Poverty and Illiteracy Essay

The world of illiterate and poverty-ridden people is like a vast endless desert where literacy is like an oasis, a fertile land with fresh water flowing and majestic palm trees growing. Illiteracy keeps people chained to ignorance and superstition and is an obstacle in the path of civilization. With literacy comes awareness and awareness brings progress, culture and civilization. Illiteracy brings ignorance, and ignorance leads to wars and controversies. God made man in his own image but today humans stand divided in the name of religion, colours and borders. Earth is the blue planet of our solar system, but today, humans are painting it red with each other’s blood. The main cause of all this, undoubtedly is illiteracy. The written word is the most powerful of weapons and once illiteracy and poverty are given an extinct status, a revolution greater than ever witnessed in history might occur, leading to the creation of a progressive and peaceful world. Poverty and illiteracy are indeed like the curse on human race. Instead of believing in family planning, illiterates believe that more the children they have, more the bread earners they will have. These poverty-ridden people cannot afford to educate their children and as a result, the children end up working for low wages at a small age, being deprived of their precious childhood. Instead of taking medicines to cure diseases, illiterates go to quacks, who give them charms, promising miracles that never actually happen. Poverty and illiteracy lead to social evils and malpractices like child marriages and untouchablity. Increased literacy in agrarian areas can lead to improved productivity with adequate use of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Educated politicians can make informed decisions, leading to better policies. Poverty and illiteracy are indeed the greatest of the problems affecting mankind as they stand as obstacles in the development of an advanced, progressive and peacefu l world.