Neil Postman and Wendell Berry state that twentieth-century Americans are losing literacy and the ability to read and write, which weakens our ability to think for ourselves. Reading, writing, and thinking are connected through everyday life and as English speakers, it is our responsibility to preserve and correctly exercise the truth and validity of the English language. With the dependency on technology, relaxed educational standards, and even potential government control, we become stripped of our independence of thinking. With no free will to think, we are vulnerable to dominance and corruption, inability to argue complexly, oversimplification, and conformity. Neil Postman sets the scene of his essay, The Typographic Mind, by opening with an explanation of the famous Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate.
The thesis of Ashley Herzog’s College Classes for Conservatives to Avoid is that many university of a myriad of worthless classes for their students to take and that they should be avoided if possible. Her thesis is covered in both the first and second paragraphs. Along with the primary purpose of in informing people, particularly conservative college students, about pointless class Herzog has a secondary purpose entertainment. She uses satire to poke fun at the classes that she considers to be worthless. Herzog assumes her audience holds the same conservative view as the only time she actually makes a direct reference to her beliefs is in the title.
Gerald Graff’s argument on how educational systems are missing a great opportunity to tap into “street smarts” and focus them into a path of academic work is indeed convincing (Graff, 198). After all, anyone who’s been through the American educational system knows odds are often stacked against the “street smarts.” This is especially true in english classes, where one is often required to read boring and somewhat heartless books like, 1984, Beowulf, and the majority of Shakespeare’s classics. This is not to say these books are bad or shouldn’t be read during one’s schooling years, instead, the problem is one of apathy. For instance, in my high school years I never even remotely liked to read books Othello, but I loved to read magazines and
In the text, Dana states his argument by saying that Americans are losing interest in the arts and literature. Dana supports his arguments by using the 2002 survey of public participation in Arts with additional consensus similar to this, recites the quote of a known author and uses parallelism like “imagination, creativity and high order of thinking.” The main idea or purpose is to draw attention to this problem and to try to fix it because it will pose a serious danger for the future. The primary audience is the youth of the American people. In his introduction, Dana compares the positive aspects in American life and the main idea: the lack of interest shown by young Americans in the arts.
Introduction The determination of this self-assessment is to evaluate the growth of my knowledge, skills, and values of the Ottawa University learning outcomes for Liberal Arts Studies. This will occur through reflecting on my understanding of a liberal arts education and my learning in each breadth area. This will also entail references to the current course (LAS 45012 Global Issues in the Liberal Arts) and life experiences that have contributed to my learning and growth in each area. The conclusion will involve an elucidation regarding any steps I may take going forward to continue my learning in these areas in the future.
In her book entitled „Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities” , Martha Nussbaum deals with topics regarding education all over the world but her main focus is on the United States and India, places that she has better knowledge of. For that reason, her main thesis is that by declining the study of the humanities the world can end up with some „useful profit makers rather than thoughtful citizens.” (142) Even though people want to replace the arts education and humanities with technology or technology education, Nussbaum does not say that the arts and humanities are neglected by individuals. She mostly thinks that they are somewhat feared because for example, humanities at the same time with art can heighten one’s creativity and imagination but as well as his or hers compassion.
Having never taken a college writing course before, I did not know what to expect and therefore assumed that I would choose my own topic to write about; of course, this isn’t the case. However, if I had the choice, I would not have chosen to write a response to Gerald Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism”. After going through his essay with a fine-tooth comb, I have found a few flaws in his reasoning. Gerald Graff believes that schools and colleges are not taking advantage of “street smarts” by not using them in an intellectual setting when in fact, schools are providing students with a large assortment of other knowledge and skills. In Graff’s essay “Hidden Intellectualism”, he argues for the importance of changing school curriculums in order to better reflect the interests
Similarly to how people ignorantly pursue a masters of fine arts in Marge’s poem, only to learn the styles and mannerisms of others, high school art classes also follow a similar ideology. In grade 9, I took an art class as one of my electives for a credit. Though the majority of our assessments were to produce a work of art in a certain style, we were graded on how we followed certain rules and rubrics. More often than not, the personal opinion of our art teacher played a heavy role in how we were graded. This goes to show how people try to put a label on what art is good and bad, similar to how a M. F. A. workshop was described in the poem.
It follows that the role of the organic intellectual is to cross the line between “mass culture” and “high culture”, and to legitimate and institutionalize “mass culture” in order to justify his/her co-option by the logic of the market. That is why the chancellor of the college “was quick to see the possibilities”, that is, the profit that the college would get from the department. It is noteworthy that the Hitler Studies department shares a building with the Popular Culture department which is known as “American
Many schools are cutting this aspect of school due to financial motives, regardless of statistics proving that the arts are linked to lower dropouts and higher test scores (Taylor). Without arts studies in the next generation, most students will lose their individuality and creativity, creating a society more like
The Other Education Rhetorical Analysis David Brooks is a well-refined journalist for the New York Times News Paper Company. He writes many different controversial articles, that tends to focus around arguments of education. Within Brooks’ arguments he uses effective techniques to persuade the audience. In this specific column, he addresses society as a whole, but with special emphasis on students. David Brooks successfully persuades his audience through his presentation of his claim, his persuasive writing style, and his usage of emotional appeals.
n the essay entitled "Will the Humanities Save Us?", the author, Stanley Fish, exposes respective arguments advanced by those who support and do not support Arts and Humanities as parts of the college curricula. In other words, Fish cites several justifications (as he calls them) offered by several observers why Arts and Humanities receive less or minimal funding or assistance. On the other hand, Fish balances his criticism by quoting some authors that shed positive lights relative to what Arts and Humanities can provide not just in the academic culture but as well how it enhances life in general. However, at the end, Fish gives his own personal critical opinion of what and how Arts and Humanities can or cannot impact education in partucular
The arts were pushed into a corner, despite being able to help students grow who they are as people, but also help them in other important areas of school. The arts are important in education and should get funding appropriately. Receiving a good education in the arts can greatly help a student’s mental well being. Many students in school are shy, reserved,
Beier’s calls upon the notion that modern art needs to be transmogrified rather than for critics to comprehend the process of visual literacy. Beier’s states that visual literacy is a “more recognized fundamental skill” (39) and suggests that artist’s focus on “resistance rather conformity” (39). This idea of artistic resistance would play a major role in the evolution of visual literacy and expand upon the artist’s freedom (Beier, 2013) . Samantha suggest that Beier’s statements are achievable in a setting outside of academia. With the initial screening being the professor, collegiate artists are bound to the professor’s
Introduction Visual and performing arts tend to act as separate entities within the field of education; considerably isolated from the majority of academia, these sectors are often considered to be secondary or elective options after completing primary education. The arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education, however, when an institute begins a budgeting process, the arts are rarely considered a top priority. For example, during periods of recession many public schools within the United Stated were forced to cut visual, performing and musical arts programs, despite studies that proved the exposure to the arts to be beneficial for students both academically and in extracurricular activities. Learning in an art-infused environment
