Historical Cultural And Social Context

803 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of contexts in literature

“Critical literacy demands that the reader deliberately assume a stance that takes other view points into account”

Critical literacy is a technique for exploring a series of contextual forces for their influence on the reader. (Coffey, 2010) Historical, cultural and social contexts are considered based on how they are implemented in the text, how they manipulate the views of the reader and its relevance to the text. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) To value the literal contexts a reader must remain open to accepting the views of others; different cultures, social status and their place in history. (Keesing, 1974) Contexts are explored through the use of Whoever You Are by Mem Fox, I Want To Go To The Moon by Tim Saunders and Who’s In My Family by Robbie Harris.

Historical contexts refer to knowledge about the past and allow for readers to read about moments in history that lead to the way the world is today. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) For some senior members of the community many of the events spoken about are memories of their youth. For youth today it is important for them to develop an understanding of the past; the events that occurred, the views of people in the events and the environment in which it occurred. (Mcdonald & Walsh, 2013) Youth gathering an understanding of the past allows them to see the viewpoints of some of the seniors in their communities, thus creating a mutual understanding of change. (Mansilla & Jackson et al., 2011) I Want To Go To The Moon by Tim Sanders reimagines Neil Armstrong’s early childhood. This story remained consistent with many details of the moment in history; Armstrong’s birthday, when he became a pilot and being the first man on the moon. It is important to encapsulate important moments of time ...

... middle of paper ...

...must consider the cultural, historical and social context of the literature. Historical contexts are important to keeping our history, remembering events, the people associated with them and their viewpoints of what happened. Cultural contexts are important for the continuation of traditional cultures; encouraging people to accept the views of people from other cultures with different beliefs and values. Social contexts are important to understanding the variations in people’s lifestyles; family structure, culture, their personal history and their interests. Through the use of critical literacy, contextual forces that shape a text can be better understood, thus engaging the reader in the text. To better understand all aspects of the contextual force a reader must take all viewpoints into account and accept the variations of historical, cultural and social contexts.

Show More
Related

  • Gerald Graff Disliking Books Summary

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    He too quickly dismisses the idea of reading on your own to find meaning and think critically about a book. For him, Graff states that “It was through exposure to such critical reading and discussion over a period of time that I came to catch the literary bug.” (26) While this may have worked for Graff, not all students will “experience a personal reaction” (27) through the use of critical discussion.

    Read More

  • Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths 'And Growing Up Tethered'

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Colombo introduces his section on critical thinking by asking a question “Why do instructors mean when they tell to think critically?” (2). His point is that we should no just focus on the surface meaning. He uses the example of the cover of our Rereading America textbook. He says that the average student from the United States may just believe that the book only applies to the United States. When a student from anny other country in the Western Hemisphere might complain that the title reflects a discriminatory view of what it maens to be an American. Since America contains all the countries of North, South, and Central America. He goes on to explain that most think they want us to ask questions rather than just relay the text back through memorization. That kind of thinking is nearly useless in the real world. What job is there that all you do is relay data back? There are almost none of these

    Read More

  • Jackson's 'What You Pawn I Will Redeem'

    1661 Words  | 4 Pages

    Historical context in the sense of past events is a way to predict how someone of that time period may respond to a situation. In “When The

    Read More

  • My Two Blankets By Irena Kobald And Freya Blackwood

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    For students to share responses and express a point of view they must have a deeper understanding of the literary experiences that the text delivers. This understanding and learning can be developed though a class discussion with key guiding questions. Marzaro states that a teachers role during a critical-input experience is to “ask students questions that require them to elaborate on the content, engage students in activities that require them to summarise and re-present the content, and engage students in activities that require them to reflect on their learning” (Marzaro, 2007, p. 184). Students learn best when engaged, therefore the multimodal text is the primary source of engagement, the hook of the lesson.

    Read More

  • Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    reader creates “supplementary meaning” to the text by unconsciously setting up tension, also called binary opposition. Culler describes this process in his statement “The process of thematic interpretation requires us to move from facts towards values, so we can develop each thematic complex, retaining the opposition between them” (294). Though supplementary meaning created within the text can take many forms, within V...

    Read More

  • Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Any critical reading of a text will be strengthened by a knowledge of how a text is valued by readers in differing contexts."

    Read More

  • Wolff’s Critique of Chopin’s The Awakening

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    The critical case study to the novel establishes a definition of a type of critical response, and then gives as close an example that fits that mode of criticism—BORING! First, the book has these forms of criticism laid out contiguously, as if they occurred only spatially and not temporally. This flattened and skewed representation of critical approaches, taking an argument out of its context (an academic debate) and uses it as if it were a pedagogical tool. Just as criticism in many ways takes the life out of the text, by dissecting it and making it a part of an argument, the “model critical approach” takes the life out of criticism.

    Read More

  • The Cultural Resistance Reader by Stephen Duncombe

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    Duncombe, Stephen. "Introduction to The Cultural Resistance Reader." Critical Encounters with Texts: Finding a Place to Stand. By Margaret Himley and Anne Fitzsimmons. New York: Custom Pub., 2009. 117-23. Print.

    Read More

  • Rereading America

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing written by; Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Eighth Edition, published April, 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin’s, is a textbook about writing and critical thinking. In the first chapter of Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”, the Authors begin by setting a relatable scene of what it’s like for a college student. How a new found independence can be overwhelming, especially with regards to critical thinking, showing that what we have learned, needs to be re-evaluated and that an open mind in essential. "What Is Critical Thinking" In this section of the chapter the editors explain what it means to be a critical thinker. They explain that critical thinking is not just studying dates and facts, but rather taking those facts and examining them. The editors then proceed by explaining how having an open mind, and taking others' perspectives into account when formulating our own opinions on what the author is trying to say to us is important. A critical thinker takes all aspects into account and reflects on personal experience as well. The editors also point out that different cultural experiences bring different opinions. They suggest that we need to become active learners, continuously questioning the meaning behind everything, testing not only the theories of others but also our own experiences and analyzing the text rather than going for the obvious. They show that thinking outside the box is the epitome of critical thinking. Basically, we need to step outside our comfort zones and what we have always been taught. The editors also suggest that we need to re-evaluate our per...

    Read More

  • Close Reading Analysis

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone comes from their own background, and has their own opinions about the world around them. They bring those thoughts and prejudices with them into every text they read, meaning they see what they expect to see. The author claims that close reading leads to ethical reading, ethical reading meaning the reader is listening to the author’s voice within the text, truly understanding and listening to that which the author is saying. Close reading forces the reader to temporarily abandon their preconceptions and “by concentrating on the details, we disrupt our projection; we are forced to see what is really there” (Gallop p.11). The author provides some historical context, in relation to the “new criticism” method of teaching. Between the 1950’s and 1970’s new criticism, “allowed students to appreciate the complexity of literary writing, to see the artful work, rather than merely themes and ideas.” (Gallop p.13). The issue with new criticism being that only “great” works or authors were considered “worthy” of analysis in that manner. Unfortunately, most work that was considered “great” within that period were written by men of European descent. Within the past few decades the multicultural movement has made reading lists in schools more diverse, making understanding the voice of authors more important than ever, as to not reinforce stereotypes and

    Read More

  • The Cheetah Girls Analysis

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this article, Brooks et. al (2010) focuses on black females and ways they are portrayed through some of the struggles within them. “This article examines how black girlhood is constructed through fiction” (p. 7). It is important to make a connection when reading something. Connections can be made either by text to self, text to text, or text to world. According to this article, Sharon Draper states that she likes to give her readers a strong character to read about so that the reader can fully connect (Draper, 2009, p. 8). This supports my belief of the importance of making a connection through reading. I gathered the understanding of the importance of sharing pieces of literature, similar to the ones that were mentioned, in my classroom because of the diversity it shows to the students. There are many pieces of literature that I have personally read that gave me

    Read More

  • Play: Freud's Last Session

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    The context is of paramount importance because without the context to support the content, the story is nothing; it means nothing. Literature is so great because it transforms the way we think and influences what we believe. Without context, literature is nothing. Without literature to express our worldviews, we are nothing.

    Read More

  • The Myth of Money and Success and That of Gender

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 2013. 377. Print.

    Read More

  • Ignorance Of Ignorance

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    While critical thinking can still be achieved without reading; it cannot reach its full potential on thought alone, and it certainly relies on literacy to stand. Literacy provides sources, language provides words to back up thought, and reading opens a person’s mind to new words and ideas. If someone is unable to read or chooses not to read, many facts and ideas are lost to him. Reading also helps a person organize their thoughts. Without organization a person can articulate their thoughts just not as orderly. To better illustrate this point think of this metaphor: Picture a mother and her child. The mother represents the people and language is represented by the child. The mother loves her child so much and wants to do everything she can to help her child along in life. The child grows up and, because his mother did everything in her power to better him and give him a bright future, he flourished and went on to change the world. If a society desires to erect something that can change the world, they need to do everything in their power to better their language. They need to delve deeper into books, yearn for knowledge, listen to others opinions, grow their vocabulary, and know how to establish truth. When a nation strives to better their language and give it all their love and time, that language will continually grow until it changes the

    Read More

  • Don T You Think It's Time To Start Thinking By Northrop Frye Summary

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    Northrop Frye is one of the most influential literary critics of his time, and today. Indeed, one of his most applicable articles was published in 1986, titled, “Don’t You Think It’s Time to Start Thinking?”. He uses several key points to argue that most of society does not think critically and that the skills are purposefully not being taught to keep society compliant. This article, which criticizes how students are taught to think, is still very relevant today. While some may argue that the curriculum has changed over time to incorporate more of critical thinking, that is still not the case. Frye’s article is pertinent even today, especially with the inception of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Society still encourages reading

    Read More

More about Historical Cultural And Social Context

Open Document