The true meaning of democracy, in my opinion, is a government made by the people of a country, for the purpose of serving its people. The citizens of a democratic country pick, from amongst their own, those who they see the most fit to fill their needs and govern the country justly. And from each generation there will be a new round of people to join in becoming the gears that make the system of democracy turn. It only makes sense, then, that each generation should be properly educated to satisfy this role. While private schools may provide quality educations, it hardly seems fair to burden the public with such high costs, in order to have a competent future generation running the country. The duty of any proper country, especially a democracy, as it relies on its people to keep it functioning, should be to provide its population with the tools they need to keep the country going successfully. In fact, it almost seems self-destructive for a country to deny its citizens a free, decent education, as it would prevent them from producing a well-functioning country in the future.
A well-rounded education is obviously very important. A well-educated public leads to a proficient work force in every profession. More importantly, however, American public schools should also teach their students to realize their own opinions and question the world around them. Especially in a democratic society, the importance of free speech and an open mind is key. If the citizens of a democracy cannot realize their own beliefs, then how can they choose what they really want out of their government? Unfortunately, many American public schools decided to let their students’ opinions be swayed by so called “neutral” textbooks, or other outside forces, such as news propaganda, as was demonstrated by the quote from To Kill a Mockingbird. Citizens of a democratic country should be aware of the world around them and form opinions on all worldly events in an analytical style that should be afforded to them by all forms of basic, public education. If people cannot judge for themselves their own rights and wrongs, then what makes them worthy enough to live in a democratic environment and not as controlled, compliant citizens of a dictatorship?
Could you put quotations around the quote from To Kill a Mockingbird? I can't seem to figure out what /where it is
ReplyDeleteKevin, I'm pretty sure that Emma was referring to the quote from the prompt when she mentioned the quote from To Kill a Mockingbird. I could be wrong though.
ReplyDeleteOk, Emma, let me get to the bad news first. Your first paragraph is tainted by numerous technical mistakes. First, "who they see the most fit" should be "whom." Second, I am confused about whom the "gears" that you talk about are supposed to represent. Are the "gears" the voters or the public officials whom they vote for? Similarly, I am unsure what you mean when you refer to "this role." Again, is the "role" one of voting or serving? Finally, this sentence confuses me: "While private schools may provide quality educations, it hardly seems fair to burden the public with such high costs, in order to have a competent future generation running the country." This is a classic example of why the word "it" is so inadequate without a definite antecedent. I truly have no idea what "it" is, and as a result, I have no idea what this sentence means. I think you, more than some others, really need to be careful of this.
ReplyDeleteOk, now on to the good news. Starting with the final sentence of your first paragraph, your post is wonderful. Your idea about democracy sanctioning intellectual autonomy and the freedom to think independently is spot-on. You are absolutely correct in my mind: "Especially in a democratic society, the importance of free speech and an open mind is key." The ability to present our own thoughts, free from dogmatic influences, defines who we are. It is the role of the public school to foster this. I am really glad that you identified this. The schools cannot allow students to appear as "compliant citizens of a dictatorship."
Oddly, your second paragraph is flawlessly written. I am not sure why there are so many linguistic bumps in your first paragraph. Clearly you are a good writer.