Education ruins our youths

Education. We deal with it from the start of our lives until our late twenties.
Nowadays education is seen as something that defines your status in society.
Which isn’t completely injustice, because education stands as the foundation of
our society: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those
who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X. So education is essential in modern-day
society, and I agree with that statement. Nevertheless, I think the way we get
educated (here in the Netherlands) has its disadvantages and defects.
The educational system was formed during a whole different time period than
now, namely the during the 19th century. Since then the fundamental structure
has not really changed. Which is actually concerning if we take in consideration
how much the world has changed. For comparison, when the educational system
was found in the Netherlands the main mode of transport was still a horse.
What I think is an area where our school systems fails, is that the
content the students get presented is outdated. Some subjects are
unnecessary, and don’t have any value in modern-day society. Also, back in the
days if you were educated it was almost guaranteed that you would live a
successful life, which isn’t the case anymore. Getting straight A’s in school
doesn’t mean being successful in life. Even though school teaches students to be
disciplined and structured, school fails to teach students some things that are
necessary to know in life. Such as paying taxes.
Not only are the contents the students get presented outdated, but not every
student fits as well in the school system as others, and if you are one of those
students you are doomed. Although a good education does not guarantee a well-
paid job, it still gives you more change than not being well-educated. It isn’t
weird that some students don not fit in the system. School focuses really on
just one way of thinking, namely that there is always one creativity. As Sir Ken
Robinson mentioned, the creativity of students decreases the more they get
educated. Students are marked ‘’unintelligent’’ and ‘’dumb’’, because they do not
think like the others. Which is actually absurd, because the people that invented
the things we learn at school also did not think like others. Innovations and new
ideas are created when we think out of the box, and let our creativity free. So
not learning students to be creative and just teach them to think in one way is
truly ridiculous.
All in all, I think education in general is one of the most important things in life,
but the thing that needs to change is the way we get educated. The world
around us changes fast, and school system needs to develop as time progresses.
 A4 Essential Literary Terms

Exposition- The essential background information at the beginning of a literary work

Rising action- the development of conflict and complications in a literary work

Climax- the turning point in a literary work

Falling action- results or effects of the climax of a literary work

Resolution/denouement- end of a literary work when loose ends are tied up and
questions are answered

Alliteration – repetition of the initial consonant sounds of words: “Peter Piper picked
a peck of pickled peppers”

Allusion – a reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work

Antagonist- character that is the source of conflict in a literary work, counterpart to

the main character

Aside /breaking the fourth wall – a dramatic device in which a character makes a
short speech intended for the audience but not heard by the other characters on
stage

Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds:

“Anna’s apples,” “the pond is long gone”

Characterization- The manner in which an author develops characters and their

personalities

Conflict - struggle between two or more opposing forces (person vs. person; nature;
society; self; fate/God.

Dialogue - direct speech between characters in a literary work

Figurative Language –language that represents one thing in terms of something

dissimilar, non-literal language. Includes simile, metaphor, personification,
hyperbole, symbol.

Flashback- the method of returning to an earlier point in time for the purpose of
making the present clearer

Foreshadowing- implicit and intentional hint of what is to come in a literary work

Genre – type or category to which a literary work belongs (e.g. biography, tragedy,
novel, short story)
Hyperbole – extreme exaggeration to add meaning

Imagery – language that appeals to the five senses

Irony - Dramatic… when the reader or audience knows something a character does
not
Situational… when there is a disparity between what is expected and what
actually occurs
Verbal… when the speaker says one thing but means the opposite

Metaphor – an implied comparison between dissimilar objects: “Her talent

blossomed”

Motif- a recurring feature of a literary work that is related to the theme

Mood- mood is a device that evokes certain feelings for readers through a work’s
setting, tone, theme, and diction. It’s also referred to as the “atmosphere” of a piece.

Onomatopoeia – use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning: “hiss”

Oxymoron – phrase that consists of two words that are contradictory: “living dead” or
“cruel kindness”

Personification – figure of speech in which non-human things are given human

characteristics

Plot- The sequence of events in a literary work

Point of view- the vantage point or perspective from which a literary work is told…
1st person point of view- the narrator is a character in the story
(use of ‘I’)
3rdPerson Objective: The narrator is an outsider who can report only
what he or she sees and hears. This narrator can tell us what is
happening, but he can’t tell us the thoughts of the characters.

3rd Person Limited: The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind
of one of the characters.

3rd Person Omniscient: The narrator is an all-knowing outsider

who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters.

Protagonist- the main character in a literary work

Rhyme – repetition of similar or identical sounds: “look and crook”

Setting- The time and place of a literary work. The Book Thief is set in Germany
during WW2.
Simile – a direct comparison of dissimilar objects, usually using like or as: “I
wandered lonely as a cloud”

Symbol/symbolism – one thing (object, person, place) used to represent something

else.

Theme – the underlying main idea of a literary work. Theme differs from the subject
of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about the subject.

Tone – the author’s attitude toward the subject of a work.