Some may say that educational systems are superior, however, some can argue that the educational system needs a change. Francine Prose’s purpose in “I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read” stood out clearly, to inform parents on how the current system of education is ineffective to young learners. Her use of words, ethos, logos and pathos appeals to educators and students to inspire change in their education standards. Prose wittingly begins her essay with a shocking opening paragraph; her strong language in which attacks the various works of literature. Her full use of strong language diminishes pieces of literature’s worth and questions their true significance. She claims this in a critical tone by stating, “Like most parents who have, against all odds, preserved a lively and still evolving passion for good books, I find myself, each September, increasingly appalled by the dismal lists of texts that my sons are doomed to waste a school year reading”(Prose, 176). She uses words like dismal to describe the book choices students would have to read according to the curriculum of the educational system. By using words like dismal, she expresses her feeling of disappointment towards the curriculum. She …show more content…
She believes the syllabus provided to students do not include any challenging books, and her belief toward high school teachers becoming too lazy to examine thoroughly if the book the education system provides them with represent any true and significant value is a recurring concern of hers’- therefore ineffective to students. All in all, Prose used ethos, pathos, logos and the usage of specific words to help her argument. She successfully persuades her point of view and makes it clear that if schools want their curriculum to improve, they must change their way of teaching and push their students to view literature in a new
Over the years, there has been an ongoing debate about “street smarts” and “book smarts” throughout the world. Many people side with either or for their own personal reasons. Although “street smarts” has developed a poor reputation which pushes people to neglect the positive aspects of this particular way of learning. In the article, “Hidden Intellectualism”, Gerald Graff evaluates the structure schools use to teach literature. He explains that intellect is not only found in the academic form of thinking.
“Why Literature Matters,” a passage by Dana Gioia, explains the situation of literature. Gioia expresses unease with how the once respected way of learning is declining in schools and businesses. He incorporates research done by other companies and colleges to further express his concern, with good evidence and proof, thus bringing the problem to a greater light. He begins the passage by indicating the problem and citing evidence in order to express it at hand.
The proposal that adolescents’ interest in literature has diminish in America is clearly voiced by Dana Gioia, in the article, “Why Literature Matters”. Although, Gioia used different methods to persuade his readers, one way he tried to persuade is by indicating the disadvantages of not reading in society today. One of the many disadvantages Gioia told to persuade his readers was through the effects it had on a child’s development, with its mind. A quote from the article, stated, “... A time of crucial intellectual and emotional development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling trend”.
One of this week’s readings focused on Ch. 5, “Caged Birds,” in Professor Lytle Hernandez’s book City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771-1965, and this chapter was particularly interesting because it further explained the development of immigration control in the United States. As a continuation from the last chapter, there was a huge emphasis in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Geary Act of 1892. This essentially prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, as well as eventually requiring these people to comply with regulations. “Caged Birds” encapsulates the events afterwards, as the book heads well into the early-1900’s. The disenfranchisement of immigrants develops towards further exclusivity because “[by] 1917, Congress had banned all Asian immigration to the Unites States and also categorically prohibited all prostitutes, convicts, anarchists, epileptics, ‘lunatics,’ ‘
Disliking Books Summary Carl Roger’s once said, “The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.” In Gerald Graff’s, “Disliking Books”, Graff describes his academic and intellectual upcoming through his experiences with literature in school. Graff, an English major from University of Chicago and Stanford, was not always the scholar that he is now. Growing up in an unforgiving environment like Chicago often threatened Graff with menacing situations including the risk of being beaten by fellow peers if he was perceived to be knowledgeable or involved in his school work.
Depending on the reader's interests, some might or might not find Edmundson's observations on the value of reading and critical thinking, as well as his conviction that literature can foster empathy, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of the world around us, to be insightful. His thoughts on how education shapes one's identity and values, as well as his advice to students to follow their passions and dreams, may pique the interest of
The literate arts have been an integral aspect of human civilization throughout history. In Richard Miller’s essay “The Dark Night of the Soul”, he poses the question, “What are the literate arts really good for?” He admits that gathering information is a clear value of the literate arts, but throughout the essay he portrays a doubtful view of their value in today’s society. Although, he brought up some interesting points, his doubts stands in contrast to the literate arts’ true role in society today. As a student, I too feel it is important to fully understand the important connections that are told within a piece of literature.
In “ I know why the caged bird cannot read” Prose uses her knowledge of typically taught books in school to inform readers that real literature is not being taught.
With fear mongering articles like Petri’s, the purpose has been missed. Common Core recommends fiction and nonfiction literature across multiple genres that pique the interest of even lackluster readers. In doing so, this will better prepare the upcoming generation for college or the job market. Ultimately, the technical material does not replace the English Literature selections. The texts recommended are beneficial to students and teachers alike, therefore, improvements in scores previously mentioned are expected to rise as expectations for students are also
The book is extremely honest in its telling, therefore I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings should be age-restricted for students under eighteen. Caged Bird begins in the 1930s, when Maya’s parents divorce. From there, Maya’s parents ship her and her brother Bailey to live in the South with their grandmother in a town called Stamps. Maya lives with feelings of discouragement and self-consciousness compared to other white and black children.
Upon graduating from Valparaiso University, Professor Kuhn taught middle schoolers in Hong Kong for several years. Afterward she taught high school, and then she came to teach at Concordia University. With thirty years of experience in education Professor Kuhn is without a doubt, "… the best prof ever" (Kuhn 3). In the course rhetorical approaches to literature and culture, Professor Kuhn's mission is, "To destroy how you watch movies and read books, forever" (Kuhn 1). Throughout the course, through exploration of various novels, literary analysis and class discussions we will discover the immense power behind the words and rhetoric that we use.
In Anne Fadiman’s essay, “Never Do That to a Book,” she asserts that there are two different varieties of readers, pertaining to how they treat physical copies of books, “courtly” readers and “carnal” readers. According to Fadiman, courtly lovers of books treasure their physical form and seek to maintain their pristine condition while carnal lovers devour their volumes in more than a figurative sense. Carnal readers crave a tangible, sensory experience with their books, favoring hard physical use, personal commentary, and mementos to signify their experiences and connections with their prized volumes. However, with the emergence of electronic readers, both carnal and courtly readers must reexamine their relationships with books. In the coming
From lacking appreciation for his school texts, to fearing being called names by his peers, Gerald Graff had a hard time with reading as a child. In Disliking Books, an excerpt from Mr. Graff's renowned book entitled Beyond the Culture Wars : How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education, Graff shares his transition from being a young man that could barely get through a novel into a stimulated reader looking forward to the conversation that is literature. Growing up in an ethnically mixed part of Chicago in a middle class Jewish family equaled a lot of pressure for Graff. Not only from his working class peers who may have perceived intellectual pursuit negatively, but from Graph's family, did this pressure descend. Graph's father was a well read man with a high expectation for his son to be the same.
“A Caged Bird” is a poem by Maya Angelou, that describes the struggle of a bird ascending from the restrictions with adverse surroundings. The poem renders the oppression that has affected African Americans over the years. As Angelou explains, the bird fights its imprisonment even with fear, but rises above with the stance of freedom. “Phenomenal Women” by Maya Angelou discusses beauty being in the eye of the beholder. You don’t have to have a perfect physique or focus entirely on outer beauty.
Trapped. Nowhere to go and no one to turn to. You sing. But does your song really reach anyone? If you ever felt this way you certainly would have felt like the birds in these poems.