Essay Archive - Cultural Literacy According to E.D. Hirsch
Cultural Literacy According to E.D. Hirsch
According to E.D. Hirsch, to be culturally literate is to possess the basic
information to thrive in the modern world. It is the "grasp on the background
information that writers and speakers assume their audience already has." In
his book, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, Hirsch sets
forth 5,000 essential words and phrases of which each person should be
knowledgeable. The list ranges from idioms to mythology, from science to fairy
tales. Why has this list prompted a notable debate on our ....
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