Writer and former Yale professor William Deresiewicz brings to light the harmful effects of elite education in his article, Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League. Moreover, the article illustrates the negative impacts that elite education has on its students, comparatively, what qualifies a good education, and lastly, how the Ivy League damages society as a whole. In this particular passage, Deresiewicz emphasizes the harm of the mechanical and monotonous way of life that is encouraged in elite education, but furthermore, with the help of literary tools, he illustrates how the issue affects the audience as well. For further context, this passage is found near the beginning of the article, or, in other words, the introduction. Meaning this passage …show more content…
While these characteristics could be simplified as further ways to state the emotional harm on students, in reality, the mention of these attributes does more than that. They provide an initial understanding of Deresiewicz’s view on what education should be. This is done by discerning the opposite of these traits. With that in mind, it can be seen that the author values college as a way for students to find themselves, to discover the ability and curiosity to pursue knowledge, and to understand their purpose outside of their career path. These values are not only present in this passage, but continue throughout the article. This implication of what makes a good college eventually leads to the article’s conclusion that a public liberal arts education would be the most beneficial for all. However, it should be recognized that while public education may have characteristics that the author favors, public colleges can still hold the career-seeking objectives that Deresiewicz is against. As previously stated, the author expresses compassion for the students throughout his writing, and in doing so he connects the audience to the issue, turning it into a larger group