David Dempsey

Ms. Soring

AP Language and Composition

9/3/16

"School," by Kyoko Mori, is effective in pointing out the differences between the

Japanese and United States education. According to her, the schooling system is more worried

about perfection, down to the smallest detail, while in the US education system is more focused

on the bigger picture. She based her claims off of personal experience, she was schooled in Japan

for her primary education, and she went to college in the US, and later taught in an American

school. While she tries to remain objective while giving stories of personal events, it would start

to have a negative light when she told of experiences from her Japanese schooling. This change

in attitude enhances her analysis, due to the fact that it shows how a student feels about the

system, rather than just listing facts. Other stories have effective strategies to prove their point,

but personal experience is one of the best ways to achieve a purpose. "A Talk to Teachers," by

James Baldwin, has a personal tone, which makes it feel like the reader can connect with the

author. He talks of the American culture, the "Stars and Stripes" in an effort to connect with the

American reader. Personal experience allows the audience to connect with author better than if

the author just uses a personal tone in their work. Similarly, "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood,"

goes into great detail of a solution to a supposedly broken education system. The author, Leon

Bolstein, gives specific plans that could be implemented. Mori, also goes into detail on her

solution, although it was not as in depth. She wants to mix the focus of both the Japanese and the
United States education system. The perfect blend of big picture and small detail, the best of both

worlds.