Question one: The human cost of illiterate society by kozol
Kozol opens the thesis with poison warning to put emphasis on the weight of the matter that he is talking about. Poison is known to kill or harm those who consume it, likewise illiteracy can cause harm to the society. Poison is therefore used metaphorically to refer the effect of illiteracy to the society. For instance, Kozol talks about an illiterate person who cannot even read prescription instructions on how to take medicine which may cause death. He also gives many examples on what illiteracy can cause to support this, from people making un-informed decisions to people getting lost due to failure to read and interpret direction signs. He therefore sees illiteracy as a poison which is deliberately used to destroy the society in order to meet some vested interest of a few people who are in a position of authority. Kozol does not see as necessarily to comment on poison in the text since from the introduction he has defined it in details. Furthermore, the illustrations he has used on the effects and causes of illiteracy are sufficient since poison is used metaphorically to mean the harms and the effects illiteracy can cause to the society. The essay will not be as strong as it is if the warning is not there from the beginning. The warning make the reader aware of the gravity of the matter that Kozol is talking about in the main text, it makes the reader curious as he wants to know what kind of poison is being talked about and who the victims are. Referencing in the text will make it stronger as it will give the reader an opportunity to refer or read more on some of the issues not discussed in the text. It is not possible for Kozol to highlight all the effects and consequences of illiteracy, it is therefore prudent to reference in the text to give the reader opportunity to read more. Referencing will also make the reader to appreciate the extend of knowledge the writer possesses on the issue and hence make his work an authority in the topic.
