior.


Because this child probably lives in an environment where people read, the vocabulary to which this child is exposed likely consists of more words and of more complex words.

Fast forward three to four years.

The drawing on the right was produced by the same child.

"There, you see," some people would say.

"Someone put a crayon in that child's hands. That child has tools that will help him or her take advantage of opportunities later in life, opportunities of which other children without those tools will not be able to take advantage. This child is on the road to literacy.

"This child is privileged."

Maybe. 

It depends on how we define literacy. 

A 2009 report to the National Institute for Literacy recommended the definition of literacy be expanded "so researchers can broaden their inquiry to measure multiple aspects of language and literacy" (p. 17). These researchers would be "from many different and complementary fields," including "developmental neurobiology, education, sociology, anthropology, and other fields to develop a full definition of language and literacy" (p. 18). 

Nowhere in the document did the writers offer a definition of literacy. 

What did they do instead?

Stay tuned. . . 

Power, Privilege, and (il)Literacy: Part 1

Cute kid, huh?

What does the picture say about this child's life?

Notice I used the word say rather than show.

What the picture shows is a very young child, probably Caucasian, with bright eyes and baby-fine hair, wearing overalls and a shirt, sitting on a chair with an open magazine on his/her lap. The magazine is opened to a double-trucked* photograph with a half-page column that appears to contain text. The child's mouth is open; the child is looking directly at the camera or the person behind the camera. The child's arm is raised and the child's hand is either behind or just touching his/her ear. Deep shadows lie to the right (in the picture -- it would actually be to the left of the child) of each object within the picture.

But what does the picture say? Of equal importance, what does the picture not say? And what is implied?

Well, the child in the picture is clothed and appears healthy and well-fed, which suggests someone provides for this child's physical needs. The child is sitting on an upholstered chair, which suggests someone in the child's life has a concept of furniture (or at least of chairs) and an awareness of their purposes. the magazine in the child's lap suggests someone in the child's life has a concept of reading The child looks directly at the camera/person behind the camera and the expression on the child's face is neither sad nor angry nor fearful, which suggests some level of trust with whatever is taking place. The deep shadows come from an otherwise unseen bright light on the left (the child's right). An unseen someone with a camera has captured this child in this moment.

What the picture does not say -- does not tell us -- is who the child is, how the picture came to be, what happened afterward, or a host of other things. Some questions left unanswered are:

• When was the picture taken? Photography began in the 1800s, but magazines containing photographs didn't appear until the early 20th century. Another photograph in the sequence reveals the magazine is Argosy, and a search of covers indicates this is the April, 1955 issue. We can infer the picture was taken sometime after that month and year, but that is as far as we can narrow the when without testing the original for the chemicals used to process the photo.
• Where was the picture taken? Argosy was an American magazine, generally considered a men's pulp fiction magazine -- albeit with stories by writers such as Erle Stanley Gardner -- so we can infer the picture probably was taken somewhere in the United States of America. . . or on an American military base. . . or in an American territory (Guam?). . . or in any of the many other places Americans have traveled and lived.
• Who is the child? Given the information above, and barring the possibility the child may have been adopted, it is likely the child is an American child. Given the general appearance of the child, the child's clothing, the upholstered chair, the magazine, and the existence of a camera, it is likely the child is not a child of extreme poverty. Given the informal setting and the quality of the magazine, it is likely -- but not certain -- the child is not a child of extreme wealth. Beyond that, we don't know the child's gender, the child's internal health, the child's abilities or inabilities, the child's family structure, the child's culture, or anything else about the child. We can't even be sure of the child's racial/ethnic heritage.
• What was the occasion for the picture? I can think of two possibilities. In one scenario, the child finds the magazine, drags it to the chair, puts the magazine on the chair, climbs up into the chair, and arranges himself/herself in a position simulating reading activity the child previously has observed. The person behind the camera takes advantage of a serendipitous moment and  captures the child in action. In the second scenario, the person behind the camera or some other person places the child in the chair and places the magazine on the child's lap to suggest the child has indicated an interest in reading the magazine. The person behind the camera captures a staged moment. Are there other possible scenarios? Of course! Can I think of them at the moment? Nope.

What does this have to do with literacy?

Stay tuned. . .

*A double-trucked photo spreads across two pages.