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Stephen Fischerkeller
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-013
29 September 2014
The Literacy Myth as told by Gee
Literacy has been perceived differently by people all over the world over the years.
James Paul Gee has studied and come up with a theory of what the Literacy Myth really is. In
Gees essay The Literacy Myth and the History of Literacy different points in history are
brought up to try and show the meaning of literacy. According to Gee, the more literate a person
is, the more intelligent they are. (Gee 47) It is true, when you think about a doctor or a lawyer
they are not only are the intelligent, but they are literate. The meaning of literacy has changed
over the course of history but it has always had the same general idea.
Literacy was not first sought after until roughly 300 years after the invention of the
alphabetic literacy. Plato is one of the first Greek writers who was believed to fire at literacy.
He did so by attacking writing by writing. (Gee 48) In 1686 a Church Law required families and
their children to all read and write. This is an example of the idea that literate people are more
successful. Even in the 1600s this was a main point in regards to literacy. During this time in
Sweden they wanted to use literacy to get people to read and learn more about the Christian faith
and religion. Churches have used literacy for hundreds of years as a tool of teaching the faith.
(Gee 48) Plato said that true knowledge comes from when a person asks the question What do
you mean? This can force a person to re-say what they already stated, thus proving they
possess a good amount of knowledge. Socrates supported this theory. The offspring of

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painting stand there as if alive, but if you ask them something they preserve a solemn silence.
(Gee 48) Writing cannot physically speak to a person. You can read something a thousand
times but, that does not mean you can have the question what do you mean? answered.
Literacy can be a seriously powerful tool that can be used in different ways. Sometimes
the person behind what is being said can make a huge difference in how it is perceived. Gee uses
the example of Nazi Germany. Hitler and the Nazis were able to control Germany not just from
what he said but also because of how he said it. (Gee 49) The Nazis took the writings of
Nietzsche and completely turned it around. The writing had no way of defending itself so it was
easy for the Nazis to completely reclaim it. Plato and Socrates were both philosophers who were
considered to be opposed to the traditional order of their time. (Gee 49) They went against what
everybody was used and attempted to develop their own society. They ended up gaining a large
amount of recognition too.
An idea was introduced by Plato saying that man should test into their place in society. If
you were born into a poor family, you had a chance to test out of the poverty and make
something of yourself. (Gee 50) Men who stayed in the lower class had no say in government but
that did not mean they didnt have a chance to escape the poverty. In 1600 Sweden the country
completed one of the most successful literacy campaigns in the Western hemisphere. It was all
based through the Lutheran Protestantism. Most teaching was done through households and was
based on the church. They wanted everyones literate level to be learned through church
teachings. This differed from Platos philosophy because they did not receive a choice. Paulo
Friere had an even different idea of literacy. (Gee 51) He believed in the idea of emancipatory
literacy. This was the belief that literacy was used in religious, political, and cultural resistance
to domination.

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Literacy has been interpreted by different philosophers over the years including Friere,
Socrates, and Plato. Some of the ideas differ and some are the same. They all have to do with
the same universal idea that literacy has to do with all major parts or society. Literacy can take
you to the top of the food chain or it can keep you at the bottom. Literacy can be used in
different ways and can be used to create great universal power. Literacy has always been the
backbone to attempts at societal domination. It has evolved over the course of history but even
today still deals with all major parts of everyday life in the world.

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Gee, James P. The Literacy Myth and the History of Literacy.