Literacy as a weapon
Literacy is indeed powerful. Sometimes, too much. It can persuade people to think as the author, and not for themselves. People who are powerful are tend to use literacy in their favor. They want to influence people who may not be as literate. For example, throughout time, politicians, kings, dictators "sought in their writing and speeches to forestall questioning altogether, since their primary interest was to persuade" (Gee, 1989). Thus, they used literacy as a weapon because it was their ammunition against others who were not as literate as them. If they did not let others to be literate, then those people who not know any better than to listen and follow those who were more literate and 'knowledgable".
Another example of literacy as a weapon in history is when slave owners did not slaves read. If slaves were not literate, then how could they challenge the thought of their owners? They couldn't.
Another example of literacy as a weapon in history is when slave owners did not slaves read. If slaves were not literate, then how could they challenge the thought of their owners? They couldn't.
Gee, J. P. (1989). The Legacies of Literacy: From Plato to Freire Through Harvey Graff. Journal of Education, 171, 147-165.