In the Ted Talk, “What Reading Slowly Taught Me About Writing”, speaker Jacquline Woodson gives reasons why, in the age of high-speed media and technology, we should make an effort to read slowly. One reason she gives for reading slowly is to acknowledge her ancestors who could not read. As an African American, Woodson recognizes that her ancestors were slaves who were, among many things, denied an education. As a result, slaves were illiterate and could only pass stories down from generation to generation verbally, rather than in written form. She describes the ability to read and write can be dangerous (to the oppressors) if illiterate people are able to pass on their stories. Woodson’s reasoning for reading slowly is important because it reinforces the idea that “knowledge is power.” Being able to read stories about her heritage serves as a reminder of it and puts her own life in perspective. Woodson’s speech has given me a different outlook on my own education; although school may be stressful and monotonous at times, I realize I am fortunate to have it. While my own ancestors may not have been denied an education, there are certainly millions of people who are not or were not fortunate enough to be educated.
Reviewing all the “readings” we have done throughout the semester, one that influenced me was the video clip of Trevor Noah discussing the rioting occurring in response to the death of George Floyd. In this clip, Noah outlined a social contract where the government has the obligation to protect and serve the people, and the people have an obligation to follow the laws laid out by the government. He claims when police officers, an extension of the government, killed George Floyd, the government has broken the social contract and the people are no longer obligated to uphold their end of the contract. Noah’s reasoning led me to think about rioting from a different perspective. Although it is not acceptable for the people to riot, it is also not acceptable for the government to harm the people whom they are supposed to protect.
I agree, I think it was important for Woodson ” to take advantage” of reading. Knowledge is power and was one of the main reasons her ancestors weren’t allowed to read or write. Having basic reading and writing skills is needed on a day to day basis; however, to an individual, these skills can build stories. Stories not only can be a form of entertainment but also help form the past in a present scene. The stories of slaves can be passed through other slaves verbally. However, anything written is mostly from a white person’s perspective so the truth oftentimes is altered. So reading and writing prevents the truth from being lost and makes these stories last.
Ishaan I liked the reason you chose to why reading is important to Jacqueline Woodson. The reason that Woodson reads is because her ancestors couldn’t is a powerful one and cannot be ignored in the story of American. Since the creation of America in 1776 African Americans have been mistreated. We see this from slavery to the killing of innocent black men at the hands of police officers. We can’t continue to allow this injustice to happen to our fellow American brother and sisters of color. We need to get better as a country and there is no surprise in that.
As you spoke about knowledge and the power to read and write, I understood how great of a theme it was to Jaqueline’s speech. It is both powerful to read and write and powerful to give that ability to someone else. I personally believe that learning to read and write should be a human right, and any efforts that discouraged people from learning were efforts to dehumanize those people. Trevor Noah’s podcast was very influential to me too and I thought you made really good points about what he had to say and how it impacted you.