Analysis of Minot
In Walter Minot's essay "Students Who Push Burgers", he attempts to convince his readers that the decline in educational performance among high-school and college students is caused by unnecessary employment. He feels that students should not work while going to school, instead focusing their time on their academics. Minot brings up many valid points throughout the essay, however, there are many instances which he has neglected to address where employment can be useful, rewarding and at times even necessary. Minot claims that students who work full or even part time jobs have insufficient time for their studies, spending all of their free time having fun and rewarding themselves for their long day's work (728). Even though he has a valid point in that working will take time away from your day, stating that all working students waste their free time is a harsh overgeneralization. Not all people are completely void of any self control. In fact, students who are forced to have less time to waste after coming home from work, in most cases will use that time more thoroughly than those who have countless hours at their disposal. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Leisure is time for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent ma
Minot may argue that paying for alternative housing is unnecessary; why waste time working to afford your own place when you can live with your parents and save your money? This philosophy does make sense because of the money and time that can be saved, but sometimes living at home is impractical, for instance if your parents' residence is an hour away from campus it can add up to being late or missing class on a regular basis. When you have to work to attain something, the value of that which you have achieved increases dramatically. The benefits of not working can pay off in the long run assuming that person manages their time well and focuses on their academic goals. This again is a negative assumption of all students. Attempting to backup his position further Minot uses various anecdotes from his childhood, reminiscing on "the way it use to be" when he was in school. Many families simply cannot afford to send their children through college while struggling with their own bills and debt. Tuition has steadily been increasing for years, in fact even doubling in fall 2003 statewide. If you have everything handed to you throughout your entire adolescence and early adult life, you're not going to appreciate the value of that which has been spoon-fed to you. This has forced many students into the job field just to afford classes, let alone pay for transportation, food and board. Will he appreciate and respect that gift as much as his classmate who worked for three years to buy a vehicle himself, spending his own hard earned cash? I cherish the money I earn much more than money that is handed to me because it's achieved through my hardship and effort. While there are many issues which Minot has unfortunately neglected, much of his reasoning is very credible. Minot argues students who work don't save their money anyway, they spend it instantly on luxury items; clothes, music, electronics and vehicles (727). Eventually that could impact more on a student's education than the time spent working to afford a more practical residential location. Society is much different, and in many ways much harsher than it was in the fifties.
Common topics in this essay:
Franklin Leisure,
Push Burgers,
Walter Minot's,
money earn,
appreciate value,
save money,
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Acceptance Essays
