Analyzing My Own Assumptions

Once again, I will be turning to questions provided by Writing Public Lives in order to reflect on my personal relationship with the cultural context of my article.

1. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc. do we share with the society or culture in which the text was written? Why have they endured?

                  Regarding an overall political standpoint related to the article, I agree with its liberal message. I, being a liberal, agree with the majority of arguments made in the document, including the fact that there is inequality, there is a dire need to correct that inequality, and that if that change doesn't happen in the way that it should, there is bound to be more issues. I believe very strongly in education equality because I feel that it is through education that we will achieve equal opportunity for all citizens, so I strongly agree with the message of the article.

                  In terms of enduring, the article itself was published recently and hasn't had to endure a long period of criticism. The ideas in the article have been present for society ranging from decades to months, but all of them have endured because they have an everyday impact on the lives of those it has influenced.

2. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc. do we not share? Why not?

                  One particular area of the article that I have some qualms with is the stagnation regarding education reform. While Duncan does feel passionately about the need for funding to be redirected, he is not offering much reform opportunity. That is not to say that I support conservative legislature, I just don't agree with Duncan's lack of alternative. He has stood by No Child Left Behind, which I feel is also extremely harmful to the education system as of this moment.

3. If the text is written in a culture distant or different from our own, what social beliefs, values, etc. connect to or reflect to our own culture? What social values, beliefs, etc can we not see in our own culture?

Joydeep, "Time" 9/29/13 via Flickr.com

                   The text was written in the culture that I'm familiar with (the one that I grew up in).

4. If the text is written in our culture but in a different historical time, how have the social values, beliefs etc., developed or changed over time?

                    The text was written in March of this year, making it very recent and written in the current time period.