William Zinsser College Pressures Analysis

Good and bad. Two simple word that are used often to gauge how things are viewed in the mind. The labeling of the world to fit into each category obviously can’t be perfect since the world isn’t that stark in the differences. Often many cases of using labels just limit the possible views we can have on topics since we accept the labels vas something that will generally apply. They also follow the idealized view of the world. Everyone knows that nothing can ever be defined perfectly but that doesn’t stop anyone from to attaching them on since they help simplify the world. This can be seen everywhere in the modern world as descriptions ultimately lead to the need for labels to express a complex idea quickly. Race, culture, education, and society

Although labels help the world by simplifying complexities, it limits our views and prevents a broader understanding of our world. In the United States the guidelines of what each student should know is provided by the government. The education system aims to raise the next generation with skills that will help them become good citizens that will prosper in society. As society changes the idea of what will elicit success changes to keep up with the times. As a result students have changed and the perception of subjects have changed to reflect the societal changes. In William Zinsser’s essay “College Pressures” he outlines the the differences he has witnessed in the students at Yale University in comparison to their predecessors. When elaborating on the reasons students decide their majors and ultimately careers, Zinsser states “The parents mean well; they are trying to steer their sons and daughters toward a secure future. But the sons and daughters want to study history or classics or philosophy- subjects with no ‘practical’ value” (Zinsser 400). Education is seen by many people as the only route to success and generally viewed as a safe bet for success. The

Richard Rodriguez elaborates more on this in his essay “‘Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans” as he states “The interesting thing about Hispanics is that you will never meet us in Latin America … For ‘Hispanic’ is a gringo contrivance, a definition of the world according to European patterns of colonization” (Rodriguez 272). He exposes the label as being inaccurate for what is supposed to describe an entire section of the world. The use of race limits our view of people as it just groups people based on location disregarding how the world has become connected over the last couple centuries. The generalization reflects culture, as people identify race based on culture even though everything is being mixed together as we are exposed to new cultures. I believe this idea applies to all races in America due to the history of immigration patterns. Although visually people of the same race may be seen as similar the amount of assimilation along with different origins provide for a difficulty of labeling. Along with the perception of race as a dividing factor, the labels attached to perception of language. In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” as she describes the language barrier her mother faces altering the perception of her mother due to “bad” English. The essay discusses the issues limited communication leads to as people view Tan’s mother as stupid. The