My Beloved World By Sotomayor

The American Dream has never been available to minority citizens as easily as it is to American-born citizens. Affirmative action was first implemented around the year 1972, however it was not widely accepted or practiced. During this time society was just getting used to including women in higher education institutions so the concept of including minorities in higher education was almost non-existent. My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor shows the challenges that a first generation, Puerto Rican, lower socioeconomic female had during this time. Through her autobiography she shows the struggles she faced throughout her life, focusing on her application to college, college experience and insight into her cultural background. My Beloved

Andrew Simmons published his article for The Atlantic, “The Danger of Telling Poor Kids that College is the Key to Social Mobility” on January 16, 2014, which raises his concerns that higher education is only being promoted as an opportunity to increase their economic status, when it should be an opportunity to experience an education (Simmons). Through the use of students such as Isabella, Simmons disagrees with the way students now look at higher education and blames the educators through the students’ lives for this view. Instead, Simmons views education as an intellectual opportunity rather than a way to elevate ones economic class which is all people see when they see “higher education.” He believes that education, ambition and work ethic is how you have a satisfying life, not with how much you make. He makes the point that when economics becomes the main goal of education it’s all children begin to think about and they might not pursue something that they are truly passionate about or what they want to learn about, which then does not create an intellectually awakening experience (Simmons).

When Shorris explains his goal to the prospective students he indicates, “You’ve been cheated. Rich people learn the humanities; you didn’t. The humanities are a foundation for getting along in the world, for thinking, for learning to reflect on the world instead of just reaction to whatever force is turned against you.”(Page 4) That the rich have had the opportunity to buy that type of learning and embrace it, while the poor have had more things to deal with like getting food on the table from day to day. Therefore, Shorris believes that a liberal education will provide poor students with a new kind of lens to outlook the world. With the knowledge of philosophy, poetry, art history, logic and American history, Shorris trusts that these students will begin to uncover hidden talents and interests that will inspire them and help them to not only solve problems, but also seek plausible solutions. He believes that these qualities would provide the poor with an escape route from the ongoing cycle that have them trapped and it will provide them with “a certain kind of life, a richness of mind and spirit.” (Page 5) After his first thriving year teaching this class, sixteen of his prospective students completed the course, which then some went on to universities.

She a starts off by saying that her kids are the best then she states the following “However, because their "real" parents aren't rich and, I argue, because they are mostly of color, they will seldom get to see in themselves the awesomeness that I see in them.” (Sumner, 2016). Here Kandice makes the point that color students won't see their full potential like she does. Then she keeps on going saying that she lived in a family that wasn’t wealthy so her neighborhood wasn’t wealthy, so her school wasn’t necessarily the best; however that didn’t stop her from going to school she would take an hour long bus ride to get a better education. She thought everyone had a life like her but she didn’t notice this until she was older how she had access to certain things her kids didn’t or her friends from her neighborhood didn’t. Then she asks the following “Why is a high-quality education only exclusive to the rich?” (Sumner, 2016) This question is pretty easy to answer. Education is exclusive to rich people because they have money and their parents have connections or know other important or rich people which can help them out. This

He suggests in order to reverse these trends of colleges, and help restore the freedom in society, the audience should actively come together and require that Congress outlaw discrimination based on college degrees. College cannot truly make all people equal as many people face barriers of achieving a higher education, which then creates a division of class due to a lack of opportunity. Banning the use of degrees to evaluate skill and talent will go a long way toward opening up more genuinely equal opportunities. This amendment would help create more fair opportunities to those who don’t have a degree but do have certain skills. As Blank states “there are far more too many people who “take” French than who “talk” French. There are far too many people who “pass” history than understand it” (Blank 265). This suggests that most college courses don’t really help students actually learn and retain the skills they “master” because students mainly worry about actually “passing” rather than “learning”. Blank argues that this issue is becoming more and more of a problem as it is “converting the educational system into a training facility” (265). In trying to become multi-purpose, dispersed, and culturally aware, colleges are becoming the opposite as they lose the essence of compulsory schooling and become more curriculum based

“What Is College For” by Andrew Delbanco, shows the need for both a universal college system; one which caters for all of society, and one which provides a liberal education. Delbanco gives many reasoned thoughts on how, and why the college system has become restricted, to purely those of a higher socio-economic background, rather than being exclusive to people of all backgrounds. The idea of college being a platform for people to learn, advance their skills, and become whatever they want to be has seemingly diminished over time. The ideas in favor of such an educational system are put forward, but they are foreshadowed in my opinion, by the notion that people should have the same educational opportunities in life; regardless of their economic or social background. A universal education system is needed for our society to prosper, especially if it provides a liberal education; this is not just for the individuals that make up a community, but for the community, as a whole.

Charles Murray’s essay proposes that American colleges are being flooded with individuals who are either unprepared for higher education or who are simply forced into attending college and can’t succeed because of the lack of certain innate abilities. Murray’s essay goes on to take issue with the idea that the pursuit of a traditional college education is somehow strategically creating a separation of the American class system. While Murray makes many salient points with regards to America’s obsession with college education as a standard into a class of the intellectual elite, the essay fails to take into consideration the various motivators that can lead to student success, despite

Mary Wollstonecraft’s famous book, Vindication of the Rights of Women, is “one of the earliest expressions of a feminist consciousness.” Wollstonecraft claims that women are upset mainly due to the fact that they are not receiving the education they deserve, and goes on to explain how women are notorious for being weak, and mentally unstable. She blames the education system for this since all the books are written by men, and they claim that women are barley humans and are treated as another species. She questions the eligibility of men to claim they are better than women. A useful education, in her opinion, is one that teaches students how to be strong and independent. Her directed audience is anyone who is unsure of the true definition and meaning of feminism. Wollstonecraft believes that all humans are capable of the same intelligence, no matter the gender. Her overall idea is that every individual, both male and female, deserve equality.

The article of “ In the Basement of the Ivory Tower” really remind me to considered plenty of things that I have never been thinking about before. In my mind, pursuing and accomplishing a higher level of education is always good for people. However, the view that the Professor X raised is a very sharp phenomenon buy it does exists in our society. In the article he questioned whether it is necessary for everyone to get higher education or not. It seems that as far as Professor X concerned, some of those students who are just waste of time and money by taking college education. He exposed that many colleges nowadays are bend to financial profits rather than to provide a high quality education. What is more, some of the students are not that well prepared for their college study and many of them cannot pass his class.

As a woman myself, it is hard to imagine a time when I would not have been allowed to attend college, let alone be writing this paper. As children most of us heard stories from our grandparent’s about what life was like they were young. I can remember laughing at the thought of “walking up hill both ways” to get to school. With the liberties American Women have today, it is easy to take for granted everything the women before us fought so hard for. It is easy to forget the treatment they suffered in their struggle to bring us to today. In this paper we will examine the lives, struggles, and small victories of women that have led us to

“The subject of the Education of Women of the higher classes is one which has undergone singular fluctuations in public opinions” (Cobbe 79). Women have overcome tremendous obstacles throughout their lifetime, why should higher education stand in their way? In Frances Power Cobbe’s essay “The Education of Women,” she describes how poor women, single women, and childless wives, deserve to share a part of the human happiness. Women are in grave need of further improvements in their given condition. Cobbe suggests that a way to progress these improvements manifests in higher education, and that this will help further steps in advance. Cobbe goes on to say that the happiest home, most grateful husband, and the most devoted children came from a woman, Mary Sommerville, who surpassed men in science, and is still studying the wonders of God’s creations. Cobbe has many examples within her paper that shows the progression of women as a good thing, and how women still fulfill their duties despite the fact that they are educated. The acceptance of women will be allowed at the University of New England because women should be able to embrace their abilities and further their education for the benefit of their household, their lives, and their country.

The foundation of colleges for women as well as events at women’s rights conventions intellectually challenged society’s views on women’s traditional roles. As education became more of a public governmental service, the educational

In the article, “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird explains why higher education is not always the right choice for students after high school. The author believes that students do not come to the decision to attend college on their own but they are expected to and pressured by parents, advisors, and society. In the beginning of the article the author argues that colleges use techniques to sell themselves just like any other product on the market. They advertise what they have to offer and tell students what they want to hear. She also feels that campuses, stemming from the riots in the 1960’s, have started to

Furthermore, Ridley stresses the need for continual support of students while they are in college in order to ensure their mental well-being and ultimate success. When broken down into its basic components, Ridley’s argument seems to agree with some of the main themes presented in Plato’s Republic and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. The current state of the poor and middle class in America, as detailed in the article, lines up with the Platonic ideal of a society in which everyone has a specialized role but does not allow for much individual expression or flexibility. In essence, the benefit of the whole may still be intact, but the triumph of the individual has been suppressed due to the relationship between money and success in today’s society. Additionally, ideas regarding equal access to education, as presented in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, seem to run parallel to Ridley’s argument that a college education should be an attainable option for

As Adrienne Rich spoke to a college full of women, she continuously pointed out that education is not something to take for granted, and should not be looked at passively. Education is a responsibility she remarked, “Responsibility to yourself means that you don't fall for shallow and easy solutions.” On the other hand, the Youtube video shows a student who does not take responsibility for their education, and basically exemplifies the student Adrienne Rich advises against. During the time of Adrienne Rich’s speech in the 1970’s, The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)