Analysis Of Laura Bobnaks The Price Of Silence - 1386 Words

â€Å"Now that I am in college, however, I see the situation differently.† In her essay â€Å"The Price of Silence,† Laura Bobnak explains an experience from school in which she learned a valuable lesson. At first, she did not recognize what she had learned in high school, but upon entering college, Bobnak became aware of the influence of her peer groups. She also became conscious of the way those at school influenced her moral judgement. In these situations, an individual must question his or herself, and work to distinguish between morality and immorality. Bobnak however, learned her lesson because of those around her. In school, kids are surrounded by peers, friends, and teachers. Due to human nature and their young age, children are†¦show more content†¦Most of us saw school as a war between us and the teachers, and cheating was just another weapon in our arsenal. The worst crime I could commit would be to turn Jeff in. As far as I was concerned, I had no choice. I fell in line with the values of my high school classmates and dismissed the incident as ‘no big deal’ (77). Here, Bobnak describes an incident where she abided by teenage social rules. Because of social pressures, Bobnak blindly followed her peers and kept quiet about Jeff cheating. Now Bobnak recognizes her mistakes and the immature reasons that prompted her to not speak up (Bobnak 76). Her view on cheating, and its importance, has changed. Bobnak has learned to not let others dictate her values and beliefs; this is a crucial lesson many learn from school. Along with this, those in social school settings also learn other lessons besides the influence of peers, friends and teachers. Being in social school settings also teaches people the danger of making assumptions. Single stories can have a small grain of truth; however, there is so much more left out. Many children are taught that it is important to learn about a person before making judgements. An important life lesson from school is to see people for their attributes and not the stories that are presumed true. Mark Cotharn discusses this lesson in his essay â€Å"Brains versus Brawn.† Because Mark Cotharn was a