The essay. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. discusses how we can be humanized. Harmonizing to Paulo Freire. subjugation dehumanizes both the oppressed and the oppressor. This is because due to subjugation. the laden is reduced to being a thing. deprived of its rights and freedom. It comes to a point that even the laden believe that they are non deserving anything. The oppressors are besides dehumanized because in the procedure of repressing the oppressed. they treat the laden as things to be overpowered. The oppressed to them are no longer worlds. because they do non hold the same rights as the oppressors have.
Therefore. harmonizing to Freire. release must come from the oppressed: they must liberate themselves. This is because the oppressors can non give true release ; this is a type of false generousness. Since both are of different categories. they have different involvements. Therefore. if the oppressor gives autonomy. the laden is put on the lining a batch more than the oppressor if they take the offer. The oppressor is giving autonomy on its ain footings: it will merely give what it is willing to give. and non what is right. For the oppressed to be genuinely free. they must derive freedom by themselves.
They must make this through their ain attempts. Now. harmonizing to Freire. since the oppressed are so downtrodden that they can non believe in themselves. they must be taught to believe in themselves because no 1 can salvage them but themselves. This can merely be done through trusting in the abilities of the multitudes ( the oppressed ) . every bit good as believing in the cause. Unlike the oppressors. one’s attitude must non be condescending towards the oppressed ; one must handle them as peers. capable of larning. Unlike the oppressors. who learn abstract thoughts inside schoolrooms. the laden learn concrete things outdoors.
They are treated as unconditioned because they are unable to hold the same type of instruction those in power have obtained. Since this is the instance. they must non be treated as charity instances. because they are non charity instances. Freire’s essay is really interesting. to state the least. The construct of worlds mistreating each other is non precisely fresh. but the construct of authorising each other to achieve freedom. juxtaposed with what love truly is. is advanced. These constructs were connected by Freire. As portion of the privileged category. Freire puts duty upon my shoulders.
Alternatively of doing me experience guilty because of my position. he points out that I can be portion of alteration. My position is non of import ; merely my committedness is. Which is why it is my duty to be portion of the motion to alter the system wherein society is divided into the privileged and the hapless. This political orientation is comparable to Daniel Defoe’s Education of Women. He talks about educating adult females in a particular school designed to learn them certain topics. Unlike Freire though. Defoe negotiations of an instruction entirely for adult females. This means that work forces receive a really different sort of instruction.
The course of study. of class. is decided upon by work forces. Frerie’s though. negotiations of an instruction everyone receives. Besides. Frerie does non speak of inactive pupils ; he is speaking of a sort of instruction where pupils interact with the instructor. This is based upon the the construct that the instructor has every bit much to larn from the pupils. as the pupils have every bit much to larn from the instructor. In consequence. the pupils mold their instruction as they learn. Defoe mentions no such thing. It is as if the pupils will forever rely on the instructor. and that the pupils are instructors are non peers. Which is radical. really.
It has been inculcated in us that instructors are at a higher place than us. The platforms in forepart of schoolrooms stress this fact. We are taught to larn from them because they know so much more than us. We are made to experience as if we are clean slates. or even empty sponges. But this is non true. We are. before going pupils. kids of life. We explore the universe outside. and come up with replies to explicate our inquiries. Merely as the oppressed are experienced. so are we. We have a batch to lend to the category. much more. as we can unite our kaleidoscope of experiences and contrast it against the teacher’s.
Freire besides redefined learning as simply leaving information. Freire goes beyond this to discourse humanising people. After all. instruction is non about doing automatons. It is about leaving a portion of yourself. sharing a piece of your psyche. Freire exposes how instruction is used to estrange people. and so instructs how it can be redeemed. We can deliver ourselves. to turn away from the bestiality this system enforces upon us. Freire exposes how big the system we are contending. but at the same clip. foliages hope that we can transform it. And this is the challenge Friere leaves us.
