Uses of a Liberal Education- Edmundson 9/24

I'm not sure exactly what we're supposed to write in this blog, so I'm just going to go ahead and write about a first impression and one point that I found interesting. When I first glanced at this essay I was immediately turned off because of its length and that we will have to eventually summarize and analyze it. After reading the first page I was no more turned on than I was when I had printed it out. However, once I started to get into the second page I became interested in what Edmundson was talking about. I thought that the JL fest was interesting because it makes students aware that teachers really do take into consideration those that question not only the material but the teacher as well. A major theme that I found throughout this essay was the theme of our generation being afraid of failure and therefore conforming to the "norm," making those JL kids few and far between. 

I felt as if I could relate to parts of this essay because I grew up in a house where failure was not an option. Gradually, as I got older and more responsible, my parents let me go on my own because I had proved to them that I have morals and know that you have to give 110% in order to get where you want to be. There is one part of this essay which I feel emphasizes this point: "There's a sentiment currently abroad that if you step aside for a moment, to write, to travel, to fall too hard in love, you might lose position permanently." We're afraid to take chances because of the idea that we might fail. Because of this, Edmundson says, teachers, parent's, and bosses alike have been taught to be soft and gentle to us, making us feel as if we won't fail. Although I do agree that many people don't take risks because of the lingering chance of failure, I don't think that he should generalize and think that everyone in this generation acts/feels the same way. 

I think this essay actually turned out to be interesting and, although I'm nervous about writing the paper, I'm excited to analyze this further.