One week ago ,I started writing this paper over thanksgiving break. I traveled
back home to south florida for the holiday . On thanksgiving day I woke up at six am in
the morning , I stood in my dark room staring back at my dull reflection , tired slightly
red eyes unfortunately I could not go back to sleep , as a woman in the house I was expected
to help my mom make the thanksgiving dinner today , but all I could think of was the
paper that was assigned to me in my english class , on the topic of literacies and how it
affected my life . I was pondering over dinner of what I should do for this paper , When
my dad broke my train of thought “ are you still wasting money at that university place” I
nodded yes and went back to thinking . I have heard this speech nearly twenty one
times over the past few years , I already knew that if I spoke it would result in the
discour being longer , so I only acknowledged him at the important places or where he
paused “ yes …..yes dad you are right…..yes dad college is a business……you are right they
are only trying to take my money …....yes I can make a career in cooking …if it does not
work out I will return home….yes there are other women there.” I quickly looked around the
table , my brothers were there as well but they were not being interrogated at all , even
though they are choosing to go to college. This is a typical dinner for my family , It
was then that I realized that the different values that my culture have are related to
literacies.According to Writing About Writing “Literacy denotes the fluency in a given
practice …..literacies has broadened to encompass fluency in other areas , most academics
therefore now use the term literacies( plural ) and discuss digital ,electronic , musical , visual
,oral ,mathematical , and gaming literacies among many others” Utilizing this definition of
literacies I quickly realized that the haitian culture value certain types of literacy over
others , I also realize the same for the American culture. The haitian culture valued
valued scholastic education in men while valuing housework in women . In the American
culture they valued literacies that creates monetary value over the others. This results
in literacy defining the social class in both cultures. In both cultures I have experienced the
difference in their values of each literacies , this creates a strong link between the type of
literacies they value and the social class in each respective culture.
According to Save The Children the average haitian girl only attends school until
about the age of seven years old.Sadly, according to my person experience this statistic is
true, In haiti from a young age I was encourage to pursue primary education for daily
usage, but I was never encouraged to pursue higher education. In my family there
was this unspoken agreement that after the tender age of Ten to twelve , scholastic
education for the girls needed to be stopped. While the men in my family are always
encourage to pursue higher education . At that time my naive mind believed that it was
best because I knew that unlike in America, we had to pay for school in Haiti. Therefore
I believed it was for the best that I was pulled out of school in order to help my family
while my male families get the chances they deserve . The literacies that are valued
in the Haitian culture for women varies under the broad category of caregivers. A
female are always expected to pursue literacies in aspects of midwives , house maid ,
housewives , and in the rare cases where females do finish their educations they are
expected to become nurses or teachers. The males are expected to be lawyers and political
leaders. This says a lot about the haitian as a culture . The males in turn have the jobs
that controls most aspects of our society. As I grew up In America and I learn more , I
realize that that the difference in cultures relates to what they value.In Haiti we valued
the work that required degrees or a lot of education and because in my countries the
families could only afford to pay for school for the males , the male had the jobs that
required the education , that needed the degrees which created a male dominated
country. Because men have been in power for so long, it is rare in my culture to see a
women being in charge or in a position that does not stem from a caregivers
background.Hence it creates a cycle, because in my family and other families we so often
see male in power or in the workplace , we do not see the need to send the female
children to school which then creates an even more male -centered class system in Haiti.
In America I noticed that Literacy was affecting the class system similar to Haiti. but not
the same , whereas it benefitted the males in the social hierarchy ,like in my country,it
seems to be benefiting the whites over the minorities races In America.
In America we tend to value the individuals who have these certain jobs or literacies
, unfortunately I have first hand experience in that aspect. I vividly remember one day , it
was time for our yearly pediatrician check-up . My Mother took us to our pediatrician, we
scheduled the appointment mid-day around two o’clock pm . we were not seen by our
doctor until four pm , approximately two hours later. “ we are so sorry for the wait, today
is one of the busiest days of the year ” my doctor absentmindedly told my mother , like
we did not hear the same thing at last year’s check-up when we waited three hours past
our appointment time. “It is okay doctor” she replied “ we know you’re busy, a doctor’s work is
never done!” she replied all most to cheerfully . This is my experience at the doctor , My
mother seems very respectful, After all she is a very respectful individual but it always seems to
depend upon the person she is interacting with , because the same day I remember
passing at Mcdonald to receive treats for not crying after the doctor stuck our bodies with
what seemed like six inch needles at the time . We passed at the drive -thru , we ordered
seven different very complex meals , because one of my brothers would want no pickles ,
the others would want to add cheese, the other would not like the crust and my dad usually
order everything on the menu. I remember because of our big order we were asked to pull
up to the driveway .Approximately seven minutes later The server carried our four large bags
