300 Word Response to "In Search of...Something"

In the essay “In Search of… Something” the writer, Skye Bass, explained her view of college and she explained how college is viewed by others. People want to be insanely rich and want mansions and servant; they think they will achieve all this by going to college. College is going to be the solution to all the financial problems people are having, and college is going to give me a dream lifestyle.
In fourth grade, Skye Bass, the writer, had to write down all the things she wanted in life. She wrote down that she wanted a mansion with servant, she wanted to be rich, and she wanted to write magnificent books. When her teacher gave her back the paper it said, “GO TO COLLEGE” on the top. She then began to think that college was going to be the way to become wealthy and happy. Until, one day in her sociology class, she learned about the poverty and in inequalities of the Third World countries. This changed her outlook on college completely. Bass then felt selfish about wanting to be insanely rich and instead wanted to gain an education once out of college.
I can relate to this story because, I too, like Bass, wanted to become rich, and have huge houses with servants to do my chores, and I wanted nice cars. But then I started watching programs on Third World countries, and I realized that those people had nothing. And in their life it would be almost impossible for those Third World people to have all of what I already have-a nice house, enough money for shoes and food, and an education. Thinking about that, I felt selfish for wanting more than what I really need, instead of wanting a better education; and even a way to help the Third World Countries. I now donate every month, I am now looking forward to the academic challenges I will face in college.

In Search Of.......Something

Writing Strategies

1.) What points does Bass make through personal anecdote? How else might she have made these same points?

One personal anecdote was telling how she had to write down all of the things that she wanted in her life. She filled the paper with things like mansions, servants, and money! Then her teacher wrote on the paper " GO TO COLLEGE " as the response. So by using this anecdote students will think that college is the answer to how to get everything you want in life.
Bass could have made the same point by using something that is not a personal anecdote. Or by using statistics to show if students think of college as the way to get the riches in life.



Exploring Ideas

1.) How did Bass's sociology class help her to think differently about the concept of education?

Bass's sociology class helped her to change the way she looked at college, and changed what she was going to college for. In the class she was shown of Third World poverty, and that how we live and what we have, would be almost impossible for people in the Third World country to ever achieve. Now knowing that she has more than most people will ever have, she began to change what she wanted out of college. Bass felt selfish when she thought of just wanting to be rich when she got out of college. She did not just want to be insanely rich when graduating from college, but she wanted to gain a higher education.