Brandon Colcord
Professor Frank
English 110
October 11th, 2021
Questions For Engaging Newstok
-Martin Luther King Jr.
-William Shakespeare
-Antonio Gramsci
-Michel De Montaigne
-John Coltrane
-Elena Ferrante
-Hannah Arendt
-John Keats
-Zadie Smith
-Abraham Flexner
-Mary Carruthers
-Bart Van Es
-Lynn Enterline
-Christopher Grubb
-Francis Bacon
-Antonio Gramsci (dead)
-Michel De Montaigne (dead) French Renaissance
-John Coltrane (dead) Jazz Saxophonist
-Elena Ferrante (Alive) Italian Novelist
-Hannah Arendt (dead) American Political Theorist
-John Keats (dead) English Poet
-Zadie Smith (alive) English Novelist
-Abraham Flexner (dead) American Educator
-Mary Carruthers (Alive? Maybe) Unknown
-Bart Van Es (Alive) Literary Critic and Writer
-Lynn Enterline (Alive) Unknown
-Christopher Grubb (Alive) Unknown
-Francis Bacon (Dead) English Philosopher
-Martin Luther King Jr, I believe Sullivan chose this speaker to support his claim that reading is imperative. Not only is Martin Luther King very influential as a person, but quoting him does nothing but benefit your piece of writing regardless of who you are. In my opinion, that’s the strength behind this individual. I also believe the quote itself played a big part because for Martin Luther King to tell me reading helps you focus and gives you the ability to produce more subjects to focus on makes me as the reader want to proceed to see where Sullivan is going in this article.
- I think Scott L. Newstok puts a lot of pressure on the fact the education system is currently flawed because of the No Child Left Behind Act. He is making it seem like we are helpless at the moment. He could take into consideration that there is time to fix our education system. 2001 the Act was put in place meaning it took 15 years to notice the flaw? I’m sure if he considered how hard it is to retain the knowledge that he considers “useless” yet “useful” and the fact people aren’t as disciplined due to the cultural changes compared to the eighteenth century. He may even be able to give us a solution rather than vacuum as much knowledge from wherever and whomever and I personally think useless knowledge just takes up space.
The current education system is preventing our minds from expanding past circling A, B, C, or D on a test. “The ones who have been assessing you for the past dozen years-act as if cognitive “skills” can somehow be taught in the abstract, independent of content.” (Newstok, Pg 4, Par 3). This explains how you can’t teach creativity, yet you’re not born with it either. You learn it through others as Newstok is trying to point out. How though with this in mind does someone learn how to be creative enough to become successful?
Work Cited
Newstok, Scott. “How to Think Like Shakespeare” The Chronicle Of A Higher Education, August 29, 2016, No Pg.
