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Baldwin's Essay 'A Talk To Teachers'

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The definition of perspective is possessing a particular attitude toward a specific matter. Unfortunately, people are not always able to obtain their own perspective without being forced a specific one. In life, students are indoctrinated history that society wants them to assimilate in pursuance of controlling their beliefs and views on particular events and topics. In the essay 'A Talk to Teachers', Baldwin implies that that the main purpose of education is to perpetuate the aims of society. Due to this, his advice does hold true, but to a certain extent in which students are still taught false history, but teachers today actually do persuade students to obtain their own perspectives on society. Baldwin’s advice to teachers holds true …show more content…

For example, the average person has been taught to believe that George Washington was a grand general and therefore, should be praised with a holiday in his name; however, what the majority fail to see is that Washington was more like a character from Disney who can best be known as Goofy. On the other hand, I am an American who has decided to move forth and take an advanced placement course to discover the truth of Columbus. Through further investigation, I have seen the losses in battle that George Washington been involved in. History is not simple; people have to think critically, form conclusions, and make connections. Wherefore, Baldwin’s advice can not be held as truth to this day because teachers are teaching history in different viewpoints, and this would mean that the American system of education does not require Baldwin’s advice. In present time, Baldwin’s advice to teachers is not guidance, but misguidance. To strengthen Baldwin’s advice he should have stated that students should not only be given knowledge to form their own opinion, but also for teachers to express their own own experiences and their own point of view on the taught

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