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Tomas Sanchez
Nancy Roche
WRTG 1010-013
September 23 2014
Gee Summary
For many years people thought that being literate gave you the power of being more analytical,
critical, and rational thinking, this also included advances in government, economic
development, wealth and productivity. But gee has gone and said that literacy isnt all what
makes someone successful, he has gone to say that there was little historical evidence that this is
what makes such a great society, He claims that it is to complex and contradictory and more
intertwined, he also claims that he hates how people think that literacy can make you socially
and personally better than everyone.
Gee went on to say that Plato said Who was a great writer but was wrong in some areas
in his theories of the human memory and a view of knowledge (gee literacy myth), he also went
to explain that Plato would still argue that he was right all along and that he would not deny the
fact he is always right. You go to Socrates another great philosopher where gee states that
Socrates says where he goes on to explain that you need an argument in the discussions because
when you do people have to re-say they had just previously said but now change the wording and
have to go in a deeper thought and explain in a different way which gives them a better
understanding of what they are saying themselves. Gee states that Plato also goes on to explain
that its easy for anyone to be literate but only a few people can actually interrupt pretty well,
(gee literacy myth) with the example of the Nazis who went on their own path to decide to act on
their own and cause a major problem in the world because they did not interrupt the bible well,

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the voice behind the text cannot respond or defend itself. (Gee literacy myth) With this in mind
power and authority can go on to say that being literate gives you power but its how you
interrupt it that lets you keep it.
Sweden was a country to become literate, and this was with the help of the catholic
religion up there that made a law that made everyone out there have to be able to read the bible
and in the end everyone was able to read, but where do you here that Sweden was a major power
at the time or if they are right now. Which agrees with gees theory that just because youre
literate does not me you get power and authority, so its how you interpret it that helps you
realize the real power of the books.
Gee went on to explain why school and literacy werent always connected and it was
because school never really was made to teach you that because they dealt with the problems of
the real world about having morals and following rules. He says it wasnt proven in historically
that you could get power and authority from school which goes back to the debate whether or not
its up to the person to interpret the text right. Gee goes on to say that neither Freire nor Plato
attempted to hide their view on political perspective or to pretend that politics can be separated
from literacy.
Gee concludes that giving the gun to the younger generations would also give them the
bullet which meant when you give them the literate it meant that they have to focus on what the
discussion was about and how they will intercept it and it all come back to if those who cant
intercept the text then bad things will happen leading to no further advancement for a while and
maybe digressing a bit, the guns also help represent that you as a person did all you could do
with that gun so when you have to pass it on people will look on your legacy and see what you

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did from and learn what they should so with it, so in the end you cant tell them what to do with
that gun and what they should shoot at but you can help guide there bullet with past events.

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Work sited page
Literacy Myth and the History of Literacy by James Gee