My Reflection of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind While reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, several things about William Kamkwamba and his family stood out to me. For example, the endless hours that William and his father worked daily in the fields to provide their family with food. Also, how little belongings he and his family possessed. Located in Malawi, Africa, their home being made of mud, clay walls, dirt floors, single sheet of steel as a roof, a pump outside the home for water, and no electricity. All of this during recent times, too, dating from 1989 to 2007. Being that I am from America, and have the luxury of having the world at my fingertips, I find it hard to imagine that this was William’s normal everyday life. However, …show more content…
For instance, William anticipated the return of each coming school year, while I merely dreaded the thought of returning to school. William would rise early to meet his friends, and walk a long distance to arrive at school, yet I took public transportation, and never had to walk. In addition, William viewed school as educational monument, as if it was something or somewhere sacred to him, but I viewed school as my social playground; a place to be free from my home life. Attending school with every intention of learning and growing his education, William studied endlessly, paid close attention to his instructors, and put forth the effort he needed to be a successful student. When I look back on my time in school, I see how much time I wasted not doing any of those things I needed to be a successful student. Honestly, the only reason I attended school for was my friends. Another thing that I could not believe was William having to pay for his education. During a life altering famine, and poverty being their way of life, the Malawian government expects Malawian’s to pay monthly dues for secondary schooling, which we Americans consider to be High School. When dues are not received monthly, you are not allowed to attend class, and