To what extent do you believe that Kirn’s critique of American education is valid? What evidence do you have for your thesis?
Lost in the Meritocracy:
A Brief Summary:
The story “Lost in Meritocracy” by Walter Kirn is memoir about Kirn’s education. Kirn’s memoir shows how America’s Education system has removed value from learning, and awarded those who learned to trick it. He was a student that “lived for prizes,praise, and distinction”, acing the SAT, “only caring about the next report card”. He used tricks like memorizing buzzwords. Through “tricks”, he was able go to Princeton, an IVY league school. He used tricks to talk with teachers, and fool his interviewers. However, his tricks and illusion broke down at Princeton, causing him to go …show more content…
The ruling class were those who family followed the path of academic success. In the story, for example, his roommates pay for new furniture and ask him to pay. Due to his rural life and beginnings, he “didn’t have any money” to pay them back. This refers to the idea that he wasn’t born into the ruling class like the many with “famous last names”. Another example is when Leslie, another Princeton Student, blindfolds him and takes him to his family estate. He calls him a “serf”, and leaves him at the estate alone. This rude attack by Leslie represents the characteristics of the ruling class. This same idea is occurring today, where people with connections and power are more likely to get into the powerful …show more content…
This separation from the ruling class creates a sense of isolation to Kirn. Isolation is worse today cell phones, computers, and thousands of online cyber worlds. Although there may be more opportunities for interaction, the cyber world allow for this new world of isolation as people are driven away from interaction. He also references the fact that people are “screened” and “separated”. This same idea is apparent in our current American System. For example, on every standardized test the scores are split up by percentiles. Those at the top percentiles tend to go to the top universities. The drugs that he took furthered isolated him.
Kirn also references the American System’s requirement to do the bare minimum points to get into the “ruling class”. In the story, Kirn has only really read three books and a set of “buzzwords and allusions”. In the current era, It seems there is some changes to the system. For example, Schools like the Ivy league require more than just points. They require more specialization ,awards, etc. In the modern era, the SAT requirement has massively increased to perfection, and the acceptance ratings have drastically dropped. Kirn moves beyond the barrier by actually reading non assigned literature and he becomes
Lost in the Meritocracy:
A Brief Summary:
The story “Lost in Meritocracy” by Walter Kirn is memoir about Kirn’s education. Kirn’s memoir shows how America’s Education system has removed value from learning, and awarded those who learned to trick it. He was a student that “lived for prizes,praise, and distinction”, acing the SAT, “only caring about the next report card”. He used tricks like memorizing buzzwords. Through “tricks”, he was able go to Princeton, an IVY league school. He used tricks to talk with teachers, and fool his interviewers. However, his tricks and illusion broke down at Princeton, causing him to go …show more content…
The ruling class were those who family followed the path of academic success. In the story, for example, his roommates pay for new furniture and ask him to pay. Due to his rural life and beginnings, he “didn’t have any money” to pay them back. This refers to the idea that he wasn’t born into the ruling class like the many with “famous last names”. Another example is when Leslie, another Princeton Student, blindfolds him and takes him to his family estate. He calls him a “serf”, and leaves him at the estate alone. This rude attack by Leslie represents the characteristics of the ruling class. This same idea is occurring today, where people with connections and power are more likely to get into the powerful …show more content…
This separation from the ruling class creates a sense of isolation to Kirn. Isolation is worse today cell phones, computers, and thousands of online cyber worlds. Although there may be more opportunities for interaction, the cyber world allow for this new world of isolation as people are driven away from interaction. He also references the fact that people are “screened” and “separated”. This same idea is apparent in our current American System. For example, on every standardized test the scores are split up by percentiles. Those at the top percentiles tend to go to the top universities. The drugs that he took furthered isolated him.
Kirn also references the American System’s requirement to do the bare minimum points to get into the “ruling class”. In the story, Kirn has only really read three books and a set of “buzzwords and allusions”. In the current era, It seems there is some changes to the system. For example, Schools like the Ivy league require more than just points. They require more specialization ,awards, etc. In the modern era, the SAT requirement has massively increased to perfection, and the acceptance ratings have drastically dropped. Kirn moves beyond the barrier by actually reading non assigned literature and he becomes