Analysis of When I Was a Boy in China Research Paper

Analysis of When I Was a Boy in China - Research Paper Example Education equips people with understanding of the various phenomena affecting people. It is the foundation of all discoveries. Education enables people to think and reason from their vicinity, removing ignorance from the people. It thus enables people to think about the future more, especially specialists in various areas. Just like Sinha points out, education is essential for long term planning and prediction. It may take long for education to transform the economy, although its effects are long term. Lee and his friends were sent to America for fifteen years to receive education, and would latter return, fully equipped with knowledge and skills to transform the Chinese country and the general economy. Through this, evidence of the contributions of education to the transformation the world economy is seen. Long term plans are possible with education. The differences between the Chinese people and the Americans during Lee’s time were significant, especially in terms of civilization. By then, a very few Chinese people could read or write, with the educated ones having designated jobs. His uncle for example, lived a good life and had a good job working in an American firm due to his education. He was part of the few citizens who contributed to the economic development of the country. In Lee’s view, the civilized people dressed weird, spoke in funny languages, and behaved in a funny manner. This showed the level of un-civilization among the Chinese, a reason why they could not communicate directly with the Europeans. However, with the acquisition of formal education, they were in a position to communicate efficiently with the Americans, giving them an opportunity to easily and efficiently interact with them. The interaction would then enable them discuss economically and politically oriented ideas. This is a key contribution of the formal education to the country and the world general Lee (1877). Regardless the willingness of the