In this philosophical book, the author enlightens us about the relationship between the "oppressor" and the "oppressed" in terms of the student-teacher relationship. He further explains to us that liberation of the oppressed "the student" can only be attained through the understanding of several themes: Understanding the banking concept and problem-posing methods of education and believing that liberation can only be achieved through the practice of critical thinking with the use of communication and dialogue.
This book poses an interesting comparison between the oppressor and the oppressed as it outlines a symbolic parasitic relationship between the two. The oppressor tries to dehumanize and control the oppressed while the oppressed can either become an oppressor themselves or realize this control and strive for liberation for both the oppressor and the oppressed through arduous methods of self discovery.
The first form of control that is presented is the banking concept of education in which the oppressor tries "changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppressed them". They achieve this by relying on a hierarchical method that glorifies the knowledge of the teacher and the incompetence of the students. As the oppressor, a teacher tries to "regulate the way the world enters into the students" therefore maintaining a sense of passivity and marginality in the students character. It relies on the student's ability to memorize the contents of the teacher rather than the students" ability to practice any act of cognition. On the other hand, the problem-posing method of education relies on an underlying trust between partners that is absent in the former concept. This trust can only be attained though formal dialogue between the teacher and the student and as a result, those lines of distinction between the oppressor and the oppressed vanish. "Founding itself upon love, humility, and faith, dialogue becomes a horizontal relationship of which mutual trust between the dialoguers is the logical consequence".
