Fourth Inaugural Essay Topics

Fourth Inaugural Essay Topics'The Significance of Fences in Life and History,' by August Wilson, is a summer reading assignment for students studying at all levels in history. It is specifically targeted at sophomores and juniors.For students that have already read August Wilson's 'Bridges in the Attic' this essay is an opportunity to revisit the themes of that book. One could also use this essay as a tool for student reflection on social/political/economic issues in school. It is also a good example of how the best scholars have addressed their subject matter in short, readable essays.The essay has four parts: a description of the context of Martha Mcdermott's life and times, the relationship between human society and property, the role of children and schools in society, and the relation between reality and fiction. Within the description of the life of Martha Mcdermott, Wilson points out a number of features that are common to the topics he covers in his work.The author compares t he Mcdermott to the nature of education to that of biology. Society has a need for education but it is not a necessary condition of the well-being of any person. Wilson writes that society has to think about whether or not education is an important process that is necessary for human survival, and if it is, how it fits into the needs of human society. He shows how education can be used to bring about social change.However, Wilson points out that education is not a necessary process, because the nature of the children in Mcdermott's world is such that, in his words, 'the body of knowledge taught by her class was useful only to her and a few of her friends.' It is also beneficial to society to keep children from becoming rogues.Wilson compares this example to that of Martin Luther King, Jr., who is similar to Martha Mcdermott in that he did not seek education. In contrast, Wilson says, King became an activist with the civil rights movement and fought against segregationist laws. Accor ding to Wilson, this process was necessary for King, because when he did not receive the right education, he did not become a leader in the civil rights movement.Wilson teaches his students how to think about what they study. He encourages them to put their ideas in writing and then to read other people's writings, allowing them to see the ways in which they will contradict each other.