The immediate context includes the author and when and where the writing was first published. The author is Yo-Yo Ma. He started performing at five years old and decades later he has produced more than 90 albums. For all of his lives work he has been honored with a number of awards and has been recognized a multitude of times. For his education he received degrees from Juilliard and Harvard University. His essay “Necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” was published originally online on the WorldPost in January 2014.
The imposed context includes my purpose for reading this essay and my personal reading experience. Going past having to read this essay for class I think a purpose for reading this essay is to gain insight on how the educational world is evolving as well as to evoke emotions and thoughts about this change from a students prospective. As for my personal reading experience, I agree with Ma. I believe their is a need for art to be added to the original STEM teaching style. Like stated in the article art has the ability to evoke reactions and emotions and make connections between people that other parts of the STEM discipline can not.
The internal context includes the scope and “so what” aspect of the essay. The scope I believe is wide. I think educators are a big target of this essay because they are in fact the ones implementing education for others. However, I also feel the scope can truly be anyone because the importance of art can connect to all individuals. For example Ma explains how art can be used to encourage empathy thinking, a way to put yourself in other peoples shoes. The ability to do just a thing is important for all human interactions and connections. The “so what” of this essay falls along a similar path. Art teaches the “capacity to imagine what someone else is going through” (Ma 259). This is a major lesson that all people need to learn in order to be a functioning member of society.
As for words I did not know to that I than needed to gloss, I found three. Those three words are tandem, visionaries and cellist.
I love these sentences: “Art teaches the “capacity to imagine what someone else is going through” (Ma 259). This is a major lesson that all people need to learn in order to be a functioning member of society.”
Consider specifically how society would benefit if more folks stretched their capacity to imagine what others are going through. This could possibly lead you to some ideas for your paper.
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