Gee, James P. "Ideology and Theory: The Moral Basis for Discourse Analysis." In JPGee Social Linguistics and Lit: Ideology in Discourse, 2nd ed.(1-20)

Gee's article on non-standard dialects describes a child's early literacy as initiated in the home followed by their subsequent entry into the school's literacy program. The child is seen as poor and possibly neglected and impoverished, with no books in the home environment and little encouragement or support from parents. Gee considers these thoughts "charitable". But he goes on to analyze the child's use of words and explains that they are properly used within the atmosphere of the home.

Gee uses historic points to explain his views on ideology and Napoleon's efforts to thwart any effort to allow the Renaissance and Enlightenment to release his power over his people. Napoleon felt that he was the most "literate" for his time as he had the most experience in the matters of social discourse at the time. Marx, on the other hand, spoke of ideologies in his social theory by identifying the "real" socioeconomic structure of society as "what the course of history was" and the determination of whose ideas were right versus whose were an "illusion of false consciousness and bad faith rooted in exploitation." Marx's ideas make us ask "What theories are we to believe in and act on? Not, Whose experience is the best?"