The Ability To Read

Is the ability to read and write more important today than in the past? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes from the time when he depicted mammoth herds on the walls of a cave to nowadays when he works on a computer with a large amount of information. From my everyday experience and observation I can state several factors, which defend the statement that the ability to read and write is very important today.

At old times people did not depend on information that much. They did not have to fill out many application forms, write a lot, read news from a newspaper about an economic situation, etc. Now situation has changed. Knowledge and the ability to analyze information are more important now than man's physical strength.

First of all, it is essential for a person to be literate in Informational Age. Everyday one needs to withdraw money from cash machines, to pay a bill, to write out a check, to fill some forms, to read instructions, ads, job requirements and applications. It is almost impossible to survive in modern society without these basic abilities. Almost every job requires these important skills. Imagine that one does not have them and one has a family to care about. So, one's first step is to find a job. One can do it either through newspapers or asking for help from one's friends. One can not read, so one chooses the second way. Second step is to pass a job interview and fill out some forms. Moreover, one has to sign a job contract - an important document that concludes all one's rights and terms. So, basically, it is almost impossible to get a job for a literate person in modern world especially in developed countries.

Second of all, the amount of jobs that do not require the ability to read and write, is dramatically  decreasing. Almost every employer wants to have an employee with basic communication and computer skills. In fact, more jobs on the labor market are for literate persons. A lot of primitive jobs are done by machines nowadays. So, it is a very good chance for illiterate people to be constantly on unemployment lists.

In conclusion, I think that every country must have strong programs against illiteracy.