SOAPST

Ralph Waldo Emerson's Education addresses matters in the 1820's to 1830s, that are still coming up today. The Speaker of the piece is Ralph Waldo Emerson, an influential writer and thinker during the 1800s. The Occasion is the 1820's to 1830's. The Audience is everyone, especially future educators and students. The Purpose of the piece is to call out the problems, and inform people of them, some of the main problems being the education system. The Subject of the piece, is the education system, how students are being taught, educational reform, and how to effectively teach students. Emerson says that teachers must not only teach writing and math, but also include, wit, thought, creativity, and imagination. The Tone of the piece is very confident, friendly, informative, and educative. The use of diction in the piece allows for students now to be able to read and understand the piece without struggle, which is impressive for an essay written in the 1800s. Emerson is able to present his ideas, and worries formally and simply, speaking about the "genius" one can find in himself. He brings in the fact that enthusiasm to learn is declining, and will continue to decline due to how the educational system works and is composed. Even now, the education system seems to not teach a true education. This is one of the many reasons that the education system must change, not for a few, but for everyone.