In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Achievement of Desire”, the author depicts the struggles and difficulties that a student from the working class family may encounter when balancing his life with his academic environment. In this retrospective essay, he describes how hard was for him finding the right balance between two worlds: the visceral and the cerebral and he also portrays how he was the “exception” to the conventional scholar coming from a middle class family. By “exception” I mean that he is the top of his class and he is really determined in his academic world since he spent all his free time reading books and studying for exams. Unlike his parents, since he was in elementary school, he acknowledged the importance of becoming educated …show more content…
When he introduces this key term, he refers to the author Richard Hoggart, author of the book Working with the Past. The scholarship boy is native from a middle class family whose environment is drastically different from the one he first encounters in his school. This extremely change is described as coming from a chaotic home to a “mental calm” (Rodriguez 3) that can only be find in the classroom. Rodriguez visualizes his school’s background as the perfect resource to ensure his future. All the resources that the school offered him including his close relationship with his teacher were the reasons why he led his ambition drove him to a cultural and family isolation. Very different from his parents who always acted by instinct and intuition, he admired his professors who “emphasize the value of reflection that opens a space between thinking and immediate action” (Rodriguez 3). He wanted to possess the type of education his teachers had, and separate from the harsh path his parents were experiencing in their jobs due to their little schooling. This is the reason why Rodriguez’s mother always encouraged him to work hard at
In her article, Solnit utilizes abstract language as her main diction technique by taking the concept of high school and relating it to the intangible ideas of emotion. Solnit describes the learning system as “an experience that everyone shares, and one that can define who you are, for better or worse, for the rest of your life,” and by not attending she was liberated from the “generational segregation” that it entails
He further stated that with all sincerity in themselves and colleagues, public school is now regarded as outmoded and barbarous. This thought, according to him is both observable to students and the teachers alike, but the students inhabit in it for a short period, while the teachers are condemned to it. Pursuant to teachers being condemned, they live and work as intellectual guerrillas strong-minded to stimulate students, ignite their inquisitiveness, and to open their minds, yet reluctant to stay behind in their profession. Together with this, teachers...
Does it matter what your social and economical standings are, and do they play a role in if you will succeed in life? The importance of this essay was to talk about the different viewpoints and to argue the point of succeeding and social statuses. I
In the essay “Achievement of Desire”, author Richard Rodriguez, describes the story of our common experience such as growing up, leaving home, receiving an education, and joining the world. As a child, Rodriguez lived the life of an average teenager raised in the stereotypical student coming from a working class family. With the exception, Rodriguez was always top of his class, and he always spent time reading books or studying rather than spending time with his family or friends. This approach makes Rodriguez stand out as an exceptional student, but with time he becomes an outsider at home and in school. Rodriguez describes himself as a “scholarship boy” meaning that because of the scholarships and grants that he was receiving to attend school; there was much more of an expectation for him to acquire the best grades and the highest scores. Rodriguez suggests that the common college student struggles the way he did because when a student begins college, they forget “the life [they] enjoyed
Juveniles are being taught that in order to have a nice car, branded cloths and the house of their dreams, by getting into an expensive mortgage, they have to be an employee of a huge corporation. In addition, they have to undergo to a prestigious school, study hard, have excellent grades in order to become popular and respectable in the world. However, many people would not become those super leaders, but these majority of people have a great role in the capitalism society of the US. As Gatto says, “We buy televisions, and then we buy the things we see on the television. We buy computers, and then we buy the things we see on the computer. We buy $150 sneakers whether we need them or not, and when they fall apart too soon we buy another pair” (38). Such results are in part of a wrong education that teenagers have received trough many decades. In addition, Gatto highlights that modern educational system has been working in a six basic functions methods that makes the system strong and unbreakable: The adjustable function, indulge students to respect authorities. The integrating function, which builds the personality of the students as similar to each other as possible. The diagnostic and directive function, which allows a school to set permanent scholar grades in order to determinate his or her future role in society. The differentiating function, which gives to the student a good education and after his or her role is diagnosed, they prevent any educational progress. The selective function, function that the system has used to prevent academic growth for the non-selected students. The propaedeutic function, which works in the selection of specific groups of intellectual adults to keep perpetuating the system all over again making it a continuous sequence. (Gatto 34). Gatto’s facts revealed the survival of the educational system for decades,
As in the story: "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez, students of Julia de Burgos school were abused psychologically by a bad teacher named Blessington, which belittled and humiliated his telling students that would end in jail or as prostitutes; in the same way, the lack of pedagogy of these so-called teachers, contribute to the impoverishment of our educational system. For decades, it has been supposed that education is related to socioeconomic status determined by the level of income. It is common to hear, if you are rich, so it has can be an excellent education. This thought is deep within us and it could be very difficult to think in another way. With this we can deduce that any financial
The average human would think that going to school and getting an education are the two key items needed to make it in life. Another common belief is, the higher someone goes with their education, the more successful they ought to be. Some may even question if school really makes anyone smarter or not. In order to analyze it, there needs to be recognition of ethos, which is the writer 's appeal to their own credibility, followed by pathos that appeals to the writer’s mind and emotions, and lastly, logos that is a writer’s appeal to logical reasoning. While using the three appeals, I will be analyzing “Against School” an essay written by John Taylor Gatto that gives a glimpse of what modern day schooling is like, and if it actually help kids
Imagine a world without education where human history is totally forgotten by the young generation, and individuals are forced to live in their basic everyday life without having the power to change it. Such in balance or disorders are the growing problems that occur around the world, which were pointed out in many educational essays like “The Educated Student” By Barber, “The student and the University” by Bloom, and “Class in America – 2003” by Mantsios. These essays are among the many of their kind that address the status education in the modern world as being forgotten and lost behind all the technology and commercialization of education. This was the point of attention of scholars like Barber, Bloom, and Mantsios who came up with a common
From early ages into young adulthood, education is a major component of one’s future possibilities. A childhood filled with enlightenment, instead of negligence toward education, leads to a significantly higher chance of an easier lifestyle. In the essay “Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly
Education is a topic that can be explored in many ways. Education is looked at in depth by both Richard Rodriguez in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire”, and by Paulo Freire in his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” After reading both essays, one can make some assumptions about different methods of education and exactly by which method Rodriguez was taught. The types of relationships Rodriguez had with his teachers, family and in life were affected by specific styles of education.
The more developed teaching methods there match the town’s urban society. The education is more formal and way more expensive. “One had to be fully and properly dressed, and speak French there”(51). José is aware that he is the only child who grew up on a plantation, “I was the only one of my kind”(128). All around him in school were kids who grew up in wealthy families. The children can afford to have lunch every day and have extravagant items José could only dream of having. “[. . .]Carrying leather schoolbags, pens with golden rings, and watches!”(128). The wealthy society of this town differed greatly from the poverty of José’s Black Shack Alley. Because the families were so wealthy in this area, schooling was not a privilege as it was in Petit-Bourg, so teachers did not encourage the students to do their best. “In Petit-Bourg the school masters saw to it that you learned your lessons and did your homework. [. . .]in this lycée, you did as little as you wanted”(129). The teachers in the lycée didn’t have a connection with José like Mr. Roc did. One of his teachers even said José was a “student of little interest”(129). José was isolated in the prestigious school of Fort-de-France, but thrived in his familiar environment in
Meanwhile, Rodriguez states that the book which his teacher told him to read, he always read and waited for the teacher to tell him which books he should enjoy. I stayed after school "to help" -to get my teacher 's undivided attention (Rodriguez, Pg.342). Memory gently caressed each word of praise be-stowed in the classroom so that compliments teachers paid me years ago come quickly to mind even today (Rodriguez, Pg.342). This kind of action shows the Rodriguez complies the teacher’s choice, without personal idea. Hence, this is the approach and method of “banking” education in which students are educated in class. “Narrative in banking education will lead people who are filed way through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this misguided system (Freire, 216).” In a result, Rodriguez felt that even he always success-ful, he always lacked self-assurance because he is a thinking collector by copying others idea. Therefore, Rodriguez became the worst student Freire said, because he active and unavoidable to accept “banking” education by
Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation. In fact, it may be this same reflection that leads to an individual’s decision to prioritize practicality. Not all those who choose the practical path are doing it for themselves. Many may do it for their families, as a safe and stable means of supporting their loved ones. Others may take this opportunity to give back to their community through the ways they are most skilled. Instead of pursuing a single interest in a certain field, they choose to follow their various callings. Doing solely what an individual loves is a self-centered view of the world. While it is important to chase happiness, it is also important to reflect on what one is doing to spread happiness to the rest of the world. One must find something that they are good at, and put that into the world. They should contribute to others and help the world be better, in addition to following their passions. An individual’s acts of service may just become one of their many passions.
for the precarious advantage of attending an older and more famous university in the East. . .” (201-202). He chooses this university even despite the fact that “. . .he was bothered by his scanty funds” because of the devotion he feels to these dreams (202).
...s that you develop a way of regarding the information that you receive to the society that you are living in. He also believes that a quality education develops a students moral views and ability to think. And that these qualities are best developed in the traditional classroom setting by interaction between the student and their professors, and the student’s social life on campus, that is, their interaction with fellow students.