Essay Outline

Essay Outline

Part 1/ Introduction

My essay analyses one of the most famous literacy tests given in the 1960s. This test was given to potential black voters to deem them worthy or unworthy of voting.

I asked 5 adults from five different backgrounds to take the test without knowledge of what the test was for, followed by the question, “how did you feel while taking the test”. Afterwards, I informed them of the reality of the test they are taking and asked them to then tell me how they felt about the test.

I personally knew nothing of these literacy tests and found them really fascinating and also completely unjust and unfair. I thought it would be a good experiment to see if different demographics would approach the test with different perspectives and also wanted to see how their genuine reactions were after being informed of why the test exists.

Part 2

Participants

• Test taking time.
• Feelings before being informed.
• Feelings after being informed.
• White Female, Born in the US, 59 years old.
  • 15 minutes
  • Felt strongly that language/words are important and should be precise, to convey what the speaker wants, or the action is clear to the reader and test taker.
  • Felt that it would be difficult for anyone to pass this test within the ten-minute time frame. Definitely reflected on the time that this test was given, and the possible educational disadvantages already put in place for black people.
• White Female, Born in France, 58 years old.
  • 9 minutes
  • Felt challenged to make sure she read carefully without falling into a trap. Felt tired at the end of test, but happy she got most of the questions right.
  • She discussed the differences in American education as opposed to French education, felt confused why this test would be given as a disadvantage when she was taught things of this nature and was always given warning to read carefully.
• Black Male, Born in the US, 42 years old.
  • 20 minutes
  • This participant had already known of this test and had taken it previously, he said this instance and the last he felt incompetent, less than, frustrated, upset and angry. He said that knowing what the test was used for created a distraction that caused him to sit in his emotions and not want to take it at all.
• White Male, Born in the US, 35 years old.
  • 6 minutes
  • Felt challenged and like he was being tricked.
  • His demeanor changed and he said he felt at a loss as to what to say afterwards.
• Indian Female, Born in the US, 28 years old.
  • 10 minutes
  • Felt excited because it felt like a puzzle to her,  she did feel challenged and at times confused by the wording.
  • She suspected as she had heard of these kinds of tests in college classes. She felt sadness and frustration that this was a determining factor of someone’s ability to make important decisions.

Link containing test:

Can You Pass This Voting Literacy Test Made to Disenfranchise Blacks? (allthatsinteresting.com)

Part 3:

I believe this project is more of a hegemonic nature. It represents a ruling class trying to take rights from a group of people.

Part 4:

It was serendipitous that our focus last week included this very subject. The further material definitely expanded my knowledge on this.

The Richard Wright Library Card video really added to the literacy struggles facing the black community in his time as a teenager. He himself might have taken one of these literacy tests to make him a potential voter.

Part 5:

We should absolutely care about this subject. It encompasses so much of what we’ve learned in this course and shows such a pivotal struggle of a marginalized group. To see perspectives of different people with different backgrounds really just shows how these literacy tests could truly effect anyone. I myself took it and rushed through it for fear of not making the time limit and I failed miserably.