Final answer:
The quote compares air to knowledge, highlighting education as a fundamental right that should be accessible to all, emphasizing the importance of freely available education for everyone's intellectual and social well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
The quote "Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it." emphasizes the necessity of education for all. The author is drawing a parallel between the essential nature of air for physical survival and knowledge for intellectual and social survival.
The comparison underscores the view that education is a fundamental human right, indispensable and should be freely available to everyone, much like the air we breathe. The text suggests that the ability to learn and access information is as critical to the development and functioning of an individual as air is to maintaining life. This is further bolstered by the analogy that denies people of knowledge is akin to depriving them of air, which is considered essential for living.