Where Are You and What Are You Doing Here?

Written by Mark Edmundson

In the essay, Where Are You and What Are You Doing Here?, Mark Edmundson explains the importance of getting the best education possible and chooses the path in life that best satisfies who you are as a person. In college, there are many distractions, including your professor. According to Edmundson, many professors only care about whether or not students pass the class, and do not educate students to their full potential. All students, not only have to put the effort in to succeed in college, but also have to push their professors in order to become more educated. Also, Edmundson stresses that by working hard in college and exploring different career paths, students will find what occupation interests them. Mark Edmundson is a professor at the University of Virginia. Every year, he sees students struggle to attain the bear minimum in order to pass his class and graduate. Growing up, Edmundson also was unsure of what career path he wanted to follow, until he went to college and found that his passion is teaching others. In the essay, Edmundson approaches this topic by telling the reader about himself and focusing on his college experience. His main goal in the essay is to convince people to take college seriously and choose the job that you have fun doing, not the job with the highest pay and most benefits. Edmundson aims this argument towards high school and college students who will have these important decisions to make in the future. In his writing, Edmundson uses hyperboles to exaggerate the important of education and describe the carelessness colleges’ show towards students. He argues that colleges rarely punish students for misbehaving and underachieving because, “The student will sue [its] eyes out” (Edmundson 92). In my opinion, this hyperbole does a great job of convincing the reader that most colleges fear students and do not care much about the education they receive. Ultimately, Mark Edmundson is able to achieve his purpose, with the help of rhetorical devices, and convince students to try hard and do what interests them.

Source- blogspot.com

Edmundson argues that working hard in school creates opportunities, 

which allows you to do the job you love and make a difference.