TWE163(我亲爱的偏执狂)

Is literacy more important today than in the past?

In the early history, young children need not go to school to learn reading and writing, and they would still grow up to be good gathers or hunters without literacy. However, most children except those unfortunate ones deprived of education right due to poverty will go to school at a early age to learn the 3R(reading, writing and arithmetic) skills. Obviously, this great transition shows the trend that literacy has become more and more important as the society develops, which can be ascribed the following reasons.

Technology is the foremost element to be taken account of. As the main driving force of the advancement of our society, technology has been expending at an ever-lasting rate, which exerts more and more requirements of the reading and writing ability. In the early periods of human history, simple tools like knife and fire dominated the world, the ability to read and write could enhance people’s harvest little even nothing. On the other hand, as the society staged into the industrial period, both varieties and quantities of products have been greatly enriched due to the application of new technologies. Without literacy, people would not utilize the machines or facilities to help them either in producing or in farming. If they have to live an illiterate life as some unfortunate people in Africa and Asia do, they will soon realize it is illiteracy that deprives their right of benefiting from the development of the society.

Besides the revolutionary changes in technology, which relates to the available materials, another indispensable feature of a modern society is relevant to people’s world view such as attitudes toward arts, science and democracy. Being able to read and write gives us the opportunity to enlarge our knowledge horizon, to think independently and to be more open-minded. We cannot imagine such a colorful world with so many styles of paints, music and literature if none of the authors can read or write.

Of course, many other elements also contribute to the importance of literacy. For example, for many people who have to leave their small hometowns to work in a big city, it would be difficult for them to navigate around the city or to keep touch with their families if they can neither read the street sign nor write a letter.

From the facts discussed above, we can safely draw the conclusion that the ability to write and read are more important today than in the past and will become more and more critical in the future.

In the early history, young children need not (DOESN’T NEED TO) go to school to learn reading and (OR)writing, and they would still grow up to be good gathers or hunters without literacy. (TOO LONG)  However, most children except those unfortunate ones deprived of education right due to poverty will go to school at a (AN) early age to learn the 3R(reading, writing and arithmetic) skills. Obviously, this great transition shows the trend that literacy has become more and more important as the society develops, which can be ascribed the following reasons.

Technology is the foremost element to be taken account of. As the main driving force of the advancement of our society, technology has been expending (EXPANDING??) at an ever-lasting rate, which exerts more and more requirements of the reading and writing ability. In the early periods of human history, simple tools like knife and fire dominated the world, the ability to read and write could enhance people’s harvest little even nothing. (THIS SENTENCE IS REALLY CONFUSING, I’M NOT SURE WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY) On the other hand, as the society staged into the industrial period, both varieties (??VAGUE, UNCLEAR) ) and quantities of products have been greatly enriched due to the application of new technologies. Without literacy, people would not utilize the machines or facilities to help them either in producing or in farming. If they have to live an illiterate life as some unfortunate people in Africa and Asia do, they will soon realize it is illiteracy that deprives their right (RIGHTS) of benefiting from the development of the society.

Besides the revolutionary changes in technology, which relates to the available materials, another indispensable feature of a modern society is relevant to people’s world view (??) such as attitudes toward arts, science and democracy. Being able to read and write gives us the opportunity to enlarge our knowledge horizon, to think independently and to be more open-minded. We cannot imagine such a colorful world with so many styles of paints (PAINTINGS) , music and literature if none of the authors (NO ONE) can read or write.

Of course, many other elements also contribute to the importance of literacy. For example, for many people who have to leave their small hometowns (HOMETOWNS DON’T HAVE TO BE SMALL. IT’S WHERE THEY’RE FROM, YOU CAN’T REALLY DESCRIBE THE SIZE) to work in a big city, it would be difficult for them to navigate around the city or to keep (IN) touch with their families if they can neither read the street sign nor write a letter.