"The Great Unwashed" and Literary Boundaries

After today’s class on my way to work, I further ran over some topics from class that left me with some questions and assertions. To begin with, in the writing “Modern Authors” by Rebecca Moore Howard she discusses the notion of high/low culture with “The Great Unwashed.” I, like her, feel the need to criticize the assumption that students are lower in society and culture because they do not have their PhDs or are published. The main reason for my defense in due to the fact that those people that are “high” in society, such as doctors, have all once started out as students. They are not born a pure genius without any direction or teaching from outsiders. Therefore, they could not have been at the place they are at now, without starting out as a student. The same goes for the people who have felt the need to title students as “The Great Unwashed.” The reason they are published is because they were once taught how to read and write.

My other concern was with putting the Classical authors in this boundary of their own, which brings up problems dealing with leaving out other great writings that might have a been falsely judged. For example, last week in my Food Science 301 class we found out that Glamour magazine was rated the second highest of top magazines purchased for displaying nutrition and food science accurately in their magazines. For the reason that many people judge magazines like this based on what would be coined “useless” articles, such as the latest fashions, are also being neglected on a nutrition and health related aspect. Maybe if there were less false accusations, society would be better informed on how to maintain a healthy body for better quality and quantity of life. Or maybe I’m just a dietetics major who’s a little too obsessed with nutrition!

About Me

Everything happens for a reason. I am a firm believer that every curveball thrown at me during my life is done so to make me a stronger person. I am goal-oriented and hope to one day be a regsitered dietician specializing in outpatient care with a certificate in pediatrics. Right now I am a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin and love spending time with my friends and family, traveling, running, reading, and listening to music. I try to take everyday as a blessing and live my life to the fullest.