Education: Banking or Problem Posing?
Richard Rodriguez and Paolo Freire write of education as the core factor in one’s life. They feel that education itself lends people to either “achieve” greatness or fall into the majority of “bankers.” “The Achievement of Desire” by Rodriguez and “The Banking Concept of Education” by Freire greatly resemble each other; however, they also differ on some points. Despite their differences, both texts come to the same conclusion – education makes a person who he/she can become.
Rodriguez and Freire both state that education is vital for success. Rodriguez writes that he is the way he is because of his education. Rodriguez came from a working class Mexican family. When he was introduced to education, he became ashamed of this and chose to change his path from falling into the same social status. Rodriguez is known as he is today because of his ability to step back; out of the present situation or environment and reflect on it almost immediately. Rodriguez agrees that banking does nothing to better education or society itself. If no new ideas are ever surfaced, then progress will never occur. He was the same as everyone else until he started to analyze texts and paraphrase more than just summarize. This made him the “scholarship boy” that he was. By learning to use his education wisely and make connections between different texts, he heightened his intelligence.
A key element that Rodriguez and Freire both speak of is banking education. Fre...
While staring back into the faces of small children much like his younger self, Rodriguez starts to run through points of his life where the need to know more pushed him further from his family and their norms and culture. Mainly focusing on the bright future an education offers him, he continues to knowingly distance himself from his family. Douglass went through similar situations on his path for education. Focusing on his chance for freedom, with no family ties to distance
I find the differences between Anzaldua and Rodriguez to be interesting. Though they came from similar backgrounds, and went in similar directions they are exceedingly different. They both go into how and why they choose the path they did in their essays, and I believe that both of their ideas have merit. While Anzaldua is correct that in her writing she should be permitted to write as she wants, it is harder to get ones point across if they readers do not speak the language and have to translate every few sentences. And while Rodriguez is right and education changes us I don’t think that forcing everyone to go about their education the same way he did is the best, while it may have worked for him it will not necessarily work for others in his situation.
As the article suggested there is an increase in the requirement of a higher education to maintain a well-paid job although, there is an “avalanche of over-qualification” (177) in the workforce. The author indirectly indicates his audience, as being academics of all ages in the university system. The author evokes emotional stimulation from his audience as he stated, “[t]here’s still a reason to get an education! It’s just not anything to do with education” (177). Further indicating a debate regarding the stance of the education system being a business rather than pleasure organization. Through playful language, the author is able to maintain the audience's interest and persuade them into solely seeing the education system as a system with bearing resemblance to the democratic system. Relying on all three rhetorical appeals, the author truly utilizes his language to convey a distinct tone and voice from his argument. Appealing to his audience, the author uses this article to inform them of a false consciousness many academics seem to have, as it is the tendency to believe and define oneself in support of the very system which oppresses them. The bases of the authors argument are to grasp the view of the majority of the scholars and push them to think the same way he does as a
Juveniles are being taught that in order to have a nice car, branded cloths and the house of their dreams, by getting into an expensive mortgage, they have to be an employee of a huge corporation. In addition, they have to undergo to a prestigious school, study hard, have excellent grades in order to become popular and respectable in the world. However, many people would not become those super leaders, but these majority of people have a great role in the capitalism society of the US. As Gatto says, “We buy televisions, and then we buy the things we see on the television. We buy computers, and then we buy the things we see on the computer. We buy $150 sneakers whether we need them or not, and when they fall apart too soon we buy another pair” (38). Such results are in part of a wrong education that teenagers have received trough many decades. In addition, Gatto highlights that modern educational system has been working in a six basic functions methods that makes the system strong and unbreakable: The adjustable function, indulge students to respect authorities. The integrating function, which builds the personality of the students as similar to each other as possible. The diagnostic and directive function, which allows a school to set permanent scholar grades in order to determinate his or her future role in society. The differentiating function, which gives to the student a good education and after his or her role is diagnosed, they prevent any educational progress. The selective function, function that the system has used to prevent academic growth for the non-selected students. The propaedeutic function, which works in the selection of specific groups of intellectual adults to keep perpetuating the system all over again making it a continuous sequence. (Gatto 34). Gatto’s facts revealed the survival of the educational system for decades,
Even from an early age, Rodriguez is a successful student. Everyone is extremely proud of Rodriguez for earning awards and graduating to each subsequent level of his education. But all his success was not necessarily positive. In fact, we see that his education experience is a fairly negative one. One negative that Rodriguez endures is his solitude. Education compels him to distance himself from his family and heritage. According to Richard Hoggart, a British education theorist, this is a very natural process for a scholarship boy. Hoggart explains that the ?home and classroom are at cultural extremes,? (46). There is especially an opposition in Rodriguez?s home because his parents are poorly educated Mexicans. His home is filled with Spanish vernacular and English filled with many grammatical errors. Also, the home is filled with emotions and impetuosity, whereas the classroom lacks emotion and the teachers accentuate rational thinking and reflectiveness.
Richard Rodriguez offers an alternate yet equally profound truth: While our heritage and culture may remain forever tied to and expressed in our native or "home" language, only through the dominant language of our country (English in most cases) can we achieve a place in society that gives us a feeling that we belong amongst everyone else. The only way we can truly become a part of our community and fit in is to dominate the current spoken language. In the United States, the dominant language is Standard English. In this excerpt from "Aria," a chapter in his autobiography entitled "Hunger of Memory": The Education of Richard Rodriguez, Rodriguez discusses public and private languages, and agrees that his achievements in English separated him from his Spanish family and culture but also brought him "the belief, the calming assurance that [he] belonged in public." We as human beings want to feel we belong. We search for that place in society where we are most comfortable all our lives. One should consider the benefits of mastering the dominant language of the society they live in, but should also take into account the harm of taking your native language for granted. I will attempt to explore both of these considerations and examine Rodriguez place in life now, by stating the facts of who is now by the childhood decisions that were made.
Education is a topic that can be explored in many ways. Education is looked at in depth by both Richard Rodriguez in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire”, and by Paulo Freire in his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” After reading both essays, one can make some assumptions about different methods of education and exactly by which method Rodriguez was taught. The types of relationships Rodriguez had with his teachers, family and in life were affected by specific styles of education.
Education is the foundation of our world, as it builds the careers that run our daily lives, and helps students learn skills to be successful. Baldisare Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier, Jeffrey Selingo’s Book College (Un)bound, and Southern Virginia University offer three different approaches to education. Of the three approaches, the best approach would be Jeffrey Selingo’s. This approach focuses on helping students find a way to be successful in the workforce, balance their passion and basic skills, and addresses errors education may be unaware of.
Through Freire’s “ The Banking Concept of Education,'; we see the effects this concept has on it’s students and also we see the effects that the alternate concept, problem-posing has. The ‘banking’ concept allows the students to become vessels of knowledge, not being able to learn at a creative pace. By using communism, seeing through how education is taught in the classroom, it is parallel to Freire’s ‘banking’ concept. We can see that both ideas are similar and both were harmful to the human mind. While ‘banking’ poses the threat of creative growth and power, Marxism, which applies Marx’s ideas to learning in a communistic way, it creates the threat of never being able to learn.
Two particular authors wrote their essays on education, and although they focus on two unlike subjects entirely, the authors describe specific goals that they wish to have achieved based on their observations and experiences; therefore, there is at least some form of similarity.
Education has become stagnant. Intelligent individuals are still being molded, but the methods of education are creating individuals who lack free will. Through deep analytical understandings of education, both Walker Percy’s essay, “The Loss of the Creature,” and Paulo Freire’s essay, “The Banking Concept of Education,” have been able to unravel the issues and consequences of modern-day education. Despite creating clever people, Percy and Freire believe that the current form of education is inefficient because it strips away all sovereignty from the students and replaces it with placid respect for authorities, creating ever more complacent human beings in the long run.
Education is defined as, “The act or process of educating or being educated, the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process, a program of instruction of a specified kind or level, the field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning, as well as an instructive or enlightening experience” (No author). People begin their education from day one till the day they die. Every day we learn new things in different ways. Whether someone is just telling us some random fact or you are sitting in a classroom being lectured by a professor. The main focus of this classical argument involves the learning that is done in the classroom or lecture hall in the schools of America today. The question arose as to which style of teaching is most effective in sparking the minds of the receivers to make them become transformers of their education? Would the “banking concept” of teaching be more effective, where “the scope of the action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits” (pg. 260). Or would the “problem posing” style of teaching be the most effective, where by “responding to the essence of consciousness—intentionally—rejects communiqués and embodies communications. It epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness” (pg. 265). In this essay I intend persuade you the audience to take in my experiences and the experience of two other authors, whom I will be showing you later, and take a look from my point of view.
Rodrigue’z change from Spanish to English is one of the leading factors to his strong beliefs in assimilation. He feels that assimilation is necessary for immigrants to be part of society and to be successful in the USA. Undoubtedly, this had a negative and a positive effect on him and his family. To begin with, growing up Hispanic in America was a big struggle for Richard Rodriguez. He began his schooling in Sacramento, California knowing less than fifty English words. Rodriguez not only faced the obstacle of mastering the English language, but also that of fitting socially into a classroom of wealthy white children. As a result of being the son of working-class parents, both Mexican immigrants, Rodriguez felt a socially disadvantage...
Richard Rodriguez states himself he was an “imitative and unoriginal pupil” (Rodriguez 516). He takes what he reads and goes along with it; there is no analysis or individual thought. Unlike his brother or his sister, he feels the need to prove himself. Richard Rodriguez displays a strong yearning to be different. To be special and have esteem like the teachers and professors he venerates.
One of the most clearly seen and common aim of schooling is to develop individuals ‘who have skills an...