Post 9

A literacy event is defined by Heath as "any action sequence, involving one or more persons, in which the production and/or comprehension of print plays a role” (445). She believes that in order to have a better understanding and comprehension of the forms and functions of traditional orality and literacy in today's society as well as the connections between spoken and written language, one must examine the literacy events. Heath reaches the conclusion that more literacy events call for forms and uses of speech than reading and writing and that they often spend more time developing their oral communication skills, which better serve their daily needs.
In Trackton, Heath observes some of the literacy events amongst the children and the adults of the community. Heath says that children “achieve their meaning as communicators and their sense of their own worth as communicators through responses they obtain from their oral language, not in terms of response in a one-on-one siuation of reading a book with an adult” (462).
This is relative to Sherman's Superman and Me because it is a narrative that puts the reader in the perspective of Native Americans. It shares with the audience how Native Americans feel they are perceived by the rest of the world. The actions which effect this culture plays a role in the production and comprehension of the print.
Both of these readings connect perspectives of society with literature. The literacy events form a narrative just as the people in a society form a culture.