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Earl Shorris was initially certain that politics was the key in overcoming poverty. However, an encounter with Viniece Walker altered his perspective. Walker convinced him that humanities were the key out of poverty, as it paved the way for entrance in the political life. In his article “On the Uses of a Liberal Education: II. As a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor,” Shorris proved that Walker was right. Shorris tried to prove Walker's theory.
He created the Clemente Course, wherein he assembled a class from the poor community and sought to educate them in the humanities (Shorris 52).
He planned the course with the belief that humanities was necessary for reflection; it allowed people to think about what was happening to them rather than simply reacting to it (Shorris 53). Throughout the article, the author adapted an informative tone; he demonstrated every step of his experiment.
Shorris explained his planning process and also narrated the development of the course. The Clemente Course proved to be a success.
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Shorris discovered that Walker's theory was right. Learning the humanities was helpful in improving the lives of the students. Indeed, liberal education is truly a weapon against poverty.
If there were no other reason for a liberal education, it would still be worth having as a prop to set beside the restless poor and oppressed. A man who has not been taught how to use his mind is helpless before the world; he is like a child that has been driven out into the cold without its clothes, and he will perish miserably unless he can find some way to warm himself.
He may sit down anywhere and starve, or he may try to steal from others their food and clothing; but either way, if he has not learned how to think, he will never be able to make use of his experience or even learn from it.
A liberal education teaches one how to think—how not just what. It gives one knowledge of many different subjects so that they can be compared with each other and used together when necessary. But most importantly, it gives people an idea of how they fit into their world and what they can do about it.
Work Cited
Shorris, Earl. “On the Uses of a Liberal Education: II. As a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor. ” Harper's Magazine September 1997: 50-59.
Shifting Perspectives: An Encounter with Povertys Complexity. (2017, Jan 25). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/earl-shorris-essay
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