Reading 1: Paulo Freire, Closed Society and Democratic Inexperience

1. Why will a country face a split?

Oppression of citizens by poverty and rich. When there is no room for change and a democracy for all voices. If man can’t participate in a debate over common problems that the country is having then there is no country.

1. Why having dialogues is important for democracy and how can we create the “open area” (p. 21) for it? Make one example that can be related to the idea of an “open area” for having dialogues from your life to support or argue Freire’s viewpoint on this.

“Dialogue requires social and political responsibility; it requires at least a minimum of transitive consciousness..”(p. 21-22) But it was impossible for Brazil during this time to create a democratic nuclei due to the poverty created by the large estates.

1. How do you think arts can assist human beings to open the dialogues for democracy, for inclusion, for respect?

Art can change perspective, it can start a discussion and it can make a person feel certain emotions. It can even be dangerous, if offensive to someone else's opinions. Art is a way to start a conversation about literally anything. It can open other people's minds to a new idea or concept as well.

1. Find a quote from the reading that makes you think a lot.

“In addition (and possibly in part due to the above tendency) our colonization developed on the basis of large landholding.......which still prevail among us in the form of paternalistic approaches to problems.”

This entire quote is basically saying that a single man would be given so much power over land and people, which created a paternalistic or patriarchal system. It created slavery and its own set of laws, since the estates could function on their own. It took so long to push out of this state of mind and culture and to finally reform their lives into a democratie institute.