Education changes life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education changes life - Essay Example nd uninterested, but through his own liaison with books, Alexie was given an opportunity that many of these people deprived themselves of by grasping the various facets of the world around him, which he discovered in books. By learning to read, Alexie was able to view his world in a new, vibrant light, one that he would have never gotten a chance to see if he had succumbed to the shallow beliefs of others. When Frederick Douglass decided to act on his impulse to learn to read and write, he was living as a slave. The opportunity at receiving an education was not available to him, and even after his mistress promised to teach him to read, she quickly withdrew this promise at the request of her husband. Instead of being deterred, Douglass was even more eager to learn the symbols that were being hidden from him, that had piqued his curiosity. Over the years, Douglass enlisted sympathetic neighborhood boys as his teachers, and with â€Å"their kindly aid . . . I finally succeeded in lear ning to read† (Douglass 101). These newly acquired skills were amazing enough to this boy who had been denied a proper education, but he was able to use them to understand that, despite the color of his skin, he was still human. Among the books that he read, Douglass favored stories and histories about the past and present fate of his people. He detested what he read, and â€Å"often found myself regretting my own existence . . . but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself† (103). Douglass did not like what he was learning, but what he discovered was life-changing: he was entitled to freedom. Malcolm X coaxed himself to learn to read and write while he was in prison, desperate to convey in writing his appreciation to Elijah Muhammad. Furthermore, â€Å"the... This essay demonstrates how important the education is in the life of each person on the examples of Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X. Through their unique experiences with learning to control language, write effectively, and read with strong comprehension, Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X not only gained a firm understanding of the world around them but also of themselves. However, these had not been their goals when they began the journey of learning the written word. When these men taught themselves to read, they did so for the sake of their upbringing, curiosity, and for freedom. I do not think that these three men expected to discover what they did upon learning to read, which were completely new worlds beyond the ones that had become familiar to them. As their comprehension of the written word strengthened, these men were soon finding truths and answers to the pressing questions of life within the pages of books. By looking at what Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X gained from lear ning to read, it can be said that the effect of these skills is discovery, both of the world and of the self. Through their personal experiences, reveal how life-changing education can be. These men, happy as most of them were with life, longed for something more, something that allowed them to explore themselves and their world in a way that offered virtually no boundaries. This ability was discovered in the skills of reading and writing, which let these men learn from others and have the skills required to share their own knowledge and discoveries.

Politics of Recognition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Politics of Recognition - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Taylor’s essay on â€Å"politics of recognition† was first published back in 1992. According to Taylor, there is a strong relationship between â€Å"personal identity† and â€Å"recognition†. As explained by Taylor, the term â€Å"personal identity† is all about being able to know who we really are as a human being and that the â€Å"personal identity† of each person often times can be molded by how the society would perceive our own identity including how our personal identity should be. For instance, in case the society was able to create a positive opinion concerning a group of people, then one can easily argue that this group of people would definitely develop a positive feeling about their own self. On the contrary, assuming that the society would have a negative thought about a certain group of people, then those people who are affected by the society’s negative remarks would somehow make the affected people feel bad about themselves. A good example wherein the society can cause harm to a certain group of people can be noted in the case of the African Americans. In line with this, Taylor mentioned that it is the group of white Americans who created a degrading image on most African American people. For this reason, there are some African Americans who may somehow be unconsciously affected by such negative remarks. This also partly explains why there are some African Americans who view themselves as someone who is less superior as compared to the white Americans. Taylor also considered the case of the feminist's group as an example of â€Å"politics of recognition†. As a common knowledge, the feminist's group is a group of women who aim to fight for gender equality and so on. However, one cannot deny the fact that there are quite a lot of women all over the world who have decided to accept the socio-economic limitations that were imposed on them by most p atriarchal society. Instead of fighting for their rights to have gender equality, some women are more willing to let go of more promising opportunities due to the absence of adequate self-identity.