The fight for power within the human race has existed since the beginning of time. Throughout history we have continually built class systems that let some people rise to ungodly power, and others suffer within the depths of lower class societies. But what is it that allows one group of people to so completely rule another? The answer lies within education, with knowledge comes power.
The upper classes in all parts of the world have been marked with the ability to access resources that mentally stimulate them. Within Hinduism, the priestly, ruling and farming castes were the only ones able to access religious and intellectual studies, while the servant castes only duty was to serve, not to learn or grow. In 18th century France, extra letters on the ends of words were added as to easily identify those of a lower status who wouldn’t be able to accurately spell words in their dictations. Communist societies are known for the burning of books in order to stop their citizens from gaining further knowledge. But why is this method so effective?
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave, this concept of knowledge is greatly attributed to his personal release from slavery and need to be set free. In the slave age in America, teaching a slave how to read or write was strictly forbidden, and attributed to to being “...unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a nigger to read”(Douglas 78). His master goes on to explain that reading and writing will ruin the best slave. In this moment, Douglas realizes that the very core os slavery exists solely in this fact, “I know understood what had been of most perplexing difficulty --to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man”(78). The ability of the Europeans to take African’s from a country so vastly different than their own, with no knowledge of the way in which the world worked, they were able to capture not only their bodies, but their minds. From the beginning, they had the disadvantage and continued on to their new lives and positions as the lesser of two, ignorant as to the freedoms and luxuries that existed. Denied access to the understanding of the new language they would now adopt, they were unable to expand their horizons and build an understanding of what else existed out there.
Without stimulating our brains, we are unable to grasp that which is not in front of us. Through reading and writing we enable our brains to think deeper about the world around us. Douglas describes himself experiencing this immensely, “It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy... In moments of agony, I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity”(84). By being exposed to knowledge, we are snapped out of the dream-like state of ignorance and obedience, and are able to think freely for ourselves, enabling us to search for a better alternative and question the lives we are given in order to make them better.
This tactic of denying a group of people education, or limiting that which they are exposed to has proven to have drastic effects. Many nations in communist governments only way to keep their citizens under control is by censoring what information from the outside world they come in contact way. In 3rd World countries, the push to send young girls to school drastically effects the entire society. With education comes questioning, and with questioning comes change.
We often take for granted how great we have it in our country. Even the very act of typing and submitting an opinion on a public forum is a luxury unheard of and unimaginable in some parts of the world. By denying certain people to education we have created a detrimental class system characterized by the rulers and the servers. Whether it has been minority groups, gender separation, or economic standings, this pattern of destruction has repeatedly done nothing but create negative side effects on the human race.
Bibliography
Douglass, Frederick, and Houston A. Baker. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1982. Print.
I strongly agree with your argument that the basis of slavery is repressing mental growth. Douglas was refused to be educated in even the slightest manner by his owners. After Douglas realized the power of knowledge, he stated on page 78 of the Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave, “from that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.” People know how things should be by experiencing it. When told how to live or how you should be treated, people accept it as their predetermined life. In reality, slaves were just manipulated as to not question the life they lead. I really enjoyed the point you made in your writing when you said, “with education comes questioning, and with questioning comes change.” It is a powerful statement about the minds growth and the influential impact that thinking can have on a whole system of the world.
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