A Question of Honor written by W. M. Chase ARTICLE REVIEW
The essay taken for analysis is A Question of Honor written by W. M. Chase. The article focuses on the condition of American Higher Education system. The author touches upon various institutes that are to be blamed for the way students have stopped taking an interest in acquiring education from colleges and universities. He then proceeds to talk about the concept of originality and what it means for a student to come up with a piece of work that reflects his or her thoughts and opinions. The primary focus throughout the essay is on the importance of education and ending the element of plagiarism from schools. Chase refers to different intellectuals throughout the article to present a strong argument against the deteriorating condition of schools.
Chase begins the article by addressing the situation of American colleges and universities and states that recent studies show that the students are not putting any effort in the studying process (Chace). He says that students are not learning as much now and they are also studying less day by day. Chase refers to two sociologists in the article Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa and states their viewpoints which highlight the situation of American higher education system. The two sociologists assert that the higher education has been divided into two groups; those that learn and those that don’t learn (Chace). Chase then continues to highlight the fact the school is not to be taken as a luxury by the American society and refers to President Obama’s speech in which he stated that the prices of tuition cannot and should not rise. He addresses various aspects of teaching methods that need to be refined to make the students learn more and on their own so that they absorb what they are being taught at school. Chase worries that the deviation from the ethical methods towards illegal means of completing assignments is one of the reasons why the quality of education is dropping further. He also mentions the communication gap that keeps increasing between the students and the teachers. When the teacher is unable to get his or point across to the students, then it affects the student’s grades.
Chase poses the question that who should be blamed for the downfall of the education system as the universities are already suffering and no one is ready to take the blame for it. Chases mention different kinds of cheating techniques that are utilized by students at schools. Chase then presents a counter argument by saying that students need to equip themselves with knowledge regarding academic principles. He mentions that students who do not follow the rules of coming up with original works and instead deviate from the norms of education, become used to this method and are unable to achieve anything. The focus should not lie on schools and their policies instead the students need to amend their habits (Chace). They need to focus more on how to get good grades without cheating through the exams or submitting plagiarized assignments to the teachers. Chase’s points can be agreed upon as schools should not be entirely blamed. Instead, students need to take responsibility for their actions. They need to learn that as they grow up, they will have to learn different ways to survive in the society. Therefore, if they cannot compete with other students by honing their skills, then they will not get far.
In conclusion, it can be said that Chase is right in his argument about the students not making enough effort in their studies. Students need to believe in themselves and their skills and come up with works that are original and express their thoughts. They should not turn towards plagiarized works to get better grades because they might not be aware that their plagiarism is easily visible and is the cause of bad grades. Therefore, to make the education system better, students need to put in all their effort in studying.
Works Cited
Chace, William. “A Question Of Honor.” The American Scholar, 2018, https://theamericanscholar.org/a-question-of-honor/#.