Ralph Waldo Emerson and Paolo Freires Visions of Traditional Methods o

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Paolo Freires Visions of Traditional Methods of Education&65279Paulo Freire and Ralph Waldo Emerson share a similar vision in regards to traditionalmethods of schooling. A main common view is that twain writers feel that the current educationsystem in most places does non allow for people to reach their full capacity. Freire and Emersonshare realityy other ideas regarding education such as their view of practice and theory and of set downthinking. Their works are among the most thought-evoking.In ?The American Scholar? Emerson places a strong ferocity on the role of books ineducation and their usage of conveying ideas. He states that, ?Books are the best things, wellused abused, among the worst? (p. 297). This refers to his thought that the idea slowly books isindeed a well thought out one. However, aside from the possible misuse of books, there arecertain tasks that a book can not accomplish. Many are relevant only for a period of time, afterwhi ch they become obsolete and new books are required. This is one of the reasons that Emersonfeels that books alone can not provide a concrete education. They must be supplemented withadditional studies, or, according to Emerson, book studies should be combined with experiencesand applied to life. To read for the sake of knowing reading is pointless instead, man shouldread with the intent to apply newly obtained knowledge to his life. Man should read with adissecting eye, and pick apart the prose, keeping what is relevant and discarding what is babble. This captures the current purpose of books. Paralleling Emerson?s view of books is Freire?s idea oftheory and praxis. Man can learn all there is to know about a ... ...that they in fact have nothing to present.Emerson and Freire see eye to eye on many issues regarding the education of man. Themain concept that they share is a belief that man should think freely. All other ideas stated byFreire and Emerson are strictly extensi ons of this point. The educational vision of Emerson andFreire is for man to learn in a society free of preconceptions, where all men?s ideas are valued andwhere knowledge is ascertained for the use of practice not just as an end in itself.BibliographyEmerson, Ralph W. The American Scholar. 1837. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 1609-1621.Freire, Paolo. The Banking Concept of Education. Ways of Reading. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. 4th ed. Boston Bedford Books, 1996. 212-27.