Kafka Was the Rage- A Greenwhich Village Memoir
Anatole Broyard’s novel Kafka Was the Rage- A Greenwich Village Memoir has a thought-provoking religious undertone. Sex is a central subject in the book, and just as soon as this topic is aroused religion is included. “ I was the only son of a Catholic family from the French Quarter in New Orleans, and no one is so sexually demented as the French bourgeoisie especially when you add a colonial twist” (pg. 9). I’m catholic and I would have thought that Catholics in the 1940’s would be much more firm in their religious convictions than what this statement suggests. This continues throughout the book. In the second part of the book on page 93, the topic of evangelical elements and redemption are considered and the author makes this comment “He was a type that was fairly common at the time but that seems to have gone out of style.” This is noteworthy because it seems that atheism has grown in the recent 10-12 years and that the percentage of atheists in the 1940s would be extremely low, and maybe look down upon. Furthermore author continually shows curiosity in Judaism. I think this book converses about many different universal and timeless topics.
This was just one stimulating statement that I read. “Education was chic and sexy in those days. It was not yet open to the public” (pg. 14). This was just mentioned on one page in the first part of the book but it really stood out to me. Sometimes I feel that education is open to the public but is still separated. Some students are able to receive a wonderful education because of their social status or the regions in which they live in, where as others are stuck in schools that are falling apart and aren’t able to receive the best education possible. I am not talking about college but about K-12, most importantly high school. In my high school I was only able to take 3 AP classes that was all that was offered. We did not have IB or whatever else there is. I know students who go to college with over 25 credits. I would love to have at least 8. My school was not a horrible school; but it did lack in areas because I am from a very small rural town. Subsequently I think that some high school and grade schools are more exclusive and give more opportunities to students based on area and sometimes income therefore it could be parallel to Broyard’s comment.
I agree with you that sometimes it does feel like education can seem private and not completely open to the public because of different educational systems. My school system in high school was similar to yours, as I came from a small town. In high school, only a few AP courses and honors courses were even offered and only a select few people were able to take these courses. However, I definitely don’t feel like education is privatized modernly. Each school system gives each student as many opportunities they can based on the resources they are given. Each school is run completely differently, with different sets of values and codes that govern the educational system. I think the fact that all of us come from extremely different educational backgrounds is actually beneficial. We are able to learn from each other based on our different experiences with education.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think that students from "small town schools" or inner-city schools ultimately have any less opportunity than other students. For instance, I come from a relatively large high school in Grand Rapids Michigan. Many AP classes are offered, and are open to anyone up for the challenge. However, the competition in my school was so great that people who perhaps deserved more opportunity didn't receive it. I know of several kids from my high school who had higher credentials in all areas than my cousins from small-town schools, but didn't get in to U of M simply because universities want to accept only a limited amount of students from a single high school. Perhaps one could argue that this is fair however, because it gives students who didn't necessarily have the best education in high school a greater opportunity to make up for it at a good university. And ultimately, like Nicole said, the culmination of different educational backgrounds is what shapes society.
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ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very interesting point about education being limited for people from different social statuses or geographic regions. It's very obvious to me that people from wealthy families have better access to education than people from middle or lower class families. I have several friends whose parents were able to send them to private high schools, where they received more specialized attention from their teachers than I did at my public suburban school. Those who were pursuing scientific and medical careers were able to participate in many research projects, something that was unheard of in my high school. And almost all of them went on to attend Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and similar top universities, whereas only one or two students from my high school got into these universities each year.
ReplyDeleteWe've already discussed how geographic location affects education, but I think wealth also plays an important role.
Education is an interesting topic in the United States, especially now in light of all the recent budget cuts in this area. I went to a private school commonly known as the "best education" one could get where I live, and the demographics directly reflected that this "best education" was almost exclusively available to people who could afford the $27,000 a year tuition. From my viewpoint, I agree that geographic location and wealth play an important role, but government initiatives and standardized testing also play significant roles. The No Child Left Behind act from Bush essentially did the opposite of it's name, as funding was pulled from schools with lower test scores and given to schools with higher ones, further disadvantaging inner city schools. Standardized testing, although some deem it necessary, in my eyes only tracks, sorts and divides students on arbitrary lines. What does it mean that people take classes to study how to take the SAT or the ACT? It's not about your knowledge, who you are as an individual, your potential or your dedication to your education. And as far as access to APs goes, there is an overwhelming number of high schools where there is a 60 student cap on classes and where toilet paper is no where to be found. I just think there are fundamental issues that must be address in the education system. We have to entirely rethink what an education is and where it fits into the priority list of our society.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely true. I didn't really realize that schools differ in opportunities until I talked to kids from other schools. My elementary school was known as the "rich kid school" because our school had a lot of kids that came from the rich neighborhoods of Ann Arbor. I didn't really know that because I wasn't from that neighborhood. Our school had lots of after school language programs and an end of the year trip to space camp in alabama. I thought all schools did that until I started talking with kids from other elementary schools. They didn't have as much programs or traveling opportunities as our school because they lived in a different area. But I don't think that smaller towns equal smaller education opportunities. I think they probably just specialize more because they're aren't as many students in those schools compared to the bigger schools. I feel like if students really wanted to receive a good education, they could find opportunities outside of school (like going to other big schools for certain classes) that they could take. In fact, the kids in Community high school (in Ann Arbor) go to the bigger high schools for certain APs because they don't have them at Community.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that this blog post is a very refreshing one because it relates the novel to a very relatable issue that many can offer different perspectives on. First of all, I do agree with you claim that sometimes a good education is not easily accessible by all due to one's income and other expenses. Your point is valid, in that, many people across the US do have a disadvantage not only throughout high school, but also while entering college because of the wide variety of AP credits that many students have the ability and accessibility of obtaining. Although I graduated high school having taken only 2 AP classes, many of my classmates graduated with 12 or more. Although I was aware of the fact that not all schools provide many AP classes, I did not think about how much it would affect those students not only throughout high school, but more so in college.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is late!! I lost track of time!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this book takes a look at many different aspects of something, such as religion, and tries to tie them together to see the differences and qualities.
As for your commentary on education, I also agree with what you said, but I can see it from the opposite side. I came from a very affluent city with great schools and I feel blessed for the education I received. I do see your point and I feel that education quality should not be dependent on location or economic status. As an out-of-state student, I know what it feels like to pay a higher price to go to a better school and even more so because my sister also goes here. As much as the thought of money is frightening to me, I would not change my college choice for anything.