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UCSP Module 08 Activity 02 Editorial Article Analysis
UCSP Module 08 Activity 02 Editorial Article Analysis
Today, all across the nation, people celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Observations, speeches and banquets abound to honor the life of this great American Civil
Rights leader.
One thing that did not escape King’s attention was the importance of education. As a
young man of 18, he wrote an opinion column for the campus newspaper at Morehouse College
on the subject. Neither he nor anyone else could have known that 17 years later he would be
penning a Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and, five years after that, the world would be
mourning his untimely death.
Nearly 70 years after King wrote his column, education remains a critical and hotly
debated topic in America. Recalling some of King’s observations from his youth is an excellent
reminder of how vital education is to the future not only of our community, state and nation, but
the world.
“It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in
society: the one is utility and the other is culture,” King wrote in 1947. “Education must enable a
man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life.”
He also knew that education entailed not just the ability to remember facts, but included
training the mind for critical thinking.
“We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices
and propaganda,” he wrote, adding that he wondered whether America’s educational system was
living up to its charge because “so-called educated people do not think logically and
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The Mabini Academy
Senior High School Department
Balintawak, Lipa City, Batangas
scientifically.” In media, schools, public speeches and churches, he said, objective and unbiased
truth was missing.
“To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of
education,” he said. “Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true
from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”
King also saw danger in reason without a moral compass. Intelligence is insufficient
without heart.
What a teenage Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly observed is still true. We live in a
world that is often unfair and out of balance. When it comes to creating a better life, few things
have as positive an impact as a quality education. If we want a better future, we must realize
we’re sowing the seeds today in our schools. It’s up to us to ensure those seeds are planted
properly and nurtured to maturity.
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The Mabini Academy
Senior High School Department
Balintawak, Lipa City, Batangas
* "To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of
education,"
- Education wants us to be informed and at the same time teach us how to distinguish facts from
biased information or fake news that can be used for propaganda.
* "It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in
society: the one is utility and the other is culture."
- I believe that education serves both utilitarian and cultural purposes in the lives of men and
society.
* "Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the
legitimate goals of his life."
- A man must be able to increase his effectiveness and his ease in achieving his legitimate life
goals through education. Education is a treasure that no one can steal from you, but education
alone is not enough we still need to be street-smart and utilize our education in a way that we
will be able to live a comfortable life.
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