The Empowerment of Education in Solar Mamas by Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim

Obviously Ashima and Ashoke also faced lots of problems when they first lived in a new country; they were forced to leave their “comfort zone”. They spoke a different language, grew up with Indian tradition, and even had to raise a child. They did not have any friends, not to say the economic base to provide the best resources for the whole family. Their foremost goal was to adapt to the new environment and become a real part of their community. But being out of their comfort zone is the crucial step that they must not skip. They have to be confident to make new friends, speak the language that they have not even get used to yet, and “abandon” the tradition in their hometown. Life is like a cliff, and only those who have guts and faith can climb up to the peak of the mountain to see the twilight. They had to try to understand, communicate and even to compromise with each other, and after Gogol's birth, they soon were inundated with daily work. It also has some similarity with my Gateway scholar life at Brandeis.

Scott Russell Sanders’s Staying Put: Making a Home in a Restless World is written in response to Salman Rushdie’s essay, rejecting the notion that movement is inherently good while staying in one place is bad. Sanders believes that settling down enhances the chances of creating a dependable home for ourselves and all around us. He achieves the development of his perspective throughout his essay in order to support his own views against migration while also opposing Rushdie’s belief.

The author, Scott Russell Sanders; in his essay ¨Staying Put: Making a Home In a Restless World,¨ carefully crafted use of diction, imagery and figurative language generates his unfavorable attitude towards people ceasing to be migrants, instead of becoming inhabitants. His purpose is to respond to an essay written by Salman Rushdie and to convince the reader to stop uprooting themselves when things get tough and to settle in to where they are and ¨make it durable and long lasting¨. This purpose was created by direct quotes and explanations, yet respectful opinion.

Why is education important to society? Would one be able to read without a successful teacher teaching one how to read? Education is a key that holds the ability to open many doors - doors which open into vast rooms of knowledge, love, experience, discovery, and dreams. Education is an essential to human living and a fulfilling life, but what happens when the path one takes is not the choice that one personally wants? In “University”, written by Leona Gom, and “Warren Pryor”, written by Alden Nowlan, the poems present both negative and positive effects of education on society.

Although English colonies were different according to their regions, colonists emulated English society by having similar religious beliefs and social structure. In English colonies, Christianity was sacred and worshiped. The Church of England, with authority of the Pope until Protestant Reformation, was recognized as the “official” colonial religion in Virginia, Maryland, New York, Carolinas, and Georgia (Brinkley, 2007). Colonies in various regions used the Church of England to worship the same beliefs of Christianity and Protestantism that established a emulation to English society. Likewise, gender roles were comparable. Gender roles, including childbearing women, were traditionally practiced by many colonists and their families. Since

In her next chapter, Kerber examines the newfound need for the educating of women. Women were not allowed freedom or a political opinion, but they could not be completely pushed aside. For years women had been taught that education made them undesirable to men and educated women were scorned. Kerber argues that a new need for

Mary Wollstonecraft’s famous book, Vindication of the Rights of Women, is “one of the earliest expressions of a feminist consciousness.” Wollstonecraft claims that women are upset mainly due to the fact that they are not receiving the education they deserve, and goes on to explain how women are notorious for being weak, and mentally unstable. She blames the education system for this since all the books are written by men, and they claim that women are barley humans and are treated as another species. She questions the eligibility of men to claim they are better than women. A useful education, in her opinion, is one that teaches students how to be strong and independent. Her directed audience is anyone who is unsure of the true definition and meaning of feminism. Wollstonecraft believes that all humans are capable of the same intelligence, no matter the gender. Her overall idea is that every individual, both male and female, deserve equality.

In “Nobel Lecture” by Malala and “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass, the message that “Taking away a person’s education is a form of oppression” is communicated heavily, but with different examples, accordingly by time.

In the novel, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, written by authors Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in 2009, these two call attention to the oppression of women. These authors label the incidents that occur throughout our world involving women oppression as an epidemic of our generation. The novel demonstrates the severity of sex trafficking, sexual violence, and lack of education of women that are seen amongst us. There exists many relations of opportunities concerning educational and professional studies among the women portrayed in the novel and myself. Although, related opportunities are seen, the underlying severity of what these women endure to reach those opportunities are much more challenging than mine.

“The wretchedness of an empty brain is perhaps as hard to bear as an empty purse, and a heart without hope is as cheerless as a fireless grate” (Cobbe 80). Women are expected to be a teacher for their children and educate them

The patriarchal nature of colonial Latin America did not encourage women to have an interest in education, instead they are expected to play the roles that only focused on managing a household and family enterprises. With this, women are given limited access to education. Only women in higher and middling ranks have access to education, even then they are still subjected to the prejudice that they are not able to fully grasp knowledge. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is an example of a woman who was affected by the educational constraints women faced. She stated that she “kept quiet” about her ability to read for having done it without permission would have resulted to her getting in trouble (Red Reader 159). However, one can note that her ability to easily access educational help was from the

Women face two key forms of oppression in this world, powerlessness and exploitation. These two forms fall into Iris M. Young’s ideas of oppression in her article “Five Faces of Oppression”. The definition of cultural imperialism and exploitation used in this essay are taken from Young’s essay. Cultural imperialism is where the dominant customs and morals of a society are rendered as the norm and those who are not in the norm are considered others. Exploitation is a form of oppression where a class structure is present and this class structure includes a dominant group of people who are in power of a subordinate group. Two authors, John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir, talk about how the oppression of women is not due to nature. It is rather, in Mill’s view, due to a premodern law of force which divides men and women between the strong and the weak. Beauvoir sees this oppression of women as a result from socialization, which conformed women to become immanent. Both these authors have reasonable arguments and have a similar understanding that the inferiority of women is not from the simple nature of being women. Other factors come into play when understanding why women are oppressed, and both authors recognize the fact that society and old habits must change for the equality of women and men to become a reality.

We hear some personal stories of Sheikhs daughter, which showcases a generational gap. The interview brings into light some issues that these immigrants face in their household. It supports the research, because it gives the audience a preview of second-generation immigrants, who face problems in settling into the American culture. These issues create problems in families, because the kids would want something else than what the parents would expect. Sheikh is an Indian, but she states that, “Immigrants who come from different countries, value ethics and culture moral more, in comparison to the liberal minded Americans, who value the present more than ancient morals left behind by ancestors.” Her statement is supporting the American way of life, but fears to make a change. Her interview showcases the way she keeps a balance between her roots and her new way of

“Mansi, your grandfather was very religious, but he also knew that India is not the same now that it was when his father was a priest,” Dad thought very carefully as he spoke. “He had to admit that no matter how hard I worked, it would be difficult to raise you and your brother here if we wanted secure futures for

1. What is the mission of Namaste Solar? How does the mission reflect the company’s values? Explain.