Gee

In James Paul Gee’s article Literacy Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction and What is Literacy, he talks about how there are two different types of discourse. Discourse with a capital “D” refers to the “ways of being in the world; they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures , glances, body positions, and clothes” (526). Gee brings in the idea that Discourse is an “identity kit” that we use in our day to day life, it can be a label and our personality. When thinking of discourse with a lower case “D”, Gee remarks that it is just a group of words that are compiled to make sense. Both Discourse and discourse are used to elaborate on how literacy is portrayed in Gee’s mind.

Throughout my life, I have encountered numerous Discourses that people have had and even myself have had, many people follow their primary Discourse which makes sense of the world through interaction. Most people do not just follow their primary Discourse, there are also secondary Discourses that are nondominant and are used whenever the primary Discourse isn’t being used. Let’s say a man who worked in a bank would be professional to the standard and ethics of his work place, but as soon as he was out of work his personality changed, his identity kit changed. It does not make someone “unprofessional” in my opinion because, people should live their lives around their standards and not everyone else’s.

I would say that I would somewhat agree with Gee’s definition of literacy and how it is shaped by our Discourse and our discourse. We use them frequently, without thinking sometime because that is what we are used to. Gee reflects that “we acquire this primary Discourse, not by overt instruction, but by being a member of a primary socializing group” (527) and this can be put into relation with how our lives shape our personalities. My other half is pushing that literacy is more than just reading a book or writing a paper, it is about the comprehension of the material and making an idea for a person. Gee’s essay did not change my overall opinion on what literacy is, but he did provoke some topics that others might find more moving.