John Gatto Against School Summary

In the United States, education has not always been a right. Those that attended school moved on to their desired career path, while those without a formal education learned a tool of the trade on their own, and had the potential to become more successful than their educated peers. Time flowed on, and the education system became mandatory, which minimalized the chance of success without it, which caused the sink or swim system we know of today. In “Against School”, John Taylor Gatto expresses pure disdain for the current system, stating it does not encourage independent, critical thinking, and subjects students to division and scrutiny based on performance. Gatto argues against modern schooling due to its factory-like setting, and primary intention

As such, a logical subject demands logical considerations in order to further the system and make changes beneficial to those involved. Gatto effectively uses logos in his argument to cement that his ideals were not simply based on a whim without supporting evidence by mentioning credible people’s ideas and organizing his topics in an effective manner. He first mentions Henry Louis Mencken, a well-known American culture critic and satirist, who says the main goal of public education is to put as many people as they can at the same level of advertence, and dissuade any freedom of individuality (668). The second instance names Alexander Inglis, who is credible enough to have a Harvard lecture named in his honor, and states six basic functions of modern schooling, one of which involves an integrating function, “…its intention is to make children as alike as possible. People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force” (669). Lastly, as previously mentioned, Gatto names a contrast to these two men. James Bryan Conant, who held the title of president of Harvard for twenty years, is directly named by Gatto as the culprit of standardized testing and unsuitable conditions for teaching (669). There is a correlation in this line of thought to Gatto’s thesis because their ideas have proven to be true with his experience as a school teacher. His logos usage solidifies his argument, and is shown to be the most effectively used rhetorical device in the