Mark Edmundson's Rhetorical Analysis: On The Use Of A Liberal Education

Dean Bell
Kathy Rowley
English 201-12
04/18/12
Rhetorical Analysis:
Consumerism is Consuming Education Mark Edmundson’s article, “On the Use of a Liberal Education”, was originally published in Harpers in 1997. In this article, Edmundson States, “My overall point is this: It’s not that a left-wing professorial coup has taken over the university. It’s that at American Universities, left-liberal politics have collided with the ethos of consumerism. The consumer ethos is winning” (par. 50). This article is about how young minds have been molded into a consumer way of thinking and how that way of thinking is polluting the institutions of higher education. A reader might see this article as an eye opener that is full of reliable information…show more content…
He believes that the universities started to cater to the consumer after the influx of students from the baby boomer era with support from the G.I. bill (par.28). After the influx, the universities turned its attention to making the consumer happy. A happy consumer is defined by Edmundson as, “one with multiple options, one who can have what he wants. And since a course is something the student and their parents have bought and paid for, why can’t they do with it pretty much as they please” (par. 31). The problem with this way of thinking is that one will never experience things that could have been mind altering, just because they don’t like something about it. A college financial officer broke the evolution of higher education down for Edmundson in layman’s terms: “Colleges don’t have admissions offices anymore, they have marketing departments” (par. 27). The change in the universities was inevitable according to Edmundson, and it was the only way the colleges could stay in business. Edmundson claims that it was at this turning point that the universities had to stay attractive to the students and the only way to do so was to loosen up. The loosening up of schools lead to an inflation in student’s grades, and a more relaxed set of requirements for majors. Edmundson has also noticed a change in the physical layout of his school over the past years…show more content…
The reason one might think that he is trying to teach his readers is because he gives them all the information that is necessary to form their own ideas and opinions about this situation. This formulation of one’s own unique ideas and opinions that they are passionate about is something that a reader can senses is very important to Edumundson. The author points out the fact that “there’s little fire, little passion to be found” in his students and when he does find a student that possesses those qualities it is a treat to teach them. Edumundson is also attempting to persuade his readers by using an objective tone in his writing. His tone makes it very clear that he is against consumerism and its effect on higher education. The author also appeals to ones pathos by saying that people who conform to this way of thinking will become one-dimensional and a majority of people would not like to imagine themselves as one-dimensional. Edmundson defines one-dimensional people as, “people who live for easy pleasures, for comfort and prosperity, who think of money first, then second, and third, who hug the status quo; people who believe in God as a sort of insurance policy (cover your bets); people who are never surprised” (par. 56). This definition also might appeal to a student’s logos because the claims can be supported with evidence that can be seen in abundance in today’s society, which gives this