Mary S. Friere, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 5-23

Mary Shaw
September 18, 2007
Gender and Pop Culture (WGS220-05)
Friere - "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" (Pages 5-23)

DESCRIPTION:
- Oppression is an all too common and powerful tool in our society, deeply embedded in the system and used to dehumanize and discriminate (Page 6).

ANALYSIS:
- The greatest goal of the oppressed is to free not only themselves but those who are oppressing them as well (Page 6).
- It is difficult for the oppressed to begin to fight back because they have adapted to the theories of oppression and are fearful of what may happen should they overthrow it - they want freedom while simultaneously being afraid of it (Page 8).
- When the oppressed begin their revolution to regain their freedom, they must be very careful that they do not themselves become the oppressors (Page 7).

VISION:
- Implied: The author hopes that the oppressed will realize the problem and find a way to demolish it entirely so that we no longer live in an oppressive world and become fully human.

STRATEGY:
- Implied: The oppressed must see their oppressors vulnerabilities, analyze their situation, embrace the fact that they are indeed oppressed but that the system is not permanent, and begin to transform their own lives to change society as a whole.