Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy

When reading “Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy” many different thoughts came to mind. Overall the reading seems to be about African Americans, the oppression that they have faced over the years, and their attempts at changing their inferior position in society. The essay goes into depth about how African Americans have been oppressed and mistreated from the time of slavery up until the present. The motif of this reading seems to be literacy. Literacy seems to constantly resurface as the only way many slaves were able to better themselves. Literacy was also a form of resistance for many slaves. By becoming literate they were resisting being dehumanized and being transformed into mere property, which was precisely what the slave masters wanted. Unlike many readings about slavery, this reading shows how Blacks were proactive in changing their circumstances.
What stood out the most in this reading to me were the different perspectives on slavery held by Whites. Often when the institution of slavery is presented to students there are many generalizations made. Students sometimes leave the classroom setting believing that all White people held the same hatred towards Black people and wanted to keep them bound by the chains of slavery forever. There are several different point-of-views that should be taught so that the student may come to their own conclusion about slavery and the people involved. There were Whites who believed in individual rights, but did not consider Blacks equal to Whites; therefore those rights were not inherent to them. Then there were also those who believed that slavery was wrong but made absolutely no efforts to inspire change, even if they had the power to do so. There were also people who believed that African Americans may not have been equal to White people, only because they had never been given the chance to show their true potential due to the oppressive chains they had always been bound by. In essence, what I am saying is just as it was not correct for African Americans to be generalized and treated according to this generalization, it is not correct to generalize Whites when it comes to their role in slavery.