The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Although “the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is not last song on the album, it feels like a culmination of her struggle to deal with other people in a way that allows her to be happy and live her life. This album is very much about becoming self-reliant, and through it Lauryn talks about the ways in which she acts self reliant—from her initial “Lost Ones” inability to distance herself from a toxic relationship, to “To Zion” where she makes her own decisions despite what other people tell her. This journey is also evident throughout the song itself—from, “And every time I try to be, what someone else has thought of me/ So caught up, I wasn’t able to achieve” to “And I made up my mind to define my own destiny,” Lauryn shows how she learned the hard way that letting other people dictate your life is an unhealthy mindset.