The Imperfect Education
Throughout the ages mankind has sought out enlightenment through education. Each individual has a different view on what the ideal education is. Much of the world's history has fallen through the cracks due to the sexual and racial biases of past historians. Obtaining a good education is possible through language knowledge, dedication, and an equally balanced diet of historical information. Malcolm X spent some time in prison and became a very learned person because of it. Adrienne Rich believes that people should claim an education rather than receive one. Edith Hamilton believes that people seeking an education should look towards the past as a basis for learning. Is it possible to obtain a perfect education? Anyone is capable of obtaining a good education, however it does not come easy, you must be willing to work for it.Malcolm X spent a good deal of time incarcerated, which gave him an opportunity to better himself through learning. Malcolm spent a good deal of time reading but he often found himself being unable to comprehend the text. After much frustration he checked out a dictionary from the prison library. He beleived that the best thing he did was get a dictionary and learn some
words. Malcolm began copying the dictionary page by page and studying what he had written until he had unlocked a New World of knowledge. With a newly broadened vocabulary Malcolm went in search of knowledge. He would read anything he could get his hands on. He was continuously reading, from the moment he woke up, to past the prison's "lights out" call at night. His dedication to books proved to be a most valuable tool. Malcolm was an avid student of Mr. Muhammad's (founder of the Black Muslims) teachings. Mr. Muhammad told Malcolm of how history had been "whitened" due to the excess of white historians. Malcolm saw that his knowledge of history was incomplete due to the lack of recorded black history. He decided to seek out a more defined history of his people. After a bit of a search he unearthed some books that provided a more detailed history of non-whites. Through extensive searching Malcolm was able to learn about all of the worlds people, not just the Whites. If there was ever a dedicated man Malcolm X was that man. Rich, Adrienne. "Claiming an Education." The Harper and Row Reader: Liberal Education Through Reading and Writing. 3rd Ed. Wayne C. Booth and Marshall W. Gregory. New York: Harper and Row, 1992. 56-59 Malcolm X. "Freedom Through Learning to Read." The Harper and Row Reader: Liberal Education Through Reading and Writing. 3rd Ed. Wayne C. Booth and Marshall W. Gregory. New York: Harper and Row, 1992. 47-54 In a speech given to the graduating class of 1977 at Douglas (Women's) College, Adrienne Rich stated some of her views on education. She strongly believed that a student must claim an education rather than simply just receiving one. In her speech she spoke of a responsibility to oneself to refuse to let other people think for them; meaning "learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work"(58). Language and personal thought were crucial. Rich suggested that there was a mor
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Approximate Word count = 1331
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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