Lexor Adams

AP Lang. 4th

Synthesis Essay

Computers. Computers. Computers. No! I must scream my objection at the thought that
analytical reading and rhetoric have taken the back seat to computer literacy en route to
success and empowerment. While I admit that computer literacy is important, technology or
not, strong literacy skills are just as important an avenue for success and empowerment as they
were a hundred years ago. In today’s day and age it’s obvious that computers are necessary for
empowerment, however a little research shows it’s just as obvious that skills in analytical
reading and rhetoric are equally important.

How are strong literacy skills still relevant in this techno-dependent world? Journalist
David Brooks proposes that, “No matter what you do in life, you will have a huge advantage if
you can read a paragraph and discern its meaning (a rarer talent than you might suppose). You
will have enormous power if you are a person in the office who can write a clear and concise
memo” (1). Literacy skills are especially useful in a variety of jobs. For example, business
executives who can write great memos are better at running a company than those who can’t;
musicians who can write lyrics well are exponentially better than their counterparts; and
lawyers who can write well can present their arguments easier than those who aren’t able to.
Similarly all these occupations and thousands of others require skills in analytical reading and
rhetoric.

Analytical reading also provides opportunities for success, but especially for
empowerment. Being able to read analytically allows the reader to truly understand what the
author has written. Understanding the meaning behind a written work is just as important as
understanding the “face” of the work, the words. Many authors use tone as much as they use
words to get their point across. Another advantage of having strong literacy skills is being able
to read works with more technical structure and vocabulary. These kinds of works are
extremely useful to any technical jobs. When honing your literary skills you’ll typically read
many books; this provides the reader with a larger vocabulary and broader exposure to
different kinds of thought processes.
 Lexor Adams
AP Lang. 4th

Aside from having a larger vocabulary, reading books to improve analytical skills and
reading skills can in and of itself be empowering. Author Sherman Alexie narrates, “I read with
equal parts joy and desperation. I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one
purpose. I was trying to save my life” (18). Alexie went from the Indian reservation where “[his]
family lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food”
(15-16) to a successful author. In the situation Alexie was born into “the odds” were against
him, however by reading books he was empowered and now shares his love of reading with
Indian kids, empowering them as he was empowered. Books can also be inspiring. Kids look up
to heroes in books, imagining they are those heroes. Books give children goals and life lessons.
Books can be as much a direct method of empowerment as a way of motivating as they were
for Sherman Alexie.

Books can also provide a platform of knowledge for us to base our beliefs on. Having
strong beliefs aids empowerment immensely. Malcolm X taught himself to read and write and
regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with his beliefs it must be seen that he was
empowered. He went from a prison cell to leading a religious movement and then a different
religious group before being assassinated. X Understood the need to have strong literacy skills,
“I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in
letters that I wrote…trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even
functional. (245)” Malcolm X began with a very limited vocabulary and started painstakingly
copying page after page from a dictionary while in prison. After this he began reading
everything. “…in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on
my bunk. You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge…No university would ask any
student to devour literatures as I did when this new world opened to me, of being able to read
and understand. (247-248)”

Malcolm X had a revelation. This revelation was of a new world opened to him by books.
He read late into the night with a crack of light that came under his cell door. The reason for
this was his newfound ability not only to read, but also understand. The ability to understand
comes more and more as literacy skills improve. In Malcolm X’s case his literary skills improved
 Lexor Adams
AP Lang. 4th

in what could be called an alternative education, but even in this alternative education he
learned skills in analytical reading and rhetoric. His skills in rhetoric were what allowed him to
be such a persuasive speaker and leader.

Strong literacy skills aren’t only useful in an alternative education though. In the
traditional American school system these skills are critical. Even in high school writing appears
in almost every class. In math rhetorical writing skills are necessary to clearly and logically
explain how you came to an answer. In science these same skills are necessary to write a lab
report. In language arts these skills are most obviously needed to understand what authors are
saying and write well yourself. Then when it comes to apply for college you must have these
skills for writing college application essays; once in college these same skills will be useful for
any papers you need to write. If you go all the way to getting a Doctorate you must have
extremely good rhetorical skills for writing your thesis paper.

Being a good reader and writer, which relies on having skills in analytical reading and
rhetoric isn’t just useful in school. These skills are just as useful, if not more so in the real world.
How come there’s such an emphasis on computer literacy? In this new age children have
computers in their hands from a young age, but more and more the reading is being skipped
over. While being able to use a computer is an important skill, being a strong reader and writer
is even more important. Let’s be honest. Unless a kid is a tech guru or coding wizard, their
computer skills won’t help them get a job later in life. While having basic computer competancy
is important, strong literacy skills are still more important as an avenue for success and
empowerment.
 Lexor Adams
AP Lang. 4th

Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.” 15-19. Print.

Brooks, David. “History for Dollars.” The New York Times 7 June 2010: All. Web.

X, Malcom. “Learning to Read.” 50 Essays a Portable Anthology. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2004. 245-254. Print.