When The First Voice You Hear Is Not Your Own

The following phrase always seems to be thrown around rather carelessly, “ignorance is bliss,” but what does it really mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it means “that a person who does not know about a problem does not worry about it.” With the growing use of technology, an abundance of information is available to anyone with internet access. So why is the expression still used? Information about any subject can be found with much ease. The phrase is employed as a means to intentionally disregard an issue due to a lack of education. Ignorance can no longer be a viable excuse to ignore problems. This essay will specifically argue for education concerning other cultures. Whether international or domestic cultures, it is necessary

Jacqueline Royster talks much about this in her essay, “When the First Voice You Hear is Not Your Own.” She remarked individuals tend to be close minded and merely listen to one another so they can respond, rather than digesting what the other is dictating: “We need to get over our tendencies to be too possessive and to resist locking ourselves into the tunnels of our own visions and direct experience” (Royster 33). To overcome this inclination of only reacting, we must objectively learn about another individual’s culture, experience, and story. Studying different regions of the world should be a necessary subject within schools: “We must be trained to respect points of view other than own” (Royster 32). However, it is vital that the content of such a subject be heterogeneous. Chimamnda Adichie examines the danger of, what she calls, a single story. A single story is best described as one particular perspective of another individual or group of people. Adichie claims children are much more “impressionable and vulnerable” to single stories. (Adichie). Children are only able to listen and absorb information before they are able to interpret and access it on their own. They are not innately born with a misunderstanding or preconception of another culture, but are rather inadvertently taught it by society. Hence, schools should incorporate a subject that includes literature of all cultures and social

Literature enables integration of another method of thinking and expansion of awareness to other’s feelings and cultural values. Yet, reading directed by the classroom has always been seen as unnecessary, a waste of time, and just plain boring by students. I too perceived it as such until a few novels changed my outlook towards reading; Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. These novels were unique from those I had read in the past. Previously I had only viewed Africa as poor and uneducated. Things Fall Apart showed me the cultural values of Africans. I learned why the use of animism was popular, how Africans apprehended the arrival of westerners during the 19th century. Similarly, Cry, the Beloved Country revealed the state of South Africa. I was able to see the development of the nation and the social struggle within the country. Being exposed to different points of view, widened my understanding of African culture. The goal of reading a more diverse range of literature and creating more interactive writing prompts is to openly discuss the culture and issues students face. Removing the shame and embarrassment of sharing personal thoughts is an essential aspect to end social injustice. I have withheld my own opinions on a certain subject on many occasions. Much like Royster, “I have been compelled to listen as [others] have comfortably claimed the authority to engage in the