The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an autobiography written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. William Kamkwamba is a young man born in Malawi with exemplary skills in building technology and helping his family and community. His responsibility increased as he accomplished projects that positively affected his community. After his inability to continue attending school because of the famine, William seeked out alternative ways of learning. From asking those who do attend school, or visiting a library for reading material, it is impressive how he has not given up with his education. “In agriculture,” I asked Gilbert,”What do they mean by weathering” (Kamkwamba 162). Here, William is asking Gilbert, who does attend school, what they learned …show more content…
This particular quote portrays that William is going out of his way to visit the library and check out any books that relate to school and/ or science and technology. Besides being responsible, William is also independent. He made these choices on his own, he didn’t rely on anyone to tell him what to do, which leads into the next topic. William’s increased knowledge in science and technology gave him the ability to construct projects useful for family and other neighbors. “As I planned my windmill, I pored through chapters in Explaining Physics about electricity…” (187). William is obviously intrigued and ambitious on building the windmill, and learning about electricity. He was incredibly determined and responsible in his actions, which helped him achieve his goal of building the power generator. As previously mentioned, William didn’t ask for help when planning and building the windmill. He didn’t rely on anyone but himself when deciding to achieve such a task. “Electric wind!... I told you I wasn’t mad” …show more content…
Speaking here is Dr. Hartford Mchazime, the head office of MTTA in Zomba, who was called by one of the officials from the Malawi Wimbe Primary to come and inspect William’s electricity-oriented projects. Dr. Mchazime, just by inspecting William’s work, was impressed by the young Malawian. He was so impressed that a week later, the MTTA official invited a journalist from Radio One, also known as Everson Maseya, to interview William. To think, that this one, average boy from Malawi was able to attract such important people is simply astonishing, and really shows his hard work paid
Along with family and religion, education is one of the most important aspects in society. Fredrick Douglass realized the importance of a good education by learning to read and later becoming a writer, author and advocate of African Americans, women, and many others. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, we learn the significance and importance of Douglass learning to read, the affect the institution of slavery had on both whites and blacks, and why learning to read threatened the institution of slavery in general.
Douglass’ eagerness to learn had did not stop him from furthers his education. Douglass brought his book for read with him when he was sent out
John's education was short, but that was usual for boys. John attended school at a place called Louth, which was nearby his town. At the age of about fifteen, John's father allowed him to leave school to become a merchant's apprentice. Many boys in those days left school, simply so they can work.
Richard Wright was born September 4, 1908 on a plantation just outside Natchez, Mississippi. A grandson of slaves, he was raised solely by his mother after his father left the family when Wright was only five years old. His mother was religious and a schoolteacher, whereas his father was an illiterate sharecropper. The father abandoned the family to become a traveling worker. The family began to drift apart (Taylor). With never enough food in the house and his mother becoming ill in 1915, Wright was sent to a Methodist orphanage where he was beaten severely for various infractions. He later ran away from there and was sent to live with his grandmother. She was a Seventh-Day Adventist who later gave up trying to force Wright to go to church. Starting late because of the lack of nice clothes for him to wear, he was schooled in Jackson, Mississippi, but he never graduated from high school. He was a very strong reader and had a gift with words. His childhood in the rural South, after being abused mentally and physically by racis...
“Chapter 3” of No Promises in the Wind begins with the author, Irene Hunt, placing Josh and Joey in complete bewilderment. Unfortunately, they have just lost their comrad, friend, and brother, Howie. Attempting to leave the train, Howie lost his life trying to give his banjo to Josh. Dying right in front of his best, and only friend, was an event that Josh would remember for the rest of his life. Grieving, Josh and Joey do not know what they are going to do without their buddy, for without his optomistic attitude or talented musical skills they lost faith in themselves.
...ting, and “ciphering”. He never went to school for longer than one year total in his childhood. He read all the books he could get his hand on by borrowing. He never learned enough to qualify as an education with the exception of reading and writing. He acquired his education through self taught methods “under the pressure of necessity.” He was not an avid reader because of the limitations of books but he read as much as he could.
...uable bread of knowledge” (page 46). I believe that Frederick Douglass viewed education, as his way out of slavery. It was important for him to learn how to read and write because he has to let others people in the north know slavery is really like. Most people up in the north have not seen what slavery is like, and Douglass would be a perfect person to tell this story to everyone cause he is someone who has been a slave and now is a free man.
From an early age, Frederick Douglass refused to accept the life of confinement into which he was born. The way he learned to write is a fine example of his exceptional resourcefulness and persistence to rise above. In The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Douglass's depiction of his self-education can be found on page 94...
He’s determination is shown in the story when he becomes unable to go to school anymore because his family is cannot pay the school dues. Instead of being doing nothing, William started going to the library everyday and reading books because he was determined to learn. “ But because my family still couldn’t afford my school fees, I was forced to stay home doing nothing (Kamkwamba,160).” At the library William found the same textbooks that his friends were using at school. “ I left that afternoon with books on geography, social studies, and basic spelling--the same textbooks my friends were studying in school. It was the end of the term, and my hope was to get caught up before classes started again (Kamkwamba,161).” These quotes show that William was determined to keep up his education, so he would be ready for school when it started again. His determination his showed very strongly throughout the book, especially about his schooling. William had the determination to learn so he went to great strengths to keep up his education that he
To school just to learn to read and write. After that he was home-schooled. During this period William was sent to drawing class, a school named Henry Par’s drawing School, which is where he found his love for poetr...
Though, he realized how separated he was from the ones in his life outside of education he had also seen what education could for him and for others. He had watched his parents struggle for years due to more than their lack of education within the context of literature.
middle of paper ... ... The "An African Voice. " Interview with Chinua Achebe. N.p., 2 Aug. 2000.
Have you ever met anyone who can build a functioning windmill from scratch with little education? William Kamkwamba, the author and autobiographer of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, tells us his incredible life story, complete with famine, hardships, and triumph in the city of Malawi, Africa. Throughout the book, we see William grow and change as he and his family battle poverty and other losses. With William’s help, we begin to notice elements of his culture contrasted to our own, and cultural diffusion between Malawi and the USA.
Thomas Sankara was a revolutionary and progressive thinker who was the president of Burkina Faso wanted to create a fairer state where before him there was a lack of organization and high corruption (Week 5, Video). Sankara, saw food aid assistance as counterproductive since the country already had more than enough food to feed everyone without aid (Week 5, Video). Causing a push to use locally produced goods and local labour to build infrastructure to give the country more autonomy by becoming self-sufficient (Week 5, Video). He created an awareness in the country of not needing to rely on aid and promoting women’s right to allow them to earn an honest and decent living can be connected to Samar Mezghanni thoughts on development (Week 5, Video).
William went to a junior school before going to the Grammar School when he was 7. There he learned how to speak and write Latin. No one knows what he did after he left school at the age of 14.