Mark Edmundson Dwelling In Possibilities Summary

Gerald Graff’s Hidden Intellectualism and Mark Edmundson’s On the uses of Liberal Education are both well rounded articles. They go into depth about what education means in this time frame. They have strong statements about education and even go off their own life experiences on what education means. While it may seem as though these articles are similar.

It is no secret that today’s society is fast paced and success oriented. People live their lives as if money and work are the ultimate sources of happiness, despite the popular proverb that suggests precisely the opposite. In his article, Mark Edmundson delves into this catastrophe and attempts to explain both how and why it occurs. He states in the first paragraph that he sees his students as “people who are in the process of choosing a way to make money and succeed, a strategy for getting on in life.” Edmundson says that the ideals of courage, wisdom and compassion are fading away in culture today.

Students enroll in college every year confused on how to go about the whole college thing. They’re not sure what major to choose, what classes they should take, and how to get their money’s worth. Mark Edmundson’s article “Who are You and What are you doing here” is an article meant for incoming freshmen college students who still haven’t figured out who they are yet and what they want to do. Throughout his article Edmundson is questioning what college is all about. He persuades us that college is about fulfilling yourself.

A Rhetorical analysis of “Generation Velcro” In “Generation Velcro,” Dorothy Woodend discusses the lack of basic skills and knowledge that is being passed down from generation to generation, and how this could be a fundamental problem for both generation Y and the future of planet earth. Woodend, setting the tone for her article, asks the question, “[i]s this generation heading into a coming dark age with little more than the ability to update their Facebook statuses and watch YouTube, all with laces untied?” (par. 7). She contends that “[t]he inability to concentrate in a world of competing bits of information and constant multitasking have led to brains that can no longer keep up,” implying that this problem of concentration is inhibiting this newest generation’s ability to learn the skills necessary to sustain our world properly (par. 12).

“For a long time, I tried to figure out how I was going to get started as a writer. I knew that a writer was what I wanted to be—though it wasn’t clear exactly why.” (Page 25) This quote is said by Mark Edmundson, who is a well known writer and author who published “Why Write.” I picked Mark Edmundson's chapter "

Although I believe there is some biasing involved in this article, the amount of credentials sited is impressive, and I can agree with the conclusion. As a teenager, I have made a few mistakes and have taken some risks, however, if I didn’t take these risks, especially during high school, I might not have made new friends, tried new things, or learned new lessons. Although mistakes are made during teenage years, this progressive stage is incredibly important to our

Middle Adulthood During this stage in life, Erikson describes individuals in the generativity vs. stagnation stage (Capp, 2004). Individuals between the ages 40 to 65 have generally married, have a career and have their own families. Erikson refers to generativity as a concern of the next generation by guiding and establishing them.

Young people in the 21st Century need to reevaluate their ethics; David McCullough is helping them understand that by explaining that they need to be honest with themselves and their reality. His scathing criticism of them and their culture, philosophies, and ideologies, is justified and insightful; teens in the United States allows special to become a meaningless term, prefers to win instead of achieving, and cares too much about superficial accomplishments instead of internal growth. McCullough makes a point throughout his speech to say that being special is not just given to you; teenagers are not special by default. In the speech, while he is explaining why young people should look forward to more than just being special or different, in

This demonstrates the primary way to reach the iGeneration, which is through self- actualization. Her personal experiences create an informal tone that the readers can connect with on a personal level and this effectively promotes her argument. These real-life experiences allow the reader to relate to the issue personally and deepen their understanding of the argument. Through Wilson’s experiences, she gains a better understanding of the generation and can appreciate the beauty behind technology. Her change in attitude towards the generation demonstrates that a deeper understanding of the generation is necessary to appreciate the greatness of this generation.

Mark Bauerlein, author of ‘The Dumbest Generation’, argues that today’s youth has had a decline in academics due to new technology in today’s economy. In retrospect, we’re growing up in a different time than the generation before us; the world and it’s products are different as to be expected, and with them we must learn new materials than they did. Today’s generation isn’t ‘dumb’, instead we’re adjusting to the times and retaining different knowledge than the generations before us. Many older generations always thinks that the generation after theirs is ‘dumber’, and think themselves to be the superior one.

A Homemade Education by Malcolm X, is an informative essay about the author Malcolm X dedication to further his education by himself. In this essay the author talks about how he was envious, how he turned that into motivation, and how he didn't let the fact that being imprisoned would keep him from pursing his goals. The essay " A Homemade Education" was very meaningful. The most meaningful thing to me about this essay was the dedication behind the authors purpose to further his education.

Young adults seem to be achieving adulthood at a later time in life. Whether it’s college students going back to their home or living on their parents budget late into their lives, many adolescents seem to be achieving adulthood less and less in their twenties than generations before. In Henig’s article titled, “What Is It About 20-Somethings”, she states that “getting to what we would generally call adulthood is happening later than ever” (200). Trying to explain this new advancement, Henig sources Professor Jeffrey Arnett, who has introduced the rise of a new life stage, identified by exploring one 's identity, self-focus, and endless possibilities for the prospect called “emerging adulthood”. A bulk of the blame for the development of Arnett’s new stage of life that Henig explores can be sourced on the recent popularity of social media that is discussed in Maria Konnikova’s article “The Limits of Friendship”.

Nicholas Carr's argument against the internet was very strong, and it persuaded me. It is very difficult for me to go against his opinion. I agree that the internet is changing us, but not in ways we think. There are long-term effects of using the internet as often as we do. He states that the internet is changing the way our brains function such as having a shorter attention span, negatively changing the way we critically think, and negatively changing our reading skills.

The article “The Me Me Me Generation” by Joel Stein mentions how Millennials are a self-centred generation who have been raised with many participation awards and parents who mistakenly believed that strengthening their self-esteem was they key to success rather than focusing more on strengthening up their character and skills. Stein mentions that the younger generation lives mostly through screens, whether those on phones, iPad’s, or computers, and believes someway that it is entitled to success without experiencing the rough situations in lifetime. Stein also presented studies showing that the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder among Millennials is massive. Stein concludes the article by mentioning that this has not taken him by surprise, because this began with their parents’ generation, the Baby Boomers, or known as the “Me Generation.” Millennials seek to make their own mark on the world.

Frantic work agendas and a continuous use of electronic devices