Who Are You And What Are You Doing Here? (Mark Edmundson) Analysis

Who Are You And What Are Your Doing Here? is written by Dr. Mark Edmundson, a professor in the University of Virginia's Department of English. This is one of Edmundson's many essays on education, and was published in Oxford American, a Southern literary journal. As a university professor, Edmundson directs this essay to incoming college freshmen, teaching them that society pushes students to use higher education as merely a conduit for a high-paying first job. He explores the pitfalls of higher education and the requirements of of receiving a meaningful education that will lead to a spiritually fulfilling career.  He maintains that this fulfilling lifestyle, one in which we "expend our energies in rightful ways" (101) that can "restore you as you go" (100), can be achieved only through finding and pursuing one's particular passion, even though this requires more effort. Edmundson begins the essay in the second person, establishing a familiar tone with the reader, as if he is talking directly to them. This feeling continues throughout the piece, as he uses some informal writing, for example an issue in his teaching career was "small potatoes" (89). Despite this, Edmundson quickly reveals himself to be knowledgable, recounting his time before college when he had to decide what he wanted to study. Later, he makes it known that he is a professor at a university, establishing his credibility. In terms of organization, Edmundson begins with a detailed survey of a typical college life, logically progressing to the positive product of higher education: "You'll get a good job, you'll have plenty of friends, you'll have a driveway all your own" (95). Here he dramatically changes focus, saying that, in fact, a student who does "what society needs done" (100) will not be happy. Edmundson follows with a description of Emerson and Freud, two prominent writers that add to his credibility and provide a historical perspective on modern events. He utilizes an anecdote about his father's unfulfilling career and concludes with a thought experiment about the benefits of following one's passion. I think the essay is extremely well crafted and written with an authoritative tone that convinced me that Edmundson is very knowledgeable. He established an opposing argument and proceeded to refute it, using a barrage of insight, stories, and prominent figures in literature.

Gateway
Decisions in college determine how fulfilling one's life can be.
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87434398@N00/173504141/

Creation Myth (Malcolm Gladwell) Analysis

Malcolm Gladwell is a popular staff writer for The New Yorker who has written four bestselling books. In Creation Myth, he delves into the innovative successes originating from Xerox PARC, a research center in Palo Alto, California, credited with some of the greatest technological innovations of the 1900s. He specifically describes two instances, the personal computer that inspired Steve Jobs's Macintosh and Gary Starkweather's laser printer. In this essay Gladwell shows how Xerox PARC's approach to innovation allowed for revolutionary thinkers to develop the technology industry. In addition to proving the potential of Xerox PARC, Gladwell also explores the difference between a novel invention and a product developed for the consumer market. He does this for the general public, assuming they have a basic knowledge of the technology industry, including the companies Xerox and Apple. To describe the processes involved with innovation, Gladwell utilizes multiple stories of creativity, focusing on how Steve Jobs developing Xerox's personal computer into a successful consumer item, and Gary Starkweather's struggle to develop a laser printer without Xerox's backing. Gladwell selects these stories because the innovations are profound enough to already be known to the reader, and in both stories Xerox's management seems to fail the company. After the two stories, Gladwell transitions into a separate anecdote regarding Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. This change of setting not only shows the universality of creativity, but this selected example allows Gladwell to make the logical argument that to produce a product creativity must be controlled and directed Gladwell then returns to the story of Gary Starkweather's fight with Xerox management. Gladwell uses deductive reasoning to show that creativity must be controlled to be successful. Starkweather is creative, and ultimately uses the narrative to reveal that Xerox management made the printer a success. Gladwell ends by quoting Starkweather describing Starkweather when he left to go to Apple, which, ultimately, became as stifling as Xerox. This is a full circle ending, but is also abductive reasoning. Starkweather and the Rolling Stones are the major and minor premise, respectively, leading to the final conclusion about Apple imitating Xerox. I think this piece is effective because it engages the reader with interesting stories and commentary. The transitions and organization chronologically bring the reader to a natural epiphany about innovation, effectively accomplishing Gladwell's purpose.

Success
Apple's personal computer is the result of a long innovative process.
Image Source: monografias.com

You Owe Me (Miah Arnold) Analysis

In this essay Miah Arnold describes her feelings of loss concerning her job as an English teacher (she earned her doctorate in the subject) at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. She works primarily with terminal patients, and throughout the essay tells stories of her time there, describes what it is like to lose those she loves. One of her favorite students, Khalil, has recently died, and it is perhaps that tragedy that inspired her to write this essay. Arnold has worked at the Cancer Center described in the essay for over a decade, encouraging children to write poems and prose. Because her career appears to be so depressing for some, Miah Arnold explores why it is she consistently returns to her job, despite repeatedly bargaining that if another child dies, she will quit. Arnold wrote this essay to be understood by the general public, as indicated by her explanation of a hospital environment and cancer treatment. However, the essay may also be directed at parents with sick children and other hospice caretakers, that they may find comfort in her reflections on tragedy. Arnold relies heavily on anecdotes throughout the essay; it is written as a narrative with sections of omniscient reflection. Each story is selected to get a particular emotional response from the reader, as well as moving the essay forward to her next reflection. For example, she describes her strong relationship with her student Khalil. This transitions to her interactions with her students and how she teaches them as the reflection and analysis. She then returns to a narrative style to describe Khalil's death and then her subsequent reaction and reflection on why she has not quit if students she loves die. This pattern continues throughout the essay, so it is structurally monotonous. However, her essays are so well chosen to induce emotions in the reader and to connect them to her job that it holds interest. Her reflections progress logically, first questioning why she would stay, confirming that she will stay, and then trying to determine what about her can allow her to work with dying children. Though there is no definitive conclusion or epiphany, the reader comes to understand that it is all of her stories and experiences that allow her to stay. Because her stories of death were unique and so well-selected to be moving, I think Arnold did accomplish her purpose. Her use of emotion was very impacting.

Angel on Earth
Miah Arnold treats her students like ordinary children, so they may laugh in the face of death.
Image Source: American Childhood Cancer Organization