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Hoàng Thùy Linh

Lecturer: Vũ Thị Diễm Phúc, M.A.

Writing 2

January 27, 2018

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

Upon graduation, for students, a sense of relief is often accompanied by a sense of

dread. Most of the students do not know what they really want to do or whether they want to do

what they are supposed to. In his article titled “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?”

and published on Oxford American’s online magazine on August, 22, 2011, Mark Edmundson, a

teacher at the University of Virginia, discusses what students should do when they attend

college. He argues that college students should focus on self-discovery and self-fulfillment.

Edmundson begins the essay by congratulating incoming freshmen and their

family members. He notes that getting a child to college is tremendous work with contributions

from various people; therefore going to college is a commendable thing. The author also adopts a

friendly tone to encourage incoming freshmen who often have wrong impressions of university

life and can benefit the most from his advice. Throughout his article, Edmundson attempts to

persuade students to follow their interests and spend time on self-exploration in order to lead a

fulfilling life in the future.

According to Mark Edmundson, to acquire real education, students need “to

struggle an strive, to be strong, and occasionally even to piss off some admirable people.” The

author also recalls a discussion between his father and him about his college choice. The story

adds a nice touch to the article as personal stories often resonate well with readers. It is important

to note that storytelling is a great way of communication that helps to engage with readers. In
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this article, Edmundson’s use of storytelling is certainly an effective strategy to connect to

readers. By claiming that his father’s advice was true, Edmundson implies that people’s common

perceptions of what an university education should be are flawed. Then, the author moves to

present how differently university is perceived by students, professors and administrators and

explains the reasons behind these perceptions. However, in this particular part of the article,

Edmundson also discusses cheating and other inappropriate behaviors which have little to no

connection to what he is arguing.

In order to further his idea about self-discovery, Edmundson counters the idea that

students should go along with everyone and try “to be someone other than who you are” and

dismisses it as “killing.” He goes on to explain that people opinions and even self-awareness can

be wrong and college is the perfect place to explore oneself. Consequently, Edmundson suggests

reading as a way of self-exploration. To explain its effects, the author cites Sigmund Freud and

Ralph Waldo Emerson as his influences and his inspirations to challenge and develop himself.

The author uses personal experience as evidence of how reading facilitates self-development.

Though anecdotal evidence is often unreliable, in this case, it seems to work in Edmundson’s

favor and gives readers a sense of encouragement. Edmundson gives a detailed, though

somewhat verbose, account of how he was shaped by the two writers’ works and learned to rely

on himself as well as challenge himself to be better.

Furthermore, Edmundson also tells a personal story of his father’s dissatisfaction

with life. Once again, storytelling is effectively used as this story is emotionally charged and

provokes feelings of pity and gratitude. To be specific, readers might be inclined to feel pity for

the father that never got “a sense of who he might become” and gratitude to have “a world of

possibilities” spread before them.

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Finally, Edmundson urges readers who are incoming freshmen in this case to be

“aggressive and assertive” in order to acquire real education. He also points out that it is normal

to be scared of changes in career orientation. Edmundson knows his audience well; therefore, he

knows that with such a young and inexperienced group of people, it is understandable to feel

overwhelmed and lost when things they believe to be true turn out to be wrong. By showing

sympathy, the author’s efforts to relate to the audience seem to offer readers a sense of

consolation. With sarcasm, Edmundson also warns readers of potential risks of not following

one’s heart including substance abuse, unhappiness and excessive buying, which emphasizes his

idea that pursuing dreams makes life worth living in the long run. His use of sarcasm yields a

sense of lighthearted humor but, simultaneously, effectively critiques the way people use

alcohol, television, drugs, etc to deal with job dissatisfaction. Moreover, the author strengthens

his well-developed arguments by acknowledging the power of money instead of ignoring it as a

problem. However, he asserts that it should not be the main problem and everyone should live

their own life rather than someone else’s. After all, life should be “pleasurable and soul-

rewarding.”

With his target audience in mind, Edmundson adopts a friendly humorous tone

and manages to be approachable and inspiring. For the incoming freshmen, this article can be

life-changing, given the common shared feeling of confusion before attending university. It is

safe to say that Edmundson successfully conveys his message that students should try to find

“what’s best for you to do” and follow it.

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Works Cited

Edmundson M. Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?. Oxford American. 2011.
Available at: http://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/486-who-are-you-and-what-are-
you-doing-here. Accessed January 27, 2018.