Strange Tools Analysis

The value of Reading and writing “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” ( John Dewey). John Dewey meant that educating yourself is not to prepare yourself for life, but it’s to set your future life in a better way. Although they have different stories and backgrounds, Mark Mathabane, Richard Rodriguez, and Malcolm X all believe that education and literacy can change everyone’s lives. In order to succeed in life, you need education. Literacy can open new worlds for you, and opportunities you never knew existed. All three authors have had different experiences that lead them to a certain position. Mark Mathabane as a child doesn’t like school but he changes after time from his surroundings and experience, and finding

In the beginning, Rodriguez states “ I privately wondered: What was the connection between reading and learning? Did one learn something only by reading it? Was an idea only an idea if it could written down? In June, CONSIDER BOOKS YOUR BEST FRIENDS. Friends? Reading was, at best, only a chore. I needed to look up whole paragraphs of words in a dictionary” (2). In this quote, he questions how does reading and learning go together in order for a person to be smart, it also shows a little of confusion. He also states “Sees strewn around, and reads regularly himself, magazines which are never mentioned at school, which seem not to belong to the world to which the school introduces him; at school he hears about and reads books never mentioned at home”(2). This shows how his reading habits are different than his surroundings for example, school and his home. Rodriguez claims “I tried to explain; said something about the way written words made me feel all alone--almost” (3). In this quote he explains how words made him feel alone. He also states “Didn’t I realize that reading would open up whole new worlds? A book could open doors for me. It could introduce me to people and show me places I never imagined existed” (3).In this phrase, he thinks about things he didn’t realize and starts to think more about what reading can do for him. He claims “Books were going to make me “educated.” That confidence enabled me, several months later, to overcome my fear of the silence” (3). In this quote, he advises himself about what the outcomes of literacy would be, which is educated. He also claims “ (Not until I was in college, as a result, did I read Huckleberry Finn or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.) Instead, I read The Scarlet Letter and Franklin’s Autobiography” (3). This quote shows the different types of books he has read. Rodriguez says “ Despite my best