Summary Of Why I Went To College By David Espada
College Enhancements College is the most important part of a young person’s life. It determines the path a person makes and follows throughout their career. This is stressed in the poem written by Martín Espada “Why I went to College” which emphasizes the importance of college for both the parents and for the child’s future and security. Of course, the emphasis is applied to the parent’s character for desiring an enhanced life. This instinct is compounded with the research that has been conducted. This material is giving the modern day parent even more desire. The father wants nothing more than to secure a bright future for his child. The author stresses the importance of college by the father using strong visualizations
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telling his son “you better learn to eat soup through a straw, ‘cause I’m gonna break your jaw.” (Line 3-7).
The father wants his child to attend college to better his future. The statistics for the unemployment rate on high school graduates without a degree is 9.4%. The unemployment rate for high school graduates with a bachelor’s degree is 4.9%. That is a 4.5% difference. Those individuals with a degree also have a greater salary, about 65% higher than those with only a high school diploma. Why is it so important to attend college in the 21st century?
The father is attempting to make his child understand the importance of attaining a college education. He believes that it the option to attend is not negotiable. Society’s mindset that even with the lowest of entry level jobs, a college degree is needed. College education is considered to be an unspoken requirement for employment, instead of an asset. Most employers of the business world are looking for students with a college degree that have the capability to learn new things which is a requirement in order to work in the corporate world. Most business or corporations would not even consider an applicant without a college education. The degree can offer a sense of comfort for the employers. An employee with a
degree can be employed with the ability to multi-task. This means that they are capable of handling a challenging work environment. Also, they would have the ability to adjust to continuous changes in the work place. College is viewed as an extension of high school. Therefore the option of attendance to an institution of higher learning is not negotiable. Employers desire applicants to have a college degree because it says that individual is willing to go the extra mile. That person is most likely to bring more to the table for that company. Individuals will be more well-rounded employees. The Father just wants to secure the future for his child. He wants the child to have a better future than what he did. This opinion has been converted to a factual statistic. Evidence of having a college education increases salary is widely available. Broadening career options opens the opportunity to climb to the top of your career path. Previous generations viewed college attendance as an economical class advantage. This is no longer the case. The availability of student loans and grants has empowered even the most underprivileged to attend. College enrollment is a variety of ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. The 21st century all but demands the need to attend college to be successful at any occupation.
The experience itself would be enough motivation for a person to go to college. Maturity occurs as part of the transformation of a juvenile to an adult. Students are directed toward adulthood and decisions within a supervised environment. Also, just the experience of college life itself is boundless. The freedom, friends, parties, classes, sports and the night life, this all could be considered to be something that can be measured as a once in a life time experience. It is the beginning of an adult life that it is also the most treasurable time of a young adult. Of course, getting a college degree is very important but the college experience itself brings change to students for better or worse. Having the memories of college will last a life time.
The overall tone of the poem is a physical threat to the child. If the author had used another person, other than a parental figure, the effect would not have been the same. The father does threaten physical violence as the result if his wishes of his child not attending college are not carried out. The underlying concern of the parent is secured education for his offspring. By using the parental figure, Espada moves this from violence to concern.
Works Cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “betterhighschools.org” Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Espada, Martín “Why I Went to College” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: 2013,2010,2007. 577. Print.
telling his son “you better learn to eat soup through a straw, ‘cause I’m gonna break your jaw.” (Line 3-7).
The father wants his child to attend college to better his future. The statistics for the unemployment rate on high school graduates without a degree is 9.4%. The unemployment rate for high school graduates with a bachelor’s degree is 4.9%. That is a 4.5% difference. Those individuals with a degree also have a greater salary, about 65% higher than those with only a high school diploma. Why is it so important to attend college in the 21st century?
The father is attempting to make his child understand the importance of attaining a college education. He believes that it the option to attend is not negotiable. Society’s mindset that even with the lowest of entry level jobs, a college degree is needed. College education is considered to be an unspoken requirement for employment, instead of an asset. Most employers of the business world are looking for students with a college degree that have the capability to learn new things which is a requirement in order to work in the corporate world. Most business or corporations would not even consider an applicant without a college education. The degree can offer a sense of comfort for the employers. An employee with a
degree can be employed with the ability to multi-task. This means that they are capable of handling a challenging work environment. Also, they would have the ability to adjust to continuous changes in the work place. College is viewed as an extension of high school. Therefore the option of attendance to an institution of higher learning is not negotiable. Employers desire applicants to have a college degree because it says that individual is willing to go the extra mile. That person is most likely to bring more to the table for that company. Individuals will be more well-rounded employees. The Father just wants to secure the future for his child. He wants the child to have a better future than what he did. This opinion has been converted to a factual statistic. Evidence of having a college education increases salary is widely available. Broadening career options opens the opportunity to climb to the top of your career path. Previous generations viewed college attendance as an economical class advantage. This is no longer the case. The availability of student loans and grants has empowered even the most underprivileged to attend. College enrollment is a variety of ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. The 21st century all but demands the need to attend college to be successful at any occupation.
The experience itself would be enough motivation for a person to go to college. Maturity occurs as part of the transformation of a juvenile to an adult. Students are directed toward adulthood and decisions within a supervised environment. Also, just the experience of college life itself is boundless. The freedom, friends, parties, classes, sports and the night life, this all could be considered to be something that can be measured as a once in a life time experience. It is the beginning of an adult life that it is also the most treasurable time of a young adult. Of course, getting a college degree is very important but the college experience itself brings change to students for better or worse. Having the memories of college will last a life time.
The overall tone of the poem is a physical threat to the child. If the author had used another person, other than a parental figure, the effect would not have been the same. The father does threaten physical violence as the result if his wishes of his child not attending college are not carried out. The underlying concern of the parent is secured education for his offspring. By using the parental figure, Espada moves this from violence to concern.
Works Cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “betterhighschools.org” Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Espada, Martín “Why I Went to College” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: 2013,2010,2007. 577. Print.