Society And Education Essay, Research Paper

Society sets up this imaginary brick wall in life in the mainstream population. On one side of the wall are the formally educated people that have attended everything from prestigious universities to liberal arts colleges. On the other side of the wall are the uneducated people who do not have a fancy name or degree to boldly say that they are educated in respects to society. Many times, the people on the uneducated side of the wall come from lower economic income and class status than the educated side. In the essay, “Learning In The Key Of Life” Jon Spayde links society, class, and education. Spayde notes that education takes place in the classroom and university setting as well as the hands on experience that takes place in the world at large. One of the main points in his essay is that in society, education is a great value that separates classes by economics. The general understanding in society is that there is no divide in American life that hurts more than the one between those we consider well educated and those who are poorly or inadequately schooled (Spayde, 60). This understanding is defined by popular society stating that education is a big influence on how one lives their life and to what degree this is done. Society determines the difference between the educated and uneducated in many ways.

Power is a key issue in separating the educated from the uneducated. One of the reasons that society is able to dictate the way people in mainstream society lives is through power. Society practically has power over every aspect of daily life. Society derives this power from the people whom make up mainstream America. Mainstream America has been trained over the years that going along with society is good because it is not desirable to be left outside the ”loop”. It is best said that training is simply learning to fit in as a passive member of a structure (Spayde, 61). The people of mainstream America are trying to fit into the structure that is called society. Over the years, people have had to change the way they think, what they believe in, and what they value to adapt to survive the way that society progresses.

The biggest divide in society between the educated and uneducated is monetary influence. Society dictates how we live our lives in many ways. Society shapes everything from what we wear to how many days a week the population should work As wealth is power; so all power will infallibly draw wealth (Burke). As value of an education has increased, the difference between the educated and uneducated has increased. In society, the general assumption is that people who have an education have better verbal and interpersonal skills. Those same educated people talk and interface better with other people who are in high social positions with the ability to control mainstream society. It is better to have an education to expand you possibilities and get along better in society today.

Society divides the educated and uneducated to better accommodate the people who are already educated. Society has put different people in different social classes according to their levels of education. Theoretically, someone who has a baccalaureate degree could make $17,000 more dollars than a person who posses only a high school diploma. In return, a person with a doctorate degree earns $17,000 more than the same person who posses only a baccalaureate degree. Each different social class is grouped by economics. Each social class being upper middle class, middle class, lower middle class, etc. have different economic levels that define which class they belong. Each economic group has different means and needs for making money. A person who has owns a farm has no basic need to know Shakespeare or Thoreau in a formal education, yet society feels that they should.

There is no clear definition of what society feels is educated and uneducated, yet somehow people can tell what the difference is between the educated and uneducated. Society has divided people into the educated and uneducated for many reasons that include power, economics, and accommodation. This division is defined by popular society regarding education is a big influence on how people lives their life and to what degree this is done.

Bibliography

Work Cited

Lundsford, Andrea, John Ruszkiewicz. The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call For Response Boston. Bedford/ St. Martin’s. 2000.

Unknown author/ Electronic Database.” Edmund Burke-Quotation on Society”. http://www.quotations.com/sub_list.htm