All posts by t.ahmed

Free post, Rousseau

What is knowledge?

Knowledge is defined as facts, information, and skill attained by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. Knowledge can be gained through almost anything. It can be gained through books and even experiences. My favorite type of knowledge is experience merely because when I gain knowledge through experience I gain an appreciation on the things that I am learning. “..Nature, men or from other things…the object of our study is man and his environment” (Rousseau, 2). Through Emile, the significance of experiencing is learning everything on your own and finding your own answers to your questions. In the schooling system, we are given classwork/however, answers and are taught by remembering formulas and lessons being taught. But this is memorizing not learning. Learning comes from within one’s self. It’s all about being an individual and learning on one’s own.

“Nature would have them children before they are men. If we try to invert this order we shall produce a forced fruit immature and flavourless, fruit which will be rotten before it is ripe; we shall have young doctors and old children” (Rousseau, 7). Rousseau is accentuating on the fact that in order to have intelligent children we must follow the order of education. Following the order of education, will allow the child to grow and learn and “ripe.”

Rousseau highlights how to teach children. Visually showing a child (learning based) has a significant impact rather than teaching from books.  When you visually show a child, they learn and actually have a better understanding of what is being taught. “…Never substitute the symbol for the thing signified, unless it is impossible to show the thing itself” (Rousseau 16.) Rousseau showcases this when Emilie and him were exploring a forest and were trying to find their way back home. Emile was tired and gave up. Nevertheless, Rousseau helped them find their way back. This experience helped Emile actually learn instead of forgetting what one learns if it was a lecture taught at home or school. “Teach by doing whenever you can, and only fall back upon words when doing is out of the question” (Rousseau 20). Experience plays a vital role on learning. Rousseau’s ideology is connected to Locke’s idea about experience.

Happiness of a children’s childhood is very important to Rousseau’s ideology. Every child may not live to become a man and therefore they should enjoy their childhood. Rousseau questions that why should we invest so much time in education if you don’t know if you will live another day. It takes bravery to choose the less taken, hard road and not regret the decisions we choose.

Free post

Does one’s experience help another endeavor?

Experience plays a vital role in one’s learning ability. But when one shares their prior experience, it helps correlate with another’s endeavors. When one shares their prior experiences, they have a strong one-on-one with others. When people have the same interest and needs, the experiences shared has more value. Utilizing experiences is an active way to keep people engaged. Sharing prior experiences helps align with an ideal way that most learners choose to learn. This allows for one to not force knowledge. Books may be helping in one understand the world, but when someone shares their experiences they gain a whole new perspective. Rousseau once stated, “Let the sensed be the only guide for the first workings of reason. No book but the world, no teaching but that if fact. The child who reads ceases to think, he only reads. He is acquiring words not knowledge” (Pg. 14). This emphasizes that books helps one to gain knowledge however sometimes it is not enough. For example, let’s say you decide to take a certain class. You read the class description, etc. You’ve probably learned a lot about what the class offers. Nevertheless when you ask one about the class (how was it, etc.) you get a better understanding of that class. This goes hand-to-hand with most situations. People’s experiences helps one understand the world a little better. Not everyone goes through everything in life therefore sharing helps a lot.

Introduction Exercise #2

Introduction Exercise #2

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Knowledge is power. Knowledge can elevate one. Knowledge can alter one’s opinion. Knowledge can cultivate one’s inner potential. Knowledge hinders one to continue growing as a person. Knowledge creates experiences that broadens one’s horizon. Knowledge can be found through other sources rather than the typical school system. For centuries, many believed that the only foundation for education was schooling nevertheless, as more people shunned away from the system, they realized that knowledge can be found through anything, even experiences. Schooling isn’t always necessary merely because students gain knowledge by doing and experiencing rather than just listening in a classroom setting. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, his experiences pushed him to educate himself about humans which lead to the monster learning how to read and write on his own without schooling.  Malcolm X exemplifies that knowledge can expand the way of thinking. He did not go to school however, with determination and hard work he became a very powerful leader. This notion creates a feel that education can be self taught and knowledge can be found through anything.

 

 

 

 

Thesis Exercise #2

Thesis Exercise #2

Experience plays a vital role in how one learns. When one learns through experience rather than through standardized educational system, one gains more knowledge by doing rather than just reading. Based on Rousseau’s philosophy, one must reject the idea of schooling and have an alternative natural way of learning. Gaining knowledge can be obtained through many aspects. In The Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar, James Marcus Bach accentuates that schooling isn’t mandatory for one to be gain more knowledge, be educated, and that knowledge can come from other resources. Self-education allows one to learn on their own pace and use that knowledge for practical use. Even teaching one basic information about reality helps gain experience and knowledge. In the movie To Sir with Love,  the professor shunned away from school lessons and rather taught the students through his experience and knowledge that would help them better feel of reality.

 

 

 

Close Reading Post, Weekly Post Check-In #4

Week 11: Useless education

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Education comes in every form. Anything can be considered as education. Education is the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process therefore if you teach one how to tie a shoe or how to be respectful that is still considered as education. In the film To Sir, with Love, E.R Braithwaite is a new teacher at Greenslade School. At first he had a hard time teaching them merely because they were being difficult and didn’t cooperate with him. He would say one thing and they would do another. The students had a hard time learning the traditional way because of the fact that they lacked respect to the teacher and school system. The teacher was an African American man in which had no respect from the students. He gained the respect by trying a new approach of teaching. This new approach was to give the students respect. If you respect the students, they will respect you. The teacher asked the students to act a certain way and have good manners. This made a huge difference in their minds for many different reasons because the students gained new insights.

Since Braithwaite gave the students respect, the students finally felt like someone actually cares about them and they have potential to survive reality. By giving the students respect, the students gained self-worth and confidence to go out and make a change. Braithwaite’s technique of teaching was he would ask the students what they wanted to learn instead of the typical form of education in which there is a curriculum. When the students were allowed to choose the topic during class, the students participated and were genuinely interested in what Braithwaite was saying. The things that they were talking about were based on how to survive real life, topics such as marriage, sex, love and how to deal with it all. There was no restriction on the questions that the students can ask. Basically everyday was a clean slate in which they can ask anything they want. He wanted the students to question reality, explore their mind and express their opinion. The students weren’t used to this type of learning method, however it made them realize their worth and the potential they have as students. This class helped them to gain basic knowledge of reality. Braithwaite motivated his students and treated them like adults. Instead of teaching them boring subjects that they don’t care about, he taught them things they were curious about and would come handy in real life. Every student is different and Braithwaite found a way to teach them effectively.

In Malcolm X, he adjusts to the prison environment and utilizes whatever he has to gain more knowledge. He gets a dictionary and starts reading it to gain more knowledge. Working with what you have is the best thing to do. Malcolm X had a freedom of mind because of self-education. With hard-work and determination, he learned how to read and write, and reading changed his life forever. “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” As learning these new words, he opened up to new concepts and broaden his horizon. Through his self-education, he gained the freedom to explore his mind and have his own opinion.

Brainstorming Exercise #2

Brainstorming Exercise #2

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Close Reading Post

Week 9: Education; a key to success

Jose’s life was about overcoming poverty through the power of education. His grandma sent him to school so that he wouldn’t have to deal with poverty or be like his parents. His grandma believed that education was key to success. Through education, it would give Jose a better life and opportunity. Education is an escape from poverty. Education became a crucial part of Jose’s life. He valued education which later shaped him to the person he is. Opportunity plays a vital role in the process of education. At first, Jose didn’t realize how lucky he was to be in school which led him to not do too well. However, later on he took full advantage of it and realized how important school is. People don’t appreciate school, but for many underprivileged people, it is a way to get out of poverty.

Jose went to school and avoided working at the sugar cane fields. He even got a scholarship because of his essay. “Wasn’t the very act of reading a pleasure more substantial than that of playing or eating, for instance, even when one was starved?” (115). This emphasizes how important school is and how it leads to a positive path. Jose’s achievement is due to education and his aspiration to learn.

Introduction Exercise #1

Introduction Exercise

Frederick Douglass has spent his entire life of misery in search for one thing, happiness, or enlightenment. Douglass knew that reaching enlightenment was not an easy task for colored people like him in the mid 1800s, but that did not discourage him. Douglass’s realizations for how to reach enlightenment were in correlation to Immanuel Kant’s philosophies on enlightenment. Kant once advised those seeking enlightenment to, “have courage to make use of yourown understanding! is thus the motto of enlightenment”(Kant 1). What he is saying is that in order to reach enlightenment, one much think for themselves and find their own way to enlightenment, without being influenced by traditional societal perceptions. Douglass followed this motto and took the initiative to learn how to read and write in order to become educated. After becoming educated, a train that was not very common amongst colored people in the mid 1800s, Douglass soon realized what his own self-worth was. He then realized that his life, as well as the lives of all the other colored people, was not to be subjective to other people. Thus began his journey in spreading the message and helping lead other people into enlightenment, by educating people and teaching them how to think for themselve

Close Reading Post, Weekly Post-Check-In #3

Perfection doesn’t correlate with happiness

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Benjamin Franklin played an important role in the American Enlightenment. In the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, he lists 13 elements that associates directly with perfection. Even though he doesn’t embody the 13 qualities, he states that he is “content…with a faulty character. A benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance” (Franklin, 9). Mankind have the depiction that being flawless is easy but in reality it is impossible. It is easier to talk the talk then to actually walk the walk. Striving to better oneself is a daring act but being perfect doesn’t guide and link to ones’ happiness. One can find happiness within ones’ flaws. This is emphasized when Franklin states “…a perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated” (Franklin, 9).

Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography greatly correlates with Tom Sawyer from Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventure of Tom Sawyer, that one can be happy and satisfied with their flaws. Perfection doesn’t connect with ones’ happiness. Even though Sawyer doesn’t meet the 13 qualities that Franklin describes, he still sustains a happy and enjoyable life. Perfection doesn’t symbolize happiness.

In The Adventure of Tom Sawyer, Tom refuses to bathe for Sunday school which contradicts the “Cleanliness” qualities of Franklin’s in which he says “…tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitations.” He tries to fool his cousin by acting like he took a bath. But he got caught. “…the clean territory stopped short at his chin….below and beyond this line there was a dark expanse of unirrigated soil that spread downwards…” (Twain, 4). Sawyer characteristics of his uncleanliness nature showcases how he is as a whole.

Sawyer lacks moral consideration because he is selfish. This is portrayed when Tom, Huck, and Joe Harper go to an island and to become imaginary pirates. While the boys were “frolicking around and enjoying their freedom” (Franklin, 236), the boys finally realized that the community were concerned about them. Sawyer is selfish primarily because while he plans to go to the island he doesn’t even wonder about how worried the community would be about his disappearance. “…the village seemed empty and dead. Many visited Aunt Polly and Mrs. Thatcher and tried to comfort them. They cried with them, too, and that was still better than words” (Sawyer, 235).

 

Close Reading Post, Free post

Knowledge=Freedom

Frederick Douglass is a slave in which he lacked education and knowledge. Nevertheless, even though he was a slave that did not stop him from learning how to read. Slavery prohibits people from improving themselves through education. Ms. Auld taught him the basics such as the alphabet. His learning process was stopped because of Mr. Auld. “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell….Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. If you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave” (Douglass, 6). Douglass realized that knowledge=freedom. “From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglass, 6). “For this enlightenment, however, nothing is required but freedom, and indeed the least harmful of anything that could even be called freedom: namely, freedom to make public use of one’s reason in all matters” (Douglass, 5) Douglass did whatever he could in order to learn more. He even became friends with the local little white boys on the street so they could teach him. He took any opportunity possible to learn how to read and write.

With all this new knowledge, it was helping him get closer to freedom. Knowledge doesn’t lead to freedom straight away but it helps strengthen one’s thoughts. The more knowledge that Douglass gained the more he realized how injustice and corrupted slavery was and that he should be viewed as a man rather than a slave. Slaves were not even considered as humans. “The thought of being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (Douglass, 7). The more knowledge he obtained, the more he realized how inhumane being a slave was. He says that learning how to read “had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out.”  This made him realize that the best way to get away from being a slave was to escape and become free. He eventually escaped and used the knowledge and experiences he gained to help others escape. This can be related back to the monster in Frankenstein. After the monster learns basic knowledge, he feels even more miserable about his situation because he knows what people were saying and what they thought about him.

Douglass story emphasizes that you can be enlightened if you are free to think and make decisions on your own and not be afraid of the decisions you make. Education isn’t an essential part of living however it does help with understanding experiences. Slaves were deprived from having an education because slaves weren’t considered to be humans. The essay written by Immanuel Kant was about enlightenment and what he thinks about it. He portrays enlightenment as using your own understanding and not being dependent on what most people think about something. Kant believes that in order for enlightenment to be accomplished there has to be freedom to make your own decisions and to think for yourself. It is essential to have the freedom to think and question every situation and knowledge.

There are many aspects that are necessary in making a thinking individual such as education, enlightenment and freedom. I believe that not having freedom doesn’t stop one from gaining knowledge or experience. It may restrict them from a lot of thinks but it doesn’t stop knowledge. Knowledge is gained through anything even common sense.