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Natalie Petersen
S. Feldman
English 1A T/TH 5:00PM
December 6, 2012

The Art of Being Educated In life we all tend to be confined by our own beliefs and the beliefs of others. Our personal development depends so urgently on our sense of self. To be educated means living with an open mind and having a strong sense of self, for when we live with an open mind we are no longer confined by our beliefs nor are we confined by the beliefs of others. There are numerous opportunities available to us everyday and if we don’t expose ourselves to possible changes then we can never truly grasp true education. “In fact, a green banana is waiting for all of you who leave your own centers of the world in order to experience other places”(Batchelder). Batchelder wants us to understand when we are finally in a position to open ourselves up to change we are susceptible to successes we may never of imagined. Furthermore, letting go of old habits can be a necessary change, because by doing so we open ourselves up to life supporting us more fully in ways it can best do so. If only we all could decipher Lopez’s true message in his excerpt “ I could see the sheen where I’d sat for years,” and relate to the epiphany he had when he realized “there was no reason to sit where I was”(Lopez). We would grasp being truly educated means being able to make the choice in life to move in a different direction even if it means jumping out of our comfort zones. Now and again our comfort zones are located in

Petersen2 the shadows, but our main goal is to see and be in the light. As Plato said, “you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the den” (Plato289). To be educated means looking beyond the shadows of what is real and what is perceived. In order to be authentic individuals who can be enlightened and live genuine lives we must castaway the “chains” of the unreal, the fake, the mere images, and look closely at the light. The real person behind the façade can only really be discovered and embraced by attaining self-acceptance. Every so often the people in our lives whom matter the most are the ones we have to thank for making us realize the certain aspects we may hate about ourselves actually define how special we are. Walker has her daughter to thank for explaining to her “mommy, there is a world in your eye”(Walker5). To be educated means attaining self-acceptance for then we can finally face challenges in our lives and succeed. We all need to understand our individuality divides us from the rest and when we all look at the bigger picture we must realize diversity truly makes our nation. Our nation is full of opportunities that allow us to be educated if only we all valued our ability to learn as Malcolm X did we would all be able to grasp the world holds much in the way of education. It was in jail when Malcolm X first began to read and he claimed a whole “new world opened,” for him (MalcolmX,94). We all need to value our ability to learn, for being educated provides us with the ability to observe the many different perspectives of the world. The many different perspectives of the world all emerged from the creative minds in our society. To be educated means opening our minds to creativity so we can all put our mark on the world (Headmaster,3). Poetry and art are a couple of the ways we
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can explore creativity. Paintbrushes are the tools used to create identity on blank canvases. Glass claims “art is a way of exploring ones subconscious” and Levertov wants us to understand through her poem the image we create of ourselves in our minds helps determine how we react to the daily highs and lows of our lives. If we think of ourselves as worthwhile and valued, that quality will come across to other people. Molded by both internal and external forces, our self-image makes a huge difference in how we feel and act. Sometimes the way we think of ourselves holds us back. Furthermore, moving forward from a persistence of thought requires us to look at our thinking in a new light and then to reframe it. We should begin to challenge the way we think and as a result the way we act. New behavior will follow from a new way of thinking. As, Lopez wants us to comprehend, “but once a conscious break through to a second center is made a life-long perspective and collection can begin”(Lopez). Only then can we move forward because to be educated means being able to grow personally in order to benefit more than ourselves. Another way we are able to move forward in improving our education is by realizing if we observe the relationships in our lives we can practice methods of interaction that work and lead to enriching lives. Observing others’ faults helps us see behavior that works or does not work in a relationship. To be educated means being able to learn new ways of behaving and relating through others’ faults and failures. For example, Roethke tried to have quality time with his drunken father and it was nearly impossible. Roethke recalls, “such waltzing was not easy”(Roethke). His father’s drunken behavior is a fault that interferes with their relationship. To be educated means observing the relationships that surround

Petersen4 us; for, more commonly than not, we must unlearn what we learned as children and learn anew to become better examples for our youth. The people in our lives have an affect on the way we shape ourselves by sharing their knowing. Kipling attempts to give his child advice through his poetry. Kipling claims “if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you” you will be able to operate responsibly and possibly avoid failure and hurt (Kipling, 248). For, being educated means being able to fathom upon the facts; for example, the fact is when we reflect on our own listening we can grow to understand and appreciate the knowledge and advice our relationships bestow upon us. However, when we surround ourselves with either negative or positive relations we tend to pick up on them. Relationships are complex and sometimes difficult, but necessary in developing as a whole person. As Sontag so eagerly points out “identity is everything,” so we must not let our negative relationships limit us (Sontag, ). For to be educated means being able to observe our surroundings, so we can avoid mistakes and missteps in the way we treat others. For only then considering the pain of others, not only in situations that involve us directly, but also in a more global universal will not come off as “quite so new a thing for us”(E.E. Cummings). Not only is observing the limitations of negative relationships necessary, but recognizing the negative patterns of stereotypes that limit us as well is absolutely necessary when pursuing a genuine education. Steinem and Abernethy believe we need to observe the many kinds of stereotypes because they constrain us. For example, “it might be a good idea to have a woman nearby,” for “the following article contains big words,” and only a woman could “explain
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it to you” (Abernethy, 350). To be educated means examining the bashing going on in our culture and the negative affects stereotypes have on our society. Stereotypical views have an extreme way of impacting society today. According to Steinem society portrays one stereotype more than others; “woman represent love; men represent force”(Steinem, 359). Steinem exposed Wonder Woman as a character used to sway women into accepting women’s liberation. Woolf urges us not be passive; rather we must discover our power. She makes fun of the ridiculous stereotype of the original airhead; she mocks, “never let anybody guess you have a mind of your own” (Woolf,109). Being educated means understanding we deserve, all of us, to live above the put downs, the negative patterns of stereotypes. As educated people we “will look upon ourselves’ as a species instead of isolating each other through stereotypes”(Wilson). Stereotypes hold us back from our goals, force us to confine our true selves, bring us down, and prevent us from understanding positive popular culture. To be educated means as citizens it is necessary to interact in our culture and be more aware so we can see where we fit into our American culture in this ever changing world. “One immediate way to preserve our ever changing world is to recycle”(Emilee).
As a society and as individuals we need to take stalk for what we do. We have known for years the negative affects we have on our planet due to our so called necessities in our every day lives. Yet, we have merely made baby steps in reinforcing our ways. As Romano De Sant’ Anna said, “ each generation, full of itself, continues to think that it lives at he summit of history”(Romano, 555). We all live in this fantasy everyday where everything is going to be okay even though we continue to use endless amounts of
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plastic, drive vehicles that destroy our ozone, and many more senseless acts. “We all need to be prepared and fully equipped for natural disasters” as well (Juana). Instead, we create fantasies that better suit all of our insecurities and fears. To be educated means realizing that in our hopes to escape the inevitable; life and death walks hand in hand our society creates fantasies. We all want what we cannot have and “the promise of something everlasting, something truly eternal, holds a special allure”(DelToro/Hogan, 341). “Our culture needs to stop censoring” the inevitable (Eric). We are all going to die. “We are all peasants” on this earth with the same average amount of time we need to start thinking of each other as equals (Lennon, 407). For to be educated means loving people that are different from us and understanding the way those differences work for essential peace and happiness. In order to gain peace we need to focus on our society as a whole and make decisions of change based on our negative facets. For example, Schlosser explains to us, “hundreds of millions of people buy fast food every day without giving it much though, unaware of the subtle and not so subtle ramifications of their purchases”( Schlosser, 393). When we put our money into buying ourselves fast food most of us do not realize the work conditions we are buying for the people who work for these industries. Be the man that leads not follows and put a stop to the worst of American capitalism. For, be educated means operating responsibly even if it means straying away from popular culture and moving forward towards basic human rights and personal dignity. Personal dignity is the presence of light and self-confidence in one’s heart, it enables a person or being to grapple and face the world by not bending down. As

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American citizens we are dignified to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson, 590). To be educated means holding these truths and understanding we have the right to alter or abolish any destructive forms of government. We have the right to all of the freedoms that should promote everlasting peace. However, Obama makes it evident we continue to fight for our peace, but “violence never actually brings permanent peace”(Obama, 642). We continue to demand peace for ourselves, but what about peace for the environment? To be educated means comprehending the fact we have the ability to fight for what we believe. We should be fighting for the environment not just ourselves! To be educated means recognizing we have the largest impact on our society and environment. We seem to take refuge in our ignorance and willful blindness. For instance our government continues to inform us; “the beaches are safe, the water is safe, and the seafood is safe” (Klein). It is detrimental and absolutely necessary we further our knowledge in oil spills and the affect of plastics has on our environment. While we continue to use plastic in our clothes, computers, cell phones, cars, furniture, and much more “sea turtles are mistaking buoyant plastic bags for jellyfish and choking to death” (Doucette). Yet, we continue to bathe in the bliss of ignorance. The amount of cruise ship dumping we allow to occur is not an example of a positive reinforcement. “Each day the average cruise ship generates an amount of nitrous oxide that is equivalent to 12,000 cars” (Katsiouloudis). To be educated means forcing ourselves out of bliss in order to ensure our planets well being. We cannot keep allowing the destruction of our

Petersen8 oceans rainforests. “In the Cayman Islands six acres of coral reefs are destroyed each week by cruise ship anchors alone” (Tickell). We are not the center of the universe and to be educated means taking in the consideration the symbolic relationship we have with nature. “Terrorized by your stings I took out biochemical weapons,” Crow-Russell urges us to understand just because we are scared does not mean the animals are not scared as well (Crow-Russell, 726). Being aware of the fragileness of our earth, the animals, and wildlife that live amongst us is part of what being educated means. “Right now the evidence is against us” (Kristof, 530). Being educated means being willing to become part of the solution and not part of the problem. We should all value our ability to learn, for we could all do a lot of good in our world if we just let our minds be susceptible to the facts and knowledge we are presented every day. Education, in short, is one way we are able to interpret the type of person we want to be. Furthermore, to be ducated means understanding the significant affect education has on our well-being. Malcom X expressed his education “gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, and dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America” (MalcomX, 99). His education helped him form a sense of self. Forming an identity is necessary because society revolves around it, science relishes in it, and we, as individuals would spiral into a pit of depression without it. Education provides us with power the power to decide on an identity and that’s true education. Hughes also wants us to understand we are all alike by human nature and we have the same desires. We all want to love and be loved, achieve

Petersen9 our dreams, and have eternal peace and to be educated means realizing all of our true desires requires an education. For if we were not educated would we trade heaven for earth? Chekhov, embellishes how important it is for us to realize if we were not educated properly we would make irrational decisions. By connecting the dots throughout our lives we thrive to live enriching and beneficial lives. An enriching and fulfilling life is the aftermath of a genuine education. As a society we have obstacles that stand in our way of understanding the importance of an education. However, it is our human right dignified to all of us to obtain knowledge. We should all take advantage of the fact we live in a country where freedom is law and not a gift. We have the freedom to make decisions; decisions that define who we are as Americans. Without education we would not have identity, awareness, or healthy relationships. We should all be grateful we have the ability to learn and we should continue to help our society grow as a whole. We should take our knowledge and further explore the impending mattes of our nation. For without diversity and without change we would not have a revolving society. We all need to be authentic and genuine, unique, real, because education provides us with the ability to choose who we want to be. To be educated means realizing our actions define us.