Both Richard Rodriguez and Paulo Freire examine the topic of education in their respective essays, “The Achievement of Desire” and “The ‘Banking Concept of Education'”. Upon reading these essays, one can draw conclusions about various approaches to education and how Rodriguez himself was educated. The specific styles of education that Rodriguez experienced had an impact on his relationships with teachers, family, and life as a whole.
Freire would view Rodriguez as a typical student who adheres to the principles of the banking system. Being a student himself, Rodriguez embraces the concept both in his academic life and at home. However, both of these settings pose challenges that Rodriguez must overcome. In his essay “The Achievement of Desire,” Rodriguez vividly depicts one such distraction he experiences while studying at home, with his mother ironing, the sound of the radio in the background, someone singing, and his father intermittently making random comments (Rodriguez 548). In response, Rodriguez decides to escape this learning environment and seeks to adapt to a different one.
In the classroom, Rodriguez makes an effort to mimic the teachers’ accents and dictation. He wholeheartedly trusts and respects them, even more than his own parents. This is evident when Rodriguez remarks, “what mattered to me was that they were not like my teachers” (Rodriguez 658). Rodriguez’s apathy and lack of personal opinion are clearly shown in a list he compiles. He reads an article about a retired professor who has a list of the “hundred most important books of Western Civilization” (Rodriguez 558).
The professor’s list of one hundred books was published in the newspaper, along with the professor’s claim that these books had shaped their entire life (Rodriguez 558). Upon reading the editorial, Rodriguez dedicated several months to reading every single book on the list, demonstrating how deeply his education had been influenced by his teachers and books. He assumed that reading the same books would define his own life as well, failing to recognize that each individual has their own unique collection of works that reflect their personal existence. Rodriguez’s reading of the professor’s books aligns with the banking method, as the retired teacher was depositing their thoughts – in this case, their selected books – into Rodriguez. According to Freire’s concept of banking education, students merely record, memorize, and repeat information without truly understanding its significance (Freire 244). This concept resonates with Rodriguez’s own educational experiences, as the majority of them involved the transfer of information from teacher to student in a passive manner.
According to Rodriguez (560), when he was a young child, he believed that books would be the key to his education. He obediently accepted what his teachers told him and trusted the information he found in books. He never developed his own ideas or honed his critical thinking skills. Rodriguez describes himself as someone who imitated others’ thoughts instead of thinking for himself. He admits to being the last person in class to form his own opinions. This educational experience sheds light on Rodriguez’s relationships with his “mentor” Richard Hoggart, as well as his teachers and parents.
After submitting to his teachers and to his books, Rodriguez transformed into what Freire would refer to as an “automaton.” He disconnected from his parents and siblings and sought solace in books. He immersed himself in reading and studying, isolating himself from social engagement. Rodriguez not only distanced himself from his parents, but he also developed feelings of shame and embarrassment towards them. His only strong connections seemed to be with his teachers. “I idolized my grammar school teachers, mimicking their accents, adopting their language, and wholeheartedly trusting their guidance.”
The opening revelations overwhelmed me. I eagerly consumed any book recommended by my teachers, eagerly awaiting their verdict on which books I found pleasure in (Rodriguez 625). Rodriguez willingly surrendered his thoughts to the authority of his teachers, embracing their every belief. As noted by Freire, the teacher’s duty is “to inundate the students with the topics of their storytelling – topics that are separated from reality, detached from the entirety that posed a threat and could lend them meaning” (Freire 348).
Instead of forming his own perspective, Rodriguez allowed his instructors to think for him. He became a receptacle in every sense, entrusting his education to his teachers who poured information into his mind. However, unlike the traditional banking method, his teachers didn’t lecture him extensively. Rather, they used narrated literature as a substitute for long speeches. Rodriguez read important books like The Scarlet Letter and Great Expectations. However, he admits, “I was not a good reader, I was simply bookish, lacking a personal viewpoint when reading. Instead, I read with the intention of gaining a perspective” (Rodriguez 633). In essence, Rodriguez absorbed the ideas conveyed in the books he read but didn’t have his own thoughts about the author’s content. This illustrates that Rodriguez embodied the traits of a student under the banking concept. According to Freire, “Attributing absolute ignorance to others, which is a characteristic of oppressive ideologies, undermines the process of education and inquiry” (Freire 349).
Rodriguez unquestioningly accepted and assimilated knowledge without hesitation, as opposed to critically examining and analyzing it. In his role as a writer, Rodriguez employs Hoggart’s The Uses of Literacy to elucidate his own “education”. By utilizing Hoggart’s language, Rodriguez aims to enhance the understanding of readers who may not share his experiences. He also employs Hoggart’s work to clarify his relationships, or rather the absence thereof, as well as his fervent pursuit of knowledge. Hoggart’s direct explanations readily lend themselves for Rodriguez to explicate his own understanding.
According to Freire’s educational theories, Rodriguez believes that his journey through elementary school to college, graduate school, and his career as a teacher and writer has taught him “lessons” about reading, education, language, family, and culture. Rodriguez remembers a time when a nun aided him in improving his reading skills. She introduced him to the concept that books allow for a connection and communication between the reader and the writer (Rodriguez 577). Rodriguez formed a relationship with his books and used them as a means of communication.
The concepts he encountered in his books became the concepts that he articulated. Essentially, all of Rodriguez’s knowledge is merely an extension of his passive education, being told rather than being taught, throughout his lifetime. Ultimately, Rodriguez was completely controlled and suppressed by his books and educators. He lacked a sense of agency and personal perspective. Rodriguez embodies the qualities of a mindless machine, thereby validating Freire’s beliefs about the banking concept. He essentially serves as a vessel for the ideas and perspectives of remote authors and faceless teachers.
Rodriguez lacks personal opinions or beliefs. His mind is filled with borrowed information and lacks critical analysis, examination, and a distinctive point of view. After examining Rodriguez’s education, Freire would undoubtedly categorize him as a quintessential representation of a pupil within the banking system. As Freire states, the banking concept of education limits the students’ scope of action, allowing them only to receive, fill, and store deposits of knowledge (Freire 244).
Works Cited
Freire, Paulo. The Banking Concept of Education. n. d. Rodriguze, Richard. The Achievement of Desire. n. d.
