Reason's To De-Test The Schools Barzun Analysis

Barzun article “Reason 's to De-test the schools” is a small cog in the machine that is criticism of American education systems. In itself, the problems discussed in the article is not causing major ripples in the education world, but it does bring real and ongoing issues to the table; problems that will eventually have to be dealt with before they reduce our system to uselessness. Barzun is humorous and relatable in his effective article about an issue that has been effecting our country for decades, but in a very subtle and diminishing way.

Barzun article talks of the changes happening in the education system, and the fact that there still needs to be many changes in our system before it is considered truly effective. He mainly attacks …show more content…
His main point does not come around until the third paragraph because he is easing his way into the subject, giving you plenty of foreknowledge to understand his opinion. But the third paragraph in whole is his thesis, letting the reader know these tests are not effective in his opinion, and he is going to explain why. He is saying that the multiple choice tests and “it 's variants” are harmful to everyone, diminishing learning, and even diminishing the person who is learning before it is all said and done with. He points out in this paragraph that there is so much dependency on these mindless tests, that we balance whole careers on tests people took when they were sixteen. His introduction lasts those three paragraphs, fully capturing the reader before he start 's laying out any harsh statements. But unlike that easy introduction, his conclusion is abrupt and to the point. Barzun is not soft or timid about the subject and in the very last paragraph he lays down the suggested ultimatum to fix this problem in the words of Emerson, “Tell us what you know.” Barzun was very successful in this organization of his article. He eased the readers into the article with humor and sound and appropriate ideas. And even into his article, he didn 't get radical, but more factual. By laying out his article in this way he isn 't provoking a riot, but it certainly leaves the reader nodding their head with reasonable agreement. And that really was …show more content…
It is entertaining, humorous, factual, and reasonable. It is a quality article, easily understood but thought provoking all the same. Barzun uses analogies throughout his article to make it more relatable, comparing knowledge to every day situations such as riding to a town you had been to previously and remembering certain landmarks. The article is relatable for those of us who have been through the monotony of current day education. It 's easy to understand that the education isn 't about the learning anymore as much as it 's about the money. And while Barzun doesn 't specifically hit on that point, he does recognize that education has become lazy and non-productive. Our curriculum are a laughing stock, our teachers rarely worth their education because of the curriculum they are forced to teach and the money they make, and with a ridiculously little amount of support. This is a well known problem in society, and it has been for decades, appearing to get worse. The facts still apply today, barely anything has changed, and now we have generations growing and not knowing how to deal with everyday situations because there essentially isn 't a word bank in life. Barzun was spot on through most of his article, giving wonderful reasoning and widely known truths. We are downplaying kids, not trusting their intelligence. In an honest effort to try and make the system fair, somewhere along the way we lost the effectiveness of