Text Analysts

The author makes a very interesting point in chapter 6 in which she states:  “More than any other time, readers need to be critically literate.”  She explains this statement referring to the age in which there is vast amount information to sort through for the text analyst.  We live in a time that electronic technology has allowed almost anyone to input information into open source outlets.  This has allowed for a wide variety of information ranging from a multitude of topics to be collaboratively placed together and critically accepted or denied by the reader, and everything in between.

Another interesting thing that Wilson says is that writers all have values and that these values affect the decisions they make.  It also affects the decisions and questions that the reader may have when analyzing any given material.  I feel that being a critical reader and writer are extremely important in literacy because it allows society to question the use of discourses like power and privilege.  Critically thinking about the material and the circumstances in which it was created will open perspectives and doors into worlds where equality can be questioned as well.  I think it is necessary to allow all students of every level to always question and analyze every text they read and put themselves into the author’s shoes.  When they write their own material they should also be open to peer criticism to positively improve their literacy process.

One of the most important concepts that I was aware of from this chapter was to create a classroom environment in which all students do not feel threatened.  This includes allowing criticism from all ends with the focus on overall improvement.  Wilson says that students should aim for a “world with a capacity and desire to work for a better society.”  This can only be possible from quality pedagogy in which teachers do not intimidate students and criticize them in a negative light.  Often times this is the case in almost any subject matter from K-12.  When comprehension is attempting to take place I feel there were many teachers in my youth who deterred me from questioning and criticizing all the material in front of me because I was afraid of being on the radar as a student who disbelieved or disobeyed the educational system in place.  I just followed the traditional steps to get the extrinsic grade I needed for a particular course.  Only a few teachers would allow me to positively criticize myself, the teacher, the system, and all of my peers so that we could understand the reasoning behind the power of literacy. 

This chapter also has a great list of questions that students can ask regarding the text along with strategies at the end.  It reminds me of all the underlying questions I had when reading novels and texts that were already chosen for me in my past literary experience.  I often wondered why I was “required” to read something and then consequently why I was not allowed to completely criticize the material at the same time.