Literacy vs Literature
Understanding the difference between literacy and literature is beneficial, as people often mix up the terms and assume they are interrelated. While it is true that they have a connection, it is not what most people assume. Literacy can be defined as the ability to read and write a language to a certain extent, whereas literature consists of artistic works in various genres of a specific language. Gaining a certain level of literacy is essential for understanding literature. This article aims to highlight the difference between literacy and literature while providing a basic understanding of both terms.
Key Takeaways
- Literacy refers to the ability to read and write a certain language, and it is an indicator of a person’s understanding of that language.
- Literature includes all written works of art in a language, belonging to various genres such as poetry, drama, novels, and short stories.
- While literacy is a basic requirement for understanding a language, literature requires a higher level of skill and goes beyond colloquial language.
What is Literacy?
Literacy refers to an individual’s ability to read and write a particular language. It can be considered as an indicator of a person’s understanding of that language. In today’s world, literacy is used as an indicator for various indexes that measure human development. Most countries believe that having a high level of literacy among their citizens is crucial, as it ensures a capable labor force. Statistics show that the literacy rate in developing countries is lower than in developed countries. As a result, developing countries have introduced numerous educational reforms and legal frameworks to increase their populations’ literacy rates. This demonstrates that literacy is more of a basic requirement that allows a person to gain a certain level of understanding of a language.
What is Literature?
Literature encompasses all written works of a language, which can belong to various genres such as poetry, drama, novels, and short stories. These works of art go beyond ordinary language and conversations. To understand literature, an individual needs more skill than just literacy. Literature is mainly divided into two categories: prose and poetry. Dramas, novels, and short stories fall under prose, while melodious and rhythmic works of art are classified as poetry. In English literature, the collection of works is vast, so it has been divided into different periods for easier study, such as the Augustan period, Victorian period, Romantic period, and Medieval period. This overview of the two terms shows that literature and literacy are quite distinct, with literacy serving as a stepping stone towards understanding literature.
What is the difference between Literacy and Literature?
- Literacy refers to an individual’s ability to read and write a language to a considerable extent and is considered an indicator for the human development index.
- The literacy rate in developing countries is lower compared to most developed countries.
- Literature refers to written works of art of a language, which can be either prose or poetry and fall under different genres.
- To understand literature, a person needs a higher level of skill that goes beyond colloquial language.
- Literacy can be considered more of an initial step towards understanding literature.
