The Conscious Reader by Michael Shugrue - 560 Words

In the book, The Conscious Reader, there are many stories by many different authors. All these stories are different but at the same time they are alike. They all in some way deal with education. Whether it is using education, gaining education, or giving education, they all have their way to show that education is important. Education as a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor, relates to Plato’s, Allegory of the Cave by that they both deal with changing. In Plato’s cave, a young man is forced from the dark and into the light, therefore making him change his life. Education as a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor, has a young man who is teaching teens that grew up poor on how to become rich. The teens are having to change their lives completely through education. When the teens joined class they were told, â€Å"You’ve been cheated. Rich people learn the humanities; you didn’t (Shrodes 295).† What he meant by humanities was, that they had not learned how to get along in the world. The young man in Plato’s cave had the same experience. When he was brought out into the light he didn’t know what to do, he had not learned how to get along in this new world. With both characters from each story, not knowing what to do now that their lives were changing , they clung to something to help them get by; education. In Education as a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor, the teacher told the students, â€Å"Rich people learn the humanities in private schools and expensiveShow MoreRelatedBlue Collar Paradox By John Lennon1795 Words   |  8 PagesPress. Kamenetz, Anya. â€Å"Generation Debt.† The Conscious Reader, 12th ed., edited by Caroline Shrodes, Michael Shugrue and Marc Di Paola, Preseason, 2012, p.560-567. Lennon, John. â€Å"Working Class Hero.† The Conscious Reader, 12th ed., edited by Caroline Shrodes, Michael Shugrue and Marc Di Paola, Preseason, 2012, p.406-407. Lubrano, Alfred. â€Å"Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams.† The Conscious Reader, 12th ed., edited by Caroline Shrodes, Michael Shugrue and Marc Di Paola, Preseason, 2012, p.218-224Read MoreFragrant Conflict: Steinbeck quot;Chysanthemumsquot; Essay example463 Words   |  2 Pagesconflict. Steinbeck uses chrysanthemums to symbolize this conflict and Elisas self-worth. By examining these points of conflict and the symbolism presented by the chrysanthemums, the meaning of the story can be better determined. The first time the reader encounters conflict occurs when Elisa is tending to her chrysanthemums in her garden. As she works, Elisa handles the flowers with care and compassion; she makes certain that nothing will come to harm them as though they were her own children; No