Throughout this semester there have been many readings from the First Year Reader that explains the importance of creating a more just, free, and sustainable world. Adrienne Rich, Manning Marable, and Frederick Douglass all discuss the importance of education and the continuous effort to achieve one. These readings have emphasized the struggle and commitment that came with claiming an education.
Adrienne Rich discusses the importance of women receiving their education no matter the circumstances. She believes that women should do everything in their power to gain an education. Also she thinks that women should and should be subjected to no less. Rich indicates that: you cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education; you will do much better to think of yourselves as being here to claim one. “To claim” is: to take as the rightful owner; to assert in the face of possible contradiction. “To receive is to come into possession of; to accept as authoritative or true (351).
This quote shows the difference between given and education and earning it. She is emphasizing the importance of students being dedicated and working hard for their education as opposed to it being given onto them. Rich says “Responsibility to yourself means that you don’t fall for shallow and easy solutions… marrying early as an escape from real decisions, getting pregnant as an evasion of already existing problems” (353). Rich believes that women should be dedicated to earning an
