Writing To Get Ahead Analysis

Writing to Get Ahead Literacy is a skill that is taken for granted by most people. Nowadays people often do not stop to think about how for thousands of years ability to give and receive information either with words or symbols was a skill many were not selected be taught. Only a fortunate few were able to master the skill that has become so common and useful in the world today. The ability to read and write has been a crucial part of society since it first began to develop. It has given the people who were literate power over those who were not; it has also given those who could both read and write an advantage over others in society, by giving them an elevated status and by allowing them to not be subjected to harsh labor. Writing has especially

According to Joyce Marcus, author of Mesoamerican Writing Systems, only a “small number of individuals, often restricted to members of the nobility” were taught how to read and write (Marcus 27). These select few people were given the power to control how anyone reading what they had written viewed their culture and society. For example, propaganda was a widely used tool in ancient cultures such as Mesoamerica, and influenced the opinions that were formed by the people during that time (Marcus 11). They alone had the power to select their audience and they could decide who would be able to understand what they wrote. The writers could also add their own opinions and interpretations into their writings. Not only were the opinions of the people during the time affected by any bias that was added to the documents, but these ancient scribes controlled how future generations would view and understand the past. One example of this is from an eyewitness account written by an Aztec who recorded the events that took place during the conquest of Mexico (Kishlansky 306). In the account, the Aztec warrior gives details about the gifts and sacrifices the Aztec people made to the Spaniards, but the Spaniards grew angry with the locals and took military chiefs captive and killed some of the local Kings (Kishlansky 306). The Aztec warrior goes on to write about more of the horrible acts of the Spaniards, but it is important to remember that the point of view is from an Aztec and not a Spaniard so the document may be biased. If the document had been written by a Spanish soldier for example, they may justify their actions by saying they are acting for God or for their country. If the document was written by a Spaniard, they may make the event sound righteous and their intent was noble and good. This writing is a good example of how the people who were able to write