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Knowledge is Power

What gives someone power? Most people can agree that money and fame makes someone powerful; look at any celebrity as an example. Something else that could give someone power is being the absolute best at something. I imagine that being the fastest or strongest person in the world would instill a sense of supremacy in an individual. Even something as superficial as a beautiful face can allow a person to feel dominant over someone who isn’t as attractive. All of these things will make someone feel powerful to a certain extent; however, there is one quality in particular that makes someone more powerful than all of these things combined: knowledge. I’m sure most people have heard the phrase “knowledge is power” at some point in their lives, but only a handful realize how true it really is. This statement doesn’t just refer to the kind of knowledge we attain by going to school and becoming “book smart”. It also includes street knowledge (good common sense), people knowledge (extraordinary social skills), and experiential knowledge (gaining insight into something through experience). People will use every type of knowledge consistently throughout their lives, which is why having above average intelligence in any category is very powerful. For example, the strongest person in the world wouldn’t have succeeded if they didn’t have knowledge of the correct way to lift weights and diet. A millionaire wouldn’t have achieved their earnings without the knowledge of what specific products would sell and how to invest their money properly. Whether it’s finding the cure to cancer, being able to make someone laugh when they are sad, or knowing to park in a well lit area at night, knowledge will always give someone the opportunity to achieve the best possible outcomes. With greater knowledge comes greater opportunity, which will ultimately provide people with the kind of power that benefits them throughout their entire lives.

Many people believe that knowledge and education are their fundamental rights as humans, and will go to great lengths to achieve them. An example of this is Frederick Douglass, a slave who strived to achieve freedom through education. He was taught the alphabet by one of his owners, which ended up inspiring him to keep learning. He states that “in teaching me the alphabet, she had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell” (Douglass, 49). This simply means that even though he only learned something very basic, it was enough to spark his interest and give him the urge to keep learning. At a young age, he began to realize he would be “a slave for life”, which burdened him and instilled in him the drive to become a free man. After that, every time Douglass ran errands in town, he would give the poor white children bread in exchange for them teaching him how to read. He viewed knowledge as not only freedom, but power, too. After Douglass fully developed his reading skills, he understood just how awful slavery was and the gravity of the situation he was in. After learning exactly what freedom was, he began to resent the fact that he didn’t have it and vowed to do everything possible to achieve it. He started having thoughts of escaping up North, but before that, he wanted to learn how to write.

Frederick Douglass is just one example of how knowledge and education can empower a person. Even though he was in a terrible situation, he understood that acquiring literacy skills was still a priority. In order to learn how to read and write, he used street knowledge to get people to help him without them even knowing. Another benefit was the more he learned, the more options he had. If he had not learned what certain words meant, such as abolitionist, he would never have been able to use them to his advantage. No one expected him to be able to read and write, so when he could, he had the upper hand. Acquiring literacy skills certainly gave him the best opportunity for survival and benefitted him in every way possible.

Although Douglass was striving for book knowledge, there are other types of knowledge that are just as valuable. Tony Mirabelli and his in depth understanding of how to be persuasive and present great social skills is a prime example of people knowledge. He explains how restaurant employees are underestimated in their social abilities and how they have various strategies to make the customer feel as comfortable as possible. Mirabelli completed a study of a privately owned diner by interviewing its employees and directly observing what happens there on a daily basis. By collecting this information, he was able to gain insight into what types of literacy skills and knowledge are required to be a successful restaurant employee.

The first thing Mirabelli took into account was how well the employees had to know the menu. The menu was very detailed, with many different options, and they had extensive knowledge of the entire thing. It definitely shows expertise to be able to memorize a menu of that size and be able to adjust the explanations to each new customer. In Mirabelli’s words, “To be literate here requires something other than a ninth-grade level of literacy. More than just a factual, or literal interpretation of the words on the page, it requires knowledge of specific practices that take place in a particular restaurant” (Mirabelli, 197). Another aspect Mirabelli focused on was the concept of “magic words” used by waiters and waitresses. This is the term used for certain descriptive words they use when explaining a meal to a customer, in order to make it sound more elaborate than it actually is. It also allows the customer to give it some extra thought and possibly order it, which was the employees’ goal to begin with. An example of this strategy is stated by a waiter named Chris Fehlinger, “A lot of times when people asked about the menu, I would make it sound so elaborate that they would just leave it up to me…so in that case if the kitchen wants to sell fish, you’re gonna have fish” (Mirabelli, 199).

The last strategy Mirabelli took into account was how well the workers performed their friendliness routine. The employees he interviewed claimed that even when they were busy, they still remained friendly in hopes of receiving a generous tip. Being friendly to people in a stressful environment is a difficult task, especially when that person might not be friendly in return. However, this is just another major example of how knowledge (in this case people knowledge) can give someone the upper hand and result in his or her benefit. This type of knowledge can apply to other situations in everyday life, too. Many people find it hard to act friendly when they are annoyed or in a difficult situation, however, if they manage to keep a smile on their face, it comes across as classy and professional. This strategy may help someone receive a promotion or end up winning the thing they are competing for.

So far I have explained how street knowledge, literacy knowledge, and social knowledge can benefit someone and give them opportunities for success. Most people don’t realize how powerful and influential knowledge is until they come across someone who doesn’t have it. For example, Amy Tan’s mother was treated very differently because people perceived her as being uneducated, just because she didn’t have the best English skills. Tan states that her mother’s “limited English limited her perception of her…because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect” (Mother Tongue, 432). This is a perfect example of how much knowledge dictates our immediate perception of someone. As a society, we tend to be impatient with people who have English as their second language, thinking that they won’t notice if we treat them with less quality than others. Tan goes on to describe how her mother’s “broken” English embarrassed her when she was growing up. This reinforces the idea that someone who sounds like they lack knowledge may give off a negative impression. She would also have phone conversations in the place of her mother, knowing that people would be more tolerant of someone who sounded educated.

One situation that stands out in particular to me is when Tan’s mother was treated incompetently at the hospital. Her mother had gone to follow up about a brain tumor than had been discovered previously, only to be told that the doctor’s had lost the CAT scan. While describing her mother, Tan states that “they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis, since her husband and son had both died of brain tumors” (Mother Tongue, 432). This sickens me knowing that there are people who would deny her mother this service just because she comes across as having no actual knowledge of the situation. Fortunately, the hospital ended up calling her daughter and, after hearing her flawless English, assured her mother that the CAT scan would be found and they would follow up on the results immediately. Although I am relieved to hear that her mother ended up receiving the help she deserved, it still unsettles me to think that she wouldn’t have been so lucky if the hospital had not spoken to her daughter. Once again, the power of knowledge presents itself to us even when we think we won’t need it. I’m sure an educated person making a trip to the hospital would never imagine this type of scenario happening to them, but unfortunately, it happens much too often.

Many people take education for granted, viewing it as just another tedious part of life, but in reality, we would pretty much be nothing without it. It opens countless doors to us, whether it’s for a more successful future or just benefitting us for one day at a time. Regardless of what type of knowledge a person excels in, it is an undeniable fact that it will always allow them to gain the upper hand and take one stop closer to what they want to accomplish in life.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. "Learning to Read and Write." Readings for ENG 100: Writing Seminar 1. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 49-52.

Mirabelli, Tony. "Learning to Serve: The Language and Literacy of Service Food Workers." Readings for ENG 100: Writing Seminar 1. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 192-208.

Tan, Amy. "Mother tongue." Enriching ESOL Pedagogy: Readings and Activities for Engagement, Reflection, and Inquiry, by Vivian Zamel, Ruth Spack. Lawrence Erlbaum (2002): 431-435.