Immediate Context–
Yo-Yo Ma had his essay “Necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” originally published on the World-Post, an online news and blog site created through a partnership between liberal news aggregator the Huffington Post an nonpartisan think tank the Berggruen Institute on Governance. Ma’s essay was published in January 2014, the same year that the site was launched. I can tell from Ma’s bio that he is a big advocate and enthusiast for the arts.
Imposed Text–
My purpose for reading this text is to gain information for English class. I’m not reading this out of interest or for pleasure, but for information.
Internal Context–
Ma talks about the importance of art in STEM, now called STEAM. His essay is saying that the arts are an integral part of science, and that it is the edge of art and science where true innovation comes from. He argues that art should be crossed with science for a better educated person.
Unfamiliar Words–
empathetic-showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
globalization-the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
neural pathway-a pathway that serves to connect relatively distant areas of the brain or nervous system is a bundle of neurons, known collectively as white matter.
Mitch,
Be careful: I’m not sure if Ma is saying that the arts are necessarily an integral part of science, but I would agree that he argues that folding the arts into the STEM acronym will lead to a better educated person. As always, thanks for your honesty. I think it’s important to note when you don’t enjoy reading something. Those reasons (WHY you don’t enjoy reading something) can prove informative. You can take this information and use it to critically engage with the text. 3/3