Chapter Three Summary and Analysis of In Defense

Chapter Three Summary and Analysis

In chapter three of In Defense of a Liberal Education, Zakaria talks about the main three things that a liberal education helps a student achieve.  At the beginning of the chapter, Zakaria writes, “the central virtue of a liberal education is that it teaches you how to write, and writing makes you think” (73).  He tells the reader that liberal education teaches a student how to write.  He believes that in order to write, you must think first.  Therefore, if liberal education teaches a student how to write, it also teaches them how to think.  Next, Zakaria says that liberal education teaches a student how to speak.  He notes that if a student understands their own mind, they can use “articulate communication,” (Zakaria 75) to express their thoughts.  Liberal education teaches a student to speak by helping them effectively express their thoughts.  Lastly, Zakaria believes that a liberal education teaches a student how to learn.  Zakaria writes, “the understanding of how to acquire knowledge on my own” (78).  He is talking about his own experiences with understanding how to learn.  He believes that a liberal education forces a student to learn how their brain works.  Therefore, they are able to understand which type of learning is best for them.

Near the middle of the chapter, the tone of the text switches.  Zakaria starts off by expressing the reasons why a liberal education is important, and what it helps a student to achieve.  Then, he switches to a more informative tone.  He starts to use opinions from prestigious psychologists to back up his argument.  Zakaria uses views from Howard Gardner when he says, “there are at least eight kinds of intelligence” (79).  This relates to Zakaria’s point about learning.  Gardener acknowledges the many different types of learning.  A student chooses a method of learning that is most effective for them.

This chapter relates to Zakaria’s argument as a whole because he talks about the main achievements of a liberal education.  He believes that this type of education teaches a student how to think, speak, and learn.  Zakaria believes that these skills are three of the most important things for a student to learn.  His goal is to preserve the liberal arts.  He gives good stable points as to why people should work to save it.  He also uses opinions from experts in order to boost his credibility.