Bell Hooks

Is Education Equal? The United States provides our society with the undeniable right to learn. The right to higher education is not limited to the middle and upper classes; it allows the less privileged, minorities, as well as both sexes, to receive an equal education. Two arguments which present interesting views on higher education are bell hook’s “Keeping Close to Home” and Adrienne Rich’s “What Does a Woman Need to Know?” Hooks views higher education with a concern for the underprivileged, whereas Rich views it with a concern for women. Of the two works, I personally do not agree with Rich’s argument. Bell hooks views higher education to be a time in which we find ourselves and learn more about who we are. This concept remains difficult on the underprivileged because they do not want to be known for their background. They see themselves as less privileged, and therefore want to keep this hidden from their new society. These students face many obstacles in their lives; college presents a whole new and much larger challenge. The transition is also hard on them. They want to fit in and hide their past, but at the same time, they do not want to lose sight of their upbringings. Hooks felt that she was an outsider in college, because she herself came from an underprivileged background, while most of her peers came from privileged backgrounds. Hooks states, “I did not intend to forget my class background or alter my class allegiance”(88), but she felt that in order to succeed, she must change who she was. Society, peers, and educators make assumptions that label the underprivileged and minorities as “‘lower class’ people” who have “no beliefs or values”(88). Professors expect these students to perform badly because of their past and their reputation in today’s society. The students are not given the fair chance other students receive. Knowing the way