Assignment 1b

“To speak a true word, is to transform the world” - Paulo Freire

One of the most important aspects of Freire’s life was in the very beginning: Recife, where he was born. Paulo and his family were forced to leave during his youth, at the beginning of the Great Depression, which obviously caused worldwide economic problems. These problems led Paulo to “be aware of the world around him and that all was not well,” because he was constantly reminded of world problems, as most of thje people he knew lived in poverty. In this town where he was born, he was also introduced to religion, or Christ, and began to think of contradiction in the world, proven as he stated, “it was in the woods of Recife, refuge of slaves, and the ravines where the oppressed of Brazil live, coupled with my love for Christ and hope that He is the light, that led me to Marx. My relationship with Marx never suggested that I abandon Christ.” So, as his relationship with his hometown in the wood led him to Marxism, this original beginning to his life is a very important aspect to Paulo Freire.

Law school and the brief career of a lawyer was also a very important part of Friere’s life, however brief a time it lasted. Friere was admitted to the legal bar of Brazil, and began exactly one case when he said to his wife, Elza, “You know what, I'm not going to be a lawyer,” to which Elza replied, "I was hoping for that. You're an educator." The ambition to become a lawyer is a difficult goal to achieve and for someone to go through all the work, and passing the bar exam, and to stop before completing their first case to pursue a career in education shows a level of thought and logic beyond most people’s. Because of his career change, Friere knew for the rest of his life he was supposed to become an educator and he always would know that he made a difference in thousands of lives, which is a major success.

Another important piece of Friere’s life was his “philosophy of education,” as illustrated in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This way of thinking basically proved the need to educate native populations with a new and modern was of teaching. This philosophy was directly a cause of his astounding work with the Department of Cultural Extension of Recife University. Because of his outstanding work educating the illiterate in Brazil, the government created thousands of “cultural circles” throughout the country. Although a brief imprisonment halted Freire’s work, he continued to help and work with people, all the way from the World Council of Churches down to the supervisor of and adult literacy program. This way of thinking and publication was one of Freire’s many accomplishments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire
http://dmnierweber.iweb.bsu.edu/teachingguide/Freire%20bio.html
Reading the world before reading the word