Preview

PUTTING OUR BRAINS ON HOLD

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
438 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
PUTTING OUR BRAINS ON HOLD
Putting Our Brains on Hold
1. I think Herbert’s overall argument is that people in the United States are suffering significant decline in education, therefore losing its leadership qualities. Herbert highlights the fact that people are not coming close to acquiring the education and training to maintain a middle class standard of living. I think this quote “The world leadership qualities of the United States, once so prevalent, are fading faster than the polar ice caps” best illustrates his overall point because he points out how United States once used to be the best country in the world is now is a nation at risk, and is also behind other developed countries.
2. Herbert blames parents, students, the educational establishment, government leaders, and the news media for the decline in the college degree holders. This quote “A society that closes its eyes to the most important issues of the day, that often holds intellectual achievement in contempt, that is more interested in hip-hop and Lady Gaga than educating its young is all but guaranteed to spiral into a decline.” best illustrates his criticism against the entrainment industry.
3. I think there are lot of things wrong in our society, thus causing the education decline in the United States. One of the things I blame is parenting. Parents these days , simply do not put effort in their kids what so ever they give them way too much of freedom. They also don’t teach their kids discipline or inspire them . I also blame the media for the decline of education because the media glorifies celebrities who are not educated and still are well off for example some high school students do not go to college because their favorite artists or role models did not go to college. Although Bob Herbert, address a lot of issues but he did not focus on the main issue that is causing the decline of education, that main issue is money. I think money is the biggest issue because how are most students

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Marty Nemko’s article, “We Send Too Many Students to College,” he analyzes and questions whether college is truly worth the money. Marty “holds a Ph.D. specializing in the evaluation of education from the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently taught there” (martynemko.com) as well as published five successful books. In addition to his novels, he previously was a columnist at San Francisco Chronical and The Atlantic Monthly, also a contributing editor at several other well-known companies. Nemko’s purpose is to convey the idea that, even though there may be reasons one would attend college, the complications overshadow the benefits. He adopts an impassionate tone in order to convince his adult audience to take a hard look at whether it is worthwhile for their children to attend college.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In his book Why Teach?, Mark Edmundson has written an essay in which he approaches an argument about the paradoxical consumer culture surrounding education. The university professor takes a stance on the problems that he has both experienced in his own classroom and observed on campuses, and he assigns these problems—his claims—appropriate blames. Enough logic is used to make these “blames” more factual, and he often claims how things are and offers several reasons as to why. His essay, “Liberal Arts & Lite Entertainment,” originally written in 1997, begins with his own university before branching out to all those across the country, and it is followed by a deduction of student culture and professors. He gives hope to the idea of the acceptance and praising of “genius” (as opposed to the alienation students indorse so well) closer towards the end, narrowing his argument down to a more specific change…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    College and postsecondary education are a vital part of the education system that in recent years has become a preliminary requisite for obtaining a job. Because of this, there are less qualified applicants for jobs than ever before. In his essay “On ‘Real Education’”, Robert T. Perry refutes some of Charles Murray’s ideas and effectively convinces the reader that this country needs more college graduates to fill new jobs and support the growing knowledge economy. Perry achieves this by employing appeals to the reader’s emotions and logic, as well as utilizing hard data gathered as a comparison of leading nations around the world and in his home state of South Dakota.…

    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The piece begins with a quote that provides insight on the importance of college. It argues that those who believe college is unimportant don’t fully realize the benefits of attending college. Contrasted with primary reasons people don’t attend college such as cost, debt and being unprepared which are introduced in a New York Times illustration called, “College is for Suckers”. Continuing on, Murray establishes credibility when he provides insight on the achievements of Freeman Hrabowski such as his presidency at the University of Maryland, being announced the chair of the President’s Advisory Commission and Educational Excellence for African Americans, and coauthor of many books. It is stated that most of quickly expanding jobs usually require a college degree. In addition, college graduates obtain the advantage over high school graduates when seeking a job, and ultimately earn more…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people believe that college is what closes the gap between an educated individual and an uneducated individual. People also have the tendency to agree with the social norms that a college diploma is ultimately the final step towards a successful future and a lavish lifestyle. In Freeman Hrabowski’s article, “Colleges Prepare People for Life,” the author agrees with his statement that “yes, colleges prepare people for jobs, but more critically, they prepare people for life” (260). However, what people do not realize is that college is not for every individual and the value of education should not be based on…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In recent discussions of “The College Dropout Boom,” David Leonhardt made some interesting points on the works of society and it’s modern day views on education. Many of the ideas he presented were controversial to me, considering my previous perspective of social status’ having nothing to do with someone’s chances at graduating college. However, there are many ideas in which he presented that I agree with, such as the belief that obtaining a college degree doesn’t necessarily promise a well-paying job. Growing up in a household where nobody has ever earned a college degree, I can say personally that it is extremely important to have one, regardless of the immediate outcome. It’s better to be safe than sorry.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Too many people are going to college” by Charles Murray is a very informational article that contains a fresh look at today’s employers and what they look for in their employees. Murray defines the differences and similarities of a traditional university from current times and from past times. Overall, Murray is saying that everyone should not go to college. I agree with Murray’s statement that too many people are being pushed into college when they are not really needed to.…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tugend first explores the most commonly accepted reason for college, to “ensure a good job after graduation.” She cites recent applicable political actions surrounding higher education. Florida governor Rick Scott proposed a shift in state funding toward science, technology, engineering, and math majors, as these degrees result in…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Charles Murray, the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a fundamental knowledge that high schools provide students with, will be totally sufficient for the graduates. The author claims that such liberal education should be pursued in college only if a student has enough will and most importantly, intelligence. Murray argues that “as long as it’s a taboo to say that college is intellectually too demanding for most young people, we will continue to create unrealistic expectations among the next generation.” In other words, the author believes that not all high school graduates are capable of challenges in college, as most of them do not have enough academic abilities to perform extremely well. Consequently, young adults might have intangible hopes about their career after school.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Derek Thompson asserts that not going to college is more expensive than going to college. He persuades readers by focusing on the idea of unemployment being caused by the lack of education of people all around the…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A Nation At Risk Analysis

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    With the learning gap, hidden curriculum, and federal education programs it would be reasonable to believe that is the only reason why the educations system is failing. Although, there is one factor that plays the largest role of all, demographics. The type of schooling a child is receiving and where they are receiving that schooling is the main concept of their education. Depending on the orientation of students, those who are in suburban public schools are going to receive an entirely different education then children in rural public schools. Continuing, those who are in private schools are going to be taught differently than children who are in charter schools or go through public schooling. Students who are from completely two different…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It’s just extremely disappointing and aggravating to have paid all that money and have nothing to show for it other than debt.” proclaimed Michelle Polyakov, an English graduate from Drake University. Polyakov obviously feels that college is not worth the cost and that all someone has to show for the education is debt. College has been deemed, by some, that it is not worth the cost because of the financial loss, the future job security, and the need for “blue collar” jobs. Finances, job security, and the need for manual laborers are all major factors in the debate of college and its cost. The reason being is because not all people are meant to go to college, or their situation just isn’t ideal. College is a privilege, and not every job requires you to have a higher form of learning, but most do. By viewing the debt of a student after graduation, the job security of graduates, and the need for manual laborers, one can infer that college is not worth the cost.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education empowers and educates generation after generations. What is the result of educational standards not being met? In his essay, “America Skips School,” Benjamin R. Barber explains his views on America’s education crisis. In his essay, he talks about the absence of actions the government and society take regarding education. He expresses his views on the rise of illiteracy in America. The rising complacency in formal education leads(contributes) to an education crisis.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Persuasive Word Choice

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In America, college is perceived as one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. Since elementary school, students are taught so that they can one day attend to a good college. However, the question is: is college the best option? Many would say that it is, including authors David Leonhardt of The New York Times and Freeman Hrabowski, author of "Colleges Prepare People for Life". Even though David Leonhardt and Freeman Hrabowski both address the idea that college is worth it in the long run, Leonhardt provides a further convincing argument by revealing where exactly college fits into our constantly growing society, using persuasive word choice, and constantly incorporating facts and statistics.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people in the U.S. have different views on whether college education is worth it. To some people college education is the gateway to a better life and a future but, to some they are able to become successful without a college degree. A degree from college shows how intelligent that person may be. It may also show how wealthy and elite they are. As for people without attending college demonstrate how uncivilized they are. Or so they say. Some degree pays for themselves off some don’t. The debate over if college education is worth it may have begun when the colonialist arrived from Europe and founded “New College” in 1636. People who argue that college is worth it contend that college graduates have higher employment rates, bigger salaries, and more work benefits than high school graduates. They say college graduates also have better interpersonal skill, live longer, have healthier children, and have proven their ability to achieve a major milestone. People who argue that college is not worth it content that the debt from college loans is too high and delays graduates from saving for retirement, buying a house, or even getting married. They say many successful people never graduated from college. Colonial colleges were mainly founded and attended by wealthy Puritans, and followed the models of…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays