Liberal Arts Ego Problem Summary

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In her article “Liberal Arts’ Ego Problem,” Faith Crossan highlights how Whitman students display inflated egos and insecurities. According to Crossan, Whitman students feel superior to people in their hometowns because they left to obtain a liberal arts college education1. Yet, the second they arrive at Whitman, that inflated ego pops because they become just another student. People coming to Whitman may have been among their high school's most academically well-read and high-achieving students, but plenty of people have that background in college. Once one notices, they feel that they have lost what made them unique among the student body. This conflict of ego and inferiority then produces toxic behaviors. Fortunately, Crossan does believe in a solution: recognize people come from …show more content…

Odd.1” This quote was included because it acknowledges Whitman's campus culture and proves Crossan’s point. Now that Crossan has backed her claim, the reader can no longer deny the issue, and thus Crossan can now work towards explaining the origin of the problem and what can be done to fix it. As seen in the Marriage Pact quote, humor is used throughout the article to keep the tone from getting too heavy. An exemplary case would be the sentence “We have both massive egos and crippling insecurities,1” a rather intense statement, followed by the witty comment “Welcome to college1.” The article is already a callout, forcing the audience to reassess their behavior and confront their flaws, which most people find hard to do. However, having a small joke or humorous reference to lighten things up for a moment, gives a brief respite that makes the reader continue to forge ahead. The first step in making a good argument is getting people to

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