In recent discussions of the true power of education, a controversial issue has been whether education is the most powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom. On the one hand, some argue that education is not the most powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom. From this perspective, people see how there could be faults in the educational system and unequal opportunities that can be found in the education system that could cause there to be other factors that carry the democracy and freedom that we live with today. On the other hand, however, others argue that the power of education is the most powerful means to sustaining democracy and freedom and that education is what opens the doors to sustaining freedom and democracy. In sum, the issue is whether education is the powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom or if it is not and there are other ways that democracy and freedom have been sustained throughout the years that affect it more than the educational system. My view is that education is the most powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom. Though I concede that there could be other factors in some cases where education is not the most powerful means of sustaining democracy and freedom, I still maintain that the true power of education is the most powerful means to sustaining democracy, and this can be proven through anecdotes and Mary Antin’s perspective.
Education is the most powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom can be shown through the experiences of Mary Antin as an immigrant that came to America. The end of the text states: “...and my father, in his impossible English, gave us over in her charge, with some broken word of his hopes for us that his swelling heart could no longer contain”. This piece of the text is important because it shows that the father could only have a small amount of understanding in English, not understanding English could hinder the sustaining of democracy this is because it may not just be in the father, this is a common occurrence. The little knowledge of English the father may lead to him not knowing where to look to vote or how to vote, and like mentioned before, this is not just with the father, this occurs all around us. It occurs all around us with people who lack education, these people fall through the cracks in our efforts of trying to sustain democracy. It could also occur due to people moving to the United States in search of a place where there are more options to make money. When moving here, they may not know English, and people around them may have a hard time communicating with them. There could also be discrimination or alienation against the person who may have just moved to the United States and not have the education needed to learn English, and this causes them to be vulnerable and susceptible to false information. All are examples of what could be the reason his freedom could be hindered and this is due to a lack of education, with education this could be avoided, this is why education is the most powerful means to sustain democracy and freedom.
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A specific experience/anecdote that I have been told is when my father moved from his poverty-filled town in Mexico to the United States in search of the American Dream. One of the first things that he did when he came to the United States was to take adult classes to learn English. Attending adult school and getting an education opened doors for him in America. In the case of Mary Antin’s father, the text states, “he was the master of no art, of no trade that even his precious learning was of no avail because he had only the most antiquated methods of communicating it”. Where Mary Antin’s father had no proper education, my father did have at least some knowledge, and it opened gateways of freedom for him in choosing a job, even though it was limited to the education that he attained. His freedom was limited in some aspects due to his lack of education, his lack of education was due to school not being free and his family did not have the money to send him to school. My father did not have the same opportunity as many others take for granted, and my father is not the only one in this situation where he was unable to attend school because he had to work to put food on the table at a young age. Through his struggles and being taken advantage of, he settled down with a job at a restaurant; educating himself in English is necessary when working in a restaurant because of the necessary interaction between humans. Choosing a job is the same freedom that an American has, and my father gained it through the power of education. Sustaining democracy could also be the direct effect of this education, due to my father learning English, he can better navigate where to vote and where to ask for assistance.
On the other hand, not all people can acquire the same level of education that some are fortunate to have. And in some cases, these people who don’t acquire the same level of education still understand how to sustain democracy and freedom. Although this may be in some cases, it is not in the majority. The majority of people need to be guided to figure out what is right from wrong, since we were first born, we were taught our rights from our wrongs, and the educational system does this to help people figure out their political stance. The educational system helps those who don’t understand politics and teaches them who should be given credibility. The educational system educates people on who is credible by showing them the difference between bias and a person who has done their research before stating their view. The ability to differentiate between bias and research is how the education system also helps in understanding politics and choosing who is fit to be a leader.
In conclusion, education is powerful when it comes to freedom and sustaining democracy. Through education, people can learn new things that could open doors for them and be the gateway to freedom. Education also has a big part in sustaining democracy in the way of teaching people what is right and wrong and teaching people about different sides that they could choose on their own depending on their morals and figuring out who is credible.
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