Education Synthesis Essay Example

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela). Education is a skill used to dominate, a skill used to assist, and skill to rise. Calvin Coolidge vocalized, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence...Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent” (Calvin Coolidge). Education through these three novels seems to be a key point of success along with persistence. In Elena Ferrante’s novel, My Brilliant Friend, Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated, and Fareed Zakaria’s autobiography, In Defense of a Liberal Education they all have a common theme of how education has a forceful effect on not only ourselves but on others as well. Success is defined by the will to work for your education and is not handed to one nor is work ethic. Education can seize the world around you, work ethic can determine how far an individual might go to prove the resilience of one’s character, and overcome the obstacles while persisting through challenges. 

Education has the potential to make the world stop, and make one utterly focused to achieve a goal. Education throughout these three stories has been learned to treat it as it is sacred because you never know when it shall be gone. Fareed Zakaria gives voice to his concerns over losing the Liberal Education to different subjects, but mentions, “But in America itself, a Liberal Education is out of favor” (Zakaria 179). He knows that as this disappears a powerful piece of America will be lost, Fareed Zakaria’s goal is Liberal Education. In Ferrante’s novel, My Brilliant Friend, the main character Elena uses her education to rise above, and look deeper into situations around her. The narrator voices, “Not only did she know how to wound with words but that she would kill without hesitation” (Ferrante 143). Elena dives deeper underneath situations to seize an opportunity to learn more in-depth about her friend Lila. In Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated Tara uses every moment to stop the world around her and focus on education. She leaves her home she has never left to pursue education. She stops the world around her to better her education. Elena states, “On New Year’s Day, Mother drove me to my new life” (Westover 153). She left everything she knew for the opportunity of being educated. Many put their education first while leaving the world behind them to come to America to receive a better education. Many immigrants who come to America receive education for themselves. 12.6 million immigrants have a degree. 

The willingness to work hard for your success is the route of an educated individual. Having a drive with a will to work is the most important thing for education. Zakaria notes in his autobiography, “Another set of exams...they determined our educational futures, as we were reminded again and again” (Zakaria 183). This shows how hard one must work on a single exam to better their educational odds in the future. Hard Work is always present. In Ferrante’s novel, My Brilliant Friend the main character Elena uses her motivation as competition, the urge to be better. “I was afraid of getting bad grades” (Ferrante 101). She also declares, “However if I came in second...I wore a meek expression of acquiescence” (Ferrante 47). She constantly wanted to be the best, this is how she received success, through the will of hard work. In Westover’s memoir, Educated she continues to work hard throughout her studies, but goes above and beyond to earn a scholarship so she can further her education. She does not stop but keeps pushing despite adversity. “I made flashcards...spent hours memorizing odd spellings, many of them French” (Westover 165). She worked hard to receive the scholarship and did not settle for anything less. Hard work is the root of success among all, education can not be withheld without the pursuit of perseverance. Proof that hard work pays off is displayed from figures like Michael Jordan who despite getting cut from his high school basketball team came back and worked even harder than before. He proved himself and then became one of the greatest of all time. Hard work is displayed in a vast amount of ways including those who rise above others and put time and dedication into what they do. 

Education can be different for all, but it makes no sense that it will be easy. Education no matter which form has obstacles to overcome. In Zakaria’s autobiography, he concludes picking a major, yet he still does not know the meaning of a liberal education. Despite the passion he has for history he now has to learn the meaning of a Liberal Education as he notes, “I was going to get a liberal education…But still, I couldn't have answered what a liberal education is” (Zakaria 39)? Overcoming what you are learning might be the most difficult thing of them all. My Brilliant Friend Elena’s obstacle in education is not realizing the true value of it. Many around her did not have what she did. She states, “For the first few months I lived my new scholastic life in silence...sitting in one of the rows at the back...could barely see teachers” (Ferrante 156). She did not understand the value of what she had the privilege to receive. This was what was hard for Elena’s education. It will not become easy to understand the value of what she was obtaining. The difficult part for Tara Westover from the memoir, Educated was her family she had to overcome to achieve her education. They disagreed strongly with the willingness to be in a public school system or be seen by the government. This made it difficult for Westover to receive the education she wanted.  Her persistence throughout the process kept her going to achieve her dream. She is describing an interaction between herself and her father uttering, “Never looking directly at me… that night, there was never any question of whether I would go or stay” (Westover 147). Her obstacles were within her own home, but she overcame them putting herself first. She became even stronger from this. Many people throughout history have to overcome obstacles to reach a goal. Walt Disney was one of the most known people in America. But, he was not always rich and well known. His past was full of obstacles that he had to overcome. Poverty is the main challenge. He used drawing to cope and he persevered throughout his life leading him to be who he is now known as the modern-day. Obstacles will always be present in anything that is trying to be achieved. The greatest of all time withstand obstacles and persist through them to be even better than before. 

Education is power, education is dedication, and education is something sacred that should never be taken for granted. The work ethic, drive, and perseverance keeps you going to achieve your goals, become successful, and overcome obstacles that one might endure. The oath to education is not linear. It will not be simple and one must work to be educated. In all three books Tara Westover from her memoir, Educated, Fareed Zakaria autobiography, In Defence of a Liberal Education, and Elena Ferrante's novel, My Brilliant Friend all three face stepbacks, but nothing compares to their comeback and result with their education.