Writers and artists widely use literacy as a tool to position characters and readers alike to understand a theme or message. When this is done, a situation known as a literacy event is created. One of the most powerful tools to use in art, the literacy event is often used in writing to bring a character to understanding about a certain topic or life theme. However, it is possible for a writer to use literacy in a piece to establish a literacy event with the reader of the piece. This is a powerful use of literacy where it is almost never noticed happening to the reader. In their works “Digging,” “Tips from My Father,” and “Sonny’s Blues,” Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Davis, and James Baldwin (respectively) use literacy to create a literacy event not only in the works, but with the reader . Like this. In their respective pieces each author uses literacy differently, but for the same purpose. To understand how they use literacy, a reader must first understand what literacy is. Literacy is a very simple thing to understand, as it is used by everyone every day. The precise definition of literacy ranges from the ability to read, write, and use mathematical skills to the highest level of organizing as a community to function and solve problems together. Because literacy plays such an important role in daily functioning, it requires continuous learning to adapt adequately. This not only makes literacy an important part of life, but becomes absolutely necessary. To give literacy an easy context to work in it can be said that literacy is, at its core, knowledge and potential. Imagine seeing a stop sign, registering that it means to stop, and then stopping due to understanding the meaning of the stop sign; this is literacy. Not only that... middle of paper... they use literacy as a form of technology to bring understanding to the characters in their works. This understanding is like the crane where the heavy load shows the reader how literacy can communicate the ever-persistent quest to understand oneself. Because we as humans are so used to using literacy in our daily lives we don't even realize this is happening, and this shows how effective literacy is as a tool – so effective that it goes unnoticed, it's simply second nature . Works Cited Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The stories of seagull readers. Ed. Giuseppe Kelly. New York:WW Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. 29-61. Print.Collins, James. “Literacy and literacy”. Annual Review of Anthropology 24 (1995): 75-93.Print.Davis, Carol Ann. "Tips from my father." Kelly. 81.Heaney, Seamus. "Excavation." Kelly. 148-150.