“Ivy Retardation”: Elite Schools Causing Narrow-Mindedness “Ivy retardation” (1) as said by one of William Deresiewicz’s friends in Deresiewicz’s essay, “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education”, means that people of a higher education believe that they are smarter than the average person due to the fact that they have become experts in their specific field of studies. Deresiewicz’s personal example for this was that he was having trouble talking to a plumber who was in his house and that even though he has an Ivy League education; Deresiewicz couldn’t talk to the plumber with less education than himself. With this example being stated as an attempt to show that he has the same personal issue that he is critiquing, the questions are: what …show more content…
This is basically stating that all students choose to ignore what other people’s values are due to their higher education. If he would have said something along the lines of “broadly true of all the universities and elite schools that I have been around, precisely because the students that I have met possess this one form of intelligence to such a high degree, are more apt to ignore the value of others,” then he wouldn’t have caused such a generalization of all students in higher education. The way that he phrases his sentences could easily offend many readers, this leads to what could almost be considered a contradiction due to the fact that he is offending some of the people he is trying to persuade to be offended by other means. He expresses his opinion in an extremely blunt way, in which he is making the attempt to show the discrimination between higher educated students, alumni, and professors contrasted to students or individuals who did not take the same path of higher education. With this attempt, he was trying to persuade the reader to be insulted by the way that Ivy League or higher education schools teach that they should have a sense of superiority. With using this offensive phrasing in his argument he could cause many students or alumni who are in or have gone through college (majority of audience), to heavily disagree and even be offended by his main point of the
(Owen and Sawhill 208) After all, if our country’s leader is preaching about college being a good thing, it should reflect the views of a majority of people in this country. They then continue to try to make connections with the audience by emphasizing that this is a “we” problem and by recognizing that the decision to go off to college is not an easy one for everybody. These first words in the essay demonstrate a call to the ethos of President Obama and clear cut pathos to bring the authors down to the same level as their audience; However, the rest of the essay is absolutely dominated by
In the essay ”Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, he discusses different types of intellect, more specifically the ways they can apply to us in our lives. He discusses the different types of “smarts” referred to in his paper as street smarts, and school smarts. Graff hints upon the missed opportunities by colleges to embrace the form of intellect called “street smarts” because of a preconceived idea that there is no way to use this form of knowledge in an academic setting. To quote Graff directly “Colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts”. We then learn some of Graffs personal experiences pertaining to this very thing. He shares a story about himself which reviews his underlying love for sports and complete diskliking for books or any form of intellectualism, until he became college aged. He shares that he now believes, his love of sports over over school work was not because he hated intellectualism but perhaps it was intellectualism in another form. He shares his
As mentioned before, he based all of his facts off of his own opinions. Dale uses only 2 pieces of statistical evidence to backup his claim. If this assumption were to become something that everyone believed, people would not get the education they would need to have a successful career life. A lot of people would become jobless because all the low level jobs would not need anymore employees. The higher up jobs would be lacking in business because no one would meet the requirements to work for the companies. Reviewing the article, Dale forgets to point out that a lot of people that go to college become successful. Yes, college isn’t right for everyone, but most of the time, the only way for people to have a successful lifestyle is to go to college.
He seems to force what he says, rather than having a natural tone, causing the reader of the article to be left with a feeling of discontent. Although he only focuses on the negatives that those of the past have done, his argument is direct. No matter what generation you are from, it seems one always suspects the other of either ignorance or reckless abandon. It is easy for someone of the younger generation to point fingers at those who raised them, while taking no responsibility to take control of their lives. He does leave the reader with more awareness of a problem students face upon leaving school. This article is a persuasive piece due to the usage of Brooks principle message and literary
In “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff pens an impressive argument wrought from personal experience, wisdom and heart. In his essay, Graff argues that street smarts have intellectual potential. A simple gem of wisdom, yet one that remains hidden beneath a sea of academic tradition. However, Graff navigates the reader through this ponderous sea with near perfection.
In the article “College is Not a Commodity. Stop treating it like one,” Hunter Rawlings explains how people today believe that college is a commodity, but he argues that it’s the student’s efforts; which gives value to their education. Rawlings states that in recent years college has been looked at in economic terms, lowering its worth to something people must have instead of earn. As a professor Rawlings has learned that the quality of education has nothing to do with the school or the curriculum, but rather the student’s efforts and work ethic. Rawlings explains the idea that the student is in charge of the success of his or her own education, and the professor or school isn’t the main reason why a student performs poorly in a class. Rawlings
If the article was written to people who had already completed college and were well into their careers, it would be a pointless essay. Same goes for if the essay was written for people who had no plans on ever attending college. This essay was specifically written for those who are either about to enter college or have opportunities to transfer still. The author wants the audience to make the best decisions on what kind of institution is best for receiving and retaining knowledge. He also wants future prospects to see that so much more happens in college than just learning and the overall experience as a whole is what shapes one into an intellectual person. This is seen through his comment when he communicates that while some “working adults pursuing clearly defined vocational programs” (Neem 93) may learn wonderfully in an online environment, overall “we must deepen our commitment to those institutions that cultivate a love for learning in their students” (Neem 94). He wants an audience that sees the importance of furthering their education in the right environment like he does. This audience along with an intellectual appeal complement each other well in this argument and lead to an overall good
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
“Hidden Intellectualism” written by Gerald Graff, is a compelling essay that presents the contradicting sides of “book smarts” and “street smarts” and how these terms tied in to Graff’s life growing up. Graff felt like the school was at fault that the children with more “street smarts” were marked with the reputation of being inadequate in the classroom. Instead of promoting the knowledge of dating, cars, or social cues, the educational system deemed them unnecessary. Gerald Graff thought that “street smarts” could help people with academics. In his essay, Graff confessed that despite his success as an “intellect” now, he was the exact opposite until college. Where he grew up in Chicago, Illinois, intelligence was looked down upon around peers
...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.
The purpose of Michael Moore’s article is to focus upon the different insights of a society and to point out all of its flaws. As a college dropout himself, he blames the education system and tells the readers about its loopholes. He blames the ills of America on it being represented by ignorant high ranking officers and blames the people for electing ignorant presidents who keep bragging about everything and end up looking stupid. On the other hand, Gatto who was a teacher for almost three decades claims the students as well as the teachers were equally bored at the s...
...ege might not be for everyone, for one reason or another- college does benefit its students. It gives young adults a place to transition into adulthood, to have a support system of friends and professors, and balance responsibility. The value of this, to a certain extent, is more than that of the actual education. Though colleges aren’t perfect, they do benefit students, and in turn satisfy the ever changing economic needs. A degree does not equal success, and college is not perfect for everyone- but all college students’ benefit from their education one way or another, creating worldly, accomplished young adults.
Why street smart students are considered anti intellectual in academic area? In the article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, he accounts the idea that street smart students are way more smarted than book smarts. He explains that street smart student will be able to solve an issue much faster than book smart because of his/her previous experience. According to author, the problems with considering street smarts as anti intellectual are they are actually much smarter that book smart students, they don’t equal opportunity , and schools along with colleges never challenge their mind get them to succeed in academic work.
...order to get better jobs and earn more money, to get to the good life, yet influenced by what colleges want them to learn and what employers want them to know: these all may or may not be the same thing. What employers want out of college graduates is also based on money: who can do the job the fastest and best, who can save or make money for the business. What is clear is that the university or college which is purely a "meeting of the minds," a place for people to gather and learn for the sake of learning, seems to be becoming a thing of the past. It is being replaced by an increasingly commercialized system of higher education: one that costs more and more each year--with the cost rising much faster than the rate of household incomes, and one that is being altered by the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and the needs of the business world.
The journalist and critic, William A. Henry III, criticizes the egalitarian American view regarding education, which he believes degrades the value and accomplishment of receiving a college degree in an American society. Henry tries to argue this by explaining that there are too many students enrolled in college and that the standards and requirements of courses will as a result decline. The essay argues that obtaining a college education has become too commonplace and that the prestige and honor of higher learning has diminished. Essentially, he thinks the American society has allowed too...