Utopia Or Bust Essay 'Sponsors Of Literacy'

Kenya Hill
Professor Christo Whelan
English 110: Intro to Academic Prose
8 October 2012
Utopia or Bust
Some people may think that we are living in the perfect world, but in reality we are not. If someone grows up in a great neighborhood, has good support from their family, and can afford all of the latest technology, they will obviously think that things are going great. A lot of times we forget to think about the people who were not lucky enough to live in a great neighborhood and have all of the latest things. There are still many people who are not treated equally. When looking into great detail, there is still a lot of progress to be made before America is on the road to Utopia. Technology has come a long way for the better and
the worst. There are many positives, but the negatives outweigh them. One good thing about technology is that it improves the lives of those who have less opportunities and access to education. Someone who doesn’t have a degree could still apply for a job for a receptionist and all he/she needs is a little training from the company. They could give that one person all of the information he or she needs in order to get the job done. Technology has also make our country more efficient than it ever was. Technology sounds like it is a good thing, but there are many downfalls to it. For example, many people have become very lazy. Rather than getting out of the house and doing something productive, they sit on the couch all day and watch television, play video games, or sit in front of the computer for hours. These actions can lead to obesity and other health problems. Depending on a person’s social class, it could be hard to afford the proper health care because “Class is a potent force in health and longevity in the United States” (Scott 1). Unfortunately, not everyone is considered upper class, so it is a lot harder for some people to pay for certain things than it is for others. Another downfall about technology is that it is decreasing job opportunities. Many people are losing their jobs because companies are beginning to replace workers with machines. Machines are able to do the same work as a human, only a lot faster. It is also a lot cheaper for a company to buy some machines and lay people off. Advanced technology has its advantages, but there are many disadvantages that come along with it. Many different companies are coming up with a lot of new technology, but there needs to be a lot more focus on education and bad neighborhoods. Not everyone is fortunate enough to grow up in a good neighborhood. Some people come from an area with a high crime rate, while others come from a nice, quiet neighborhood. There are also many areas that need reconstruction. A lot of attention is focused on things that are not as important, such as building a lot of new highways. “This is the reason why…schools look like overgrown gas stations, … libraries…are indistinguishable from bottling plants and cold-storage warehouses” (Kunstler 121). Towns and cities are so focused on building more highways that they forget to pay attention to the appearance of important things , such as schools. Your education also depends on your neighborhood. Growing up in a poorer neighborhood means that children do not receive a great education. They just go to school because they have to. “Poor people and those from low-caste racial groups have less consistent, less politically secured access to literacy sponsors…” (Brandt 170).
If someone didn’t grow up in a good, supportive family, he or she is most likely to have a bad performance in school.
Education also depends on a person’s “sponsor”. Two people could grow up and live in the same neighborhood, but someone could be better off than the other. Deborah Brandt talks about a situation like this in her article Sponsors of Literacy. She talked about two people named Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez. Even though they were both born in the same year and lived in the same town, they received different levels of education. This is due to the fact that they had completely different sponsors. “…Raymond Branch, as the son of an academic, was sponsored by some of the most powerful agents of the university, Dora Lopez was being sponsored by what her parents could pull from the peripheral service systems of the university” (172). Since Raymond’s parents had a higher education, he was able to enjoy different luxuries and afford a higher education. Dora’s parents worked at the same university, but they worked in the bookstore. They also didn’t know much English so that made matters worse.
Children still don’t receive an equal education. If a person doesn’t receive a good education beginning at a young age, it will really affect them in the future. It will be a lot harder to get a job, or when they do get one it may be hard to keep it due to the advancement of technology. People who don’t have a high education usually end up working in factories, as a receptionist, or at local stores. Since many different advancements of technology are coming out, people are beginning to be replaced with machines and
computers.
All in all, we are not on the road to Utopia. Not everyone is receiving good education all because of the neighborhood he or she grew up in. Bad neighborhoods usually mean the education system isn’t that great either. When looking in great detail, there is still a lot of progress to be made until America is on the road to Utopia. It is possible for it to happen, but it is going to take a lot of work and time.