The Transformation of The Scholar

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Recommended: gender issues and education

In the past the education has been dominated by the male, but as of late the female has become the new face of the scholar. In the feminist push for gender equality the male has been left to fend for himself in the public school environment. There is evidence saying that women are reading more than men, the first part of the problem. Another underlying cause is that the public school system is not geared to promote male interest in reading or education. Also with the spotlight being shined on female success the males are often left in the dark. These factors have contributed to the large gap in education between genders in the public school system.
Today our culture encourages the fact that boys read less than girls.In the early beginnings of writing, stories of wild adventure and long journeys were prominent in culture, with the classic hero's journey being a symbol for a male on a quest. But books focus on heroines such as Bella Swan from Twilight, Bella’s narrative is a love story with many an intricate plot that includes the issues of body image, moral predicaments, and near death experiences. As a male I can say nothing would interest me in the least if I was forced to read it in a class. Books such as this prove how the popular texts of late are geared for the female mind. “ It has long been known that the differences are strong between boys and girls in literary proficiency”(Bauerlein). In public schools especially there has been a growing gap between boys and girls, and how much they are reading. Girls have been noticed to be determined to read significantly more, this may be a factor in why in 2002 a study was published that said girls on average score nearly 3 times as high as boys in a reading proficiency test(Bauer...

... middle of paper ...

...imply put boys are being behind in school.

It seems that in the age of equality we have an unequal balance in the public school system. The male has lost his drive to stay up all night reading the latest narrative, instead the female between the sheets with the latest love story. With girls outperforming boys in each class as a whole, guys are . The boys are alienated with few exploring the wonderful world of academic excellence.It seems that the classic image of the scholar has changed, pop culture has forged the image of the female in favor of the male.

Works Cited

Baurline, Mark, and Sandra Stotsky. “Why Johnny Won’t Read.” The Language of Composition. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Brooks, David. “Mind over Muscle” The Language of Composition. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St.

Hulbert, Ann. “Boy Problems.” The Language of Composition. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St.

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