In this article Yancey gives us everything from history of writing to argument pertaining to how important that writing is in today's society. Yancey begins by presenting the reader with three challenges that are also seen as opportunities. She makes the point that in today's society people are writing in ways that they never have before. The three challenges are: developing new models of writing; designing new curriculum supporting those models; and creating models for teaching that curriculum. These all present unique challenges and opportunities for the potential of writing.
In another one of Yancey's points she says that historically composers have chosen to write in spite of their cultures. In the past writing has been seen as a way of rebellion because of irs richness in free thought of the individual who is writing the piece. In addition to the act of writing sometimes being frowned upon, the writers themselves have at times been oppressed. For example, women and African-Americans have typically been considered the "lesser" in our society. This caused writing by either of these groups to be disregarded.
Yancey's main argument is that writing as a whole has always been and will always be important to mankind. Especially in a time like today where so many forms of writing are constantly available to people ad are constantly changing. She shows that even throughput history the importance of writing has always maintained its precedence. Historically, reading has been given a more likable approach than writing. To me this is because of the fact that writing is an actual labor of composing your own original works where as reading is simply enjoying that of another person. Reading always seems to be perceived as a happy and enjoyable thing whereas writing seems to be portrayed as dismal or as work.
When people think of writing they typically think of school or work. This to most people is not a pleasant thought. I think this is because most people who have had education have spent most of their lives having countless writing topics, which usually have no personal meaning whatsoever, shoved down their throats as nothing more than a requirement to pass a class. Personally, I find it much easier to write about a topic that interests me or that I posses any bit of knowledge on. Having to write about something that seems to be completely irrelevant to my oe=wn life and exoeriences can become quite miserable.
None the less we are all required to be able to write in some form or fashion if we plan to make it very far in life. Luckily we have things to base our writings on and systems to follow. Process writing helps us to give our writings some sort of structure. Although at times this can be a hassle for the lowly college student just trying to finish his paper to make the grade, structure really helps us understand what the piece is about and what the point of it is.
Because of a surge in technological development in the past several years, people have become writers in their own right. Through the use of social media, e-mail, blogs and chat-rooms people have become "self-sponsored" writers. This term refers to writers and their compositions that are not owned by any institution but are solely their own works for their own reasoning.
Because we all are so involved in our own forms of writing this time has been referred to as the age of literacy and composition. Literacy has been more deeply defined as not only the ability to read and write but the ability to read into and interpret everything that we encounter in text. Composition has been defined as no longer the process of writing but as the creation and deep investment into a work of literature that is required to meet today's standards.
This article has defined literacy much in the way that we have been discussing throughout this unit. It defines literacy as not only the ability to read and write bu the ability to analyze and find the deeper meanings of a work.
