Comparing Education In The Works Of Sherman Alexie And James Baldwin

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Everyone is entitled to a proper education, despite their social, economical, religious and racial background. Sherman Alexie (Superman and Me) disputes than an individual needs a proper education so he/she can be more prepared for the society they may enter as James Baldwin (A Talk to Teachers) disputes that an individual needs a proper education in order to change or better the society in which they live; both agree that society and education play an important role in the educational system, but what is more important the individual or the society? Although Sherman Alexie and James Baldwin agreed on the importance of education their target audience and their educational ideals greatly differ.

Baldwin and Alexie's literary works show similarities on society's ideas of education to minorities."What society really, ideally, wants is a citizen which will simply obey the rules of society". "They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked questions"Baldwin and Alexie both are in a world where society expects or want them to be undereducated or not educated at all. Both writers express stereotypical …show more content…

While Alexie focuses on the importance of education, Baldwin focuses on the importance to society."If he'd been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy." " The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it." Baldwin expresses that without education society can not survive as Alexie expresses that without education you can't survive society. "A little Indian boy teaches himself and advances quickly." " He can not exist without society."Alexie feels that it's the individual's duty to educate himself as Baldwin feels its society's duty to educate the individual. As Baldwin expresses that you should be educated to help society Alexie expresses that to help yourself you need to be

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