TOW #7- Article: Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League

     The article "Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League" was written by William Deresiewicz, an English professor at Yale, as well as an American essayist and literary critic.  The interesting thing about this article is that it was written by a Yale professor, but it criticized Ivy League schools while revealing their true motives and what Ivy League education does to students.  The audience of this article is students deciding where they want to go to college.  William Deresiewicz convinces students not to choose an Ivy League school in order to balance the education inequality that exists in America as well as help students realize how they can get quality education from another school.  William uses figurative language and references to other authors throughout his essay to achieve his purpose.  When describing the admissions process to Ivy League schools, Deresiewicz uses a simile when he writes, "...the admissions process itself, squatting like a dragon at the entrance to adulthood," (para. 6)  The author uses this simile to describe the admissions process in order to cast a wickedness on the admissions for Ivy League schools.  He shows his audience how big of an impact they make on the lives of students as they transition into adulthood, but it also demonizes these people by comparing them to dragons.  William makes it seem as if they will blow fire-breath on a student, instantly ruining their life, if the student doesn't meet the standards of the admission process.  Another way that William encourages students to open their eyes to other schools besides Ivy League schools is by referencing other authors of essay or studies that have the same views.  For example, when describing the cons of attending an Ivy League school he writes, "'What Wall Street figured out,' as Ezra Klein has put it, 'is that colleges are producing a large number of very smart, completely confused graduates.  Kids who have ample mental horsepower, an incredible work ethic and no idea what to do next.'" (para. 24)  By referencing Klein, an American blogger and columnist, he adds support to his argument and reveals the downsides of attending an Ivy League school.  Although these kids may have super-power brains, they don't have the experience in high school or college, or even everyday life, that shows them what to do with their lives after school is over.  This article was very effective in revealing the truths about Ivy League schools using figurative language and references to other authors.  It is an eye-opener to Ivy-driven students who find themselves studying their lives away, without any end goal or purpose.  It is a call to all students to focus on getting an education that matters, and an education that is worth what they pay for.