Schultz and Trudeau Quiz

2. What main argument does Schulz make about writing, editors, and revision? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

            In this particular comic strip, Schultz argues that editors have too much power over what a writer writes.  Editors can send a piece back to the writer if they don’t like it, even though the piece may be exactly what the writer wants to say, or needs to say.   Whether or not a piece is published is up to the editor, and the editor may not publish a piece just because he/she does not like it.  This leads to a bias in newspapers, magazines, etc. Revision can be good for a piece, especially if the piece has confusing or missing parts in it.  Revision can get out of hand though, like when one is forced to revise something that is perfect and exactly how the writer wants it.  Occasionally, the writer’s peers will revise his/her piece, and although this can offer some new perspectives on the piece, the writer is encouraged to change what he or she wrote based on what others want to see in it.  This is bad, for it limits individualism on one’s own writing.

2. What visual and written evidence from the comic strip suggests that Trudeau is critiquing higher education and not the K-12 education system in general? What visual and written evidence suggest that he is critiquing the American higher education system and not another country's educational system?

            Trudeau shows that he is critiquing higher education by drawing a campground in the background of the scenes of the comic strip and by showing students traveling across campus to different buildings.  Most schools in the K-12 education system do not have a campus, for the students go to one school every day for their classes.  They stay in that school all day each year until they advance from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to college.  At a university or college, students typically have to go to different buildings for different things: their classes may be in different buildings, they may live in a dorm on campus, and they may eat in a cafeteria inside of a different building that their dorm is in.  In the comic, one of the men begins to bring up security, which is unique to higher education, for most K-12 schools do not need security to maintain order.  One of the men mentions courses on “The Simpsons,” which is a television show in the United States.  This shows that Trudeau is critiquing higher education because “The Simpsons” is a show that originated in and continues to be a popular show in the United States.  “The Simpsons” is a major part of recent American culture.  Students in American universities are allowed to wear civilian clothing, while those in foreign countries are often forced to wear a uniform, which also contributes to the claim that Trudeau is critiquing higher education in the United States.