Knowledge is power Critical Analysis
In Today’s society there is a debate over which is best. The knowledge you acquire from life experiences or the knowledge you obtain in school. In ” Learning to Read” by Malcolm X. He discusses his experience of how he taught himself how to read and write while incarcerated, and how he learned more through his self learning then he ever did in school. In “Sophie’s World” by Jostles Gardner. Sophie gets these strange letters in the mail from a mysterious man teaching her to question her very existence ND not to conform into believing what interest someone else.
In “The Teachings of Don Juan” by Carols Castanets. Don Juan teaches Carols Castanets that to be a true man of knowledge one must defeat man’s natural enemies. Although many individuals might have different opinions on what they consider their most Important lesson that they would share, I consider the power of knowledge to be the most significant lesson one can learn because the power of knowledge can help one overcome all odds, knowledge also gives us the ability to to look at the world in a ore omniscient view, also knowledge can give us the power to defeat man’s natural enemies.
In “Learning to Read”, The fact that Malcolm AAAS incarcerated did not stop him in becoming the influential man he was in his day. Instead of wasting his life away by being unproductive with his time, he chose to expand and enlightened his mind with the likes of education and will power. While Malcolm X was In Charleston prison, he stated that he was envious of the fact that a fellow inmate had a vast amount of knowledge. Immediately, Malcolm X began an Intensive study by reading the cautionary from beginning to end and reading every single day multiple times a day.
This allowed him to take the right path In his life against the odds by making him wiser about his decisions with the newfound knowledge he obtained through self education. Taking the right path is an individual discovery that’s based on what is best for a person in their situation. The whole point of taking the right path against the odds is to learn from one’s mistakes and instead of veering off to a path of destruction; one could walk onto a path of fruitfulness by grasping the positive points n their life and dismissing the negative.
Next in the book “Sophie’s world” an anonymous person sends Sophie letters basically about broadening her mind to all the world’s possibilities and interest that other people have beside her own. It is important to be well rounded and knowledgeable about all topics and not Just the topics that Interest someone. Learning and having knowledge about subjects, hobbles and the mechanics of life enables a person to better understand how everything functions and oneself In the process.
The power of knowledge also lets someone look at the world in a more ere written to Sophie gave her more of an object view on life because they pointed many other aspects of the world rather than her own. And in “The Teachings of Don Juan”. Don Juan said that in order to be a “man of knowledge” one must challenge and defeat his natural enemies. One of the enemies he discussed is fear. Fear keeps a man from knowledge because it makes him run away from knowledge. The consequences of first having the knowledge in the first place is what makes a man fearful.
For example, during the asses when slavery was legal in the U. S. , slaves were forbidden to read or write and any inclination from the master of the slave doing so would have resulted in the slave being beat severely or some cases beat to death. Many slaves chose to submit to their master by not having knowledge of reading and writing because they were afraid of being caught and beaten. Fear prevents a person with going further in knowledge by suppressing and weakening their mind. Don Juan encourages the notion to fight against fear because the power of knowledge is greater than any fear imaginable.
Given these points I believe the power of knowledge is the most significant lesson one can learn because it teaches one to rise above being average and Just existing. Malcolm X used his power of knowledge to overcome the odds he was dealt with to become a more productive and wise person in society. The letters Sophie was receiving broadened her mind and not to questioning the existence of life and conform to everybody else’s ideas. Ultimately, Don Juan used the power of knowledge to fight against his own fears and achieve greatness in his own life through that power.
