In “Only Connect…’ The Goals of a Liberal Education”, Williams Cronon breaks down his essay into three parts: the definition of liberal education, qualities of liberal education, and how liberal education connects with communities. Cronon begins his essay with the question, “What does it mean to be a liberally educated person?” (1). Then, he starts talking about the etymology of the word “liberal” and uses it to connect with his answer to his question. Afterward, he combined all the meanings of the word “liberal” and came up with his own definition of liberal education. According to Cronon, liberal education is “to nurture the growth of human talent in the service of human freedom” (1). He continues his idea of what liberal education is by listing ten qualities that liberal art students should embody. Some of the qualities include: listening and hearing, reading and understanding, talking with people, practicing humility, tolerance, and self-criticism, and etc. These are the qualities and skills that will allow a liberally educated person to be able to learn more about themselves and engage in their community. However, Cronon fails to mention that liberal arts students also need to be inclusive and be able to exercise their failures. Stacey Abrams is a politician and the first black female nominee for a state governor of the U.S. She gave a speech at Agnes Scott College about her campaign journey and it embodies some of the qualities listed by Cronon to help her deliver her goals. Contrary to Cronon’s list, Abrams signifies the importance of being inclusive and being able to accept failure.
Abrams discusses how during her campaign she personally went to rural areas of Georgia to communicate with the residents, to discuss the importance of voting, and to make sure that there was not any voter suppression. She emphasizes that each individual’s vote matters and with their help, they can help her change the economy of Georgia for the better. Cronon says that liberally educated people “understand that they belong to a community whose prosperity and well-being are crucial to their own” (4). Cronon also states that liberally educated students can “nurture and empower the people around them,” which Abrams consistently demonstrated and embodied (4). Although Cronon signifies the importance of belonging to a community, he never once mentions anything about how to be inclusive and learning more about the different groups of a community. On the other hand, Abrams embodies inclusiveness as her advertisements were in many languages such as Spanish, Vietnamese, and etc. Through her advertisements, she wanted to attract many people who did not understand English. This is because she wants everyone, even non-English speakers to be able to apprehend her goals of improving the education system and providing better health care. If Abrams were as inclusive as she was, there would not be an increase in minority voters. Cronon in his essay does not explicitly mention “inclusiveness” and fails to include people of color in his lists of philosophers and women in general.
Besides prioritizing inclusiveness, Abram emphasizes how important accepting failure is. Abrams says her failure contributes to her success because it took her “places she never thought she would go to.” This means without her past failures, she would not have gained the courage to run for governor or become the first black female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the history of the United States. Cronon insists that liberal arts students “stand in the service of human freedom,” but he fails to mention that trial and error contributes to that (2). Although Abrams campaigned for a better economy in Georgia, she did not become a governor. Due to her failure, she became a bigger advocator for social justice issues and established nonprofit organizations like the New Georgia Project and others. This is why she says, “stumbling doesn’t mean you have to stop” because it serves as a guide for her future plans. Abrams firmly believed that her flaws and failure are what made her stay strong and allowed her to be closer to her Georgian community. This is why she proudly said, “I couldn’t say I wanted to run for all the people of Georgia if I hadn’t met all of them.” Abrams firmly believed that her flaws and failure are what made her stay strong and allowed her to be closer to her Georgian. Although Cronon constantly states liberal students “understand” people around them numerous times, he fails to conclude that it can not be done without exercising failure. Abrams was able to understand her community because went through the trial of errors and she learned to get back up and realized her important failure is.
Although Cronon’s essay and Abrams’ speech ideas were fairly similar, Abrams emphasizes the importance of inclusion and failures. In his essay, Cronon lists a large sum of philosophers and influencers who were all white men such as Plato, Marx, and etc. to debate on what liberal arts students’ subjects should be. However, he could have been more inclusive about philosophers since his essay was published in 1998. As Abrams says, “You can’t show diversity if you can’t hear them” and one of the most important missions of the liberal arts college is to be inclusive, especially at Agnes Scott, which Cronon fails to mention. Cronon does mention that the way to attain the true values of liberal education is from “agape” meaning that it’s the highest form of “human connection” (5-6). This is demonstrated by Cronon and Abrams because Cronon’s qualities involve the act of self-loving and sacrifice that a person makes for the community, which Abrams did. Abrams’ personal failures and her agape love for her community lead her to politics and she changed the history of the U.S.
Works Cited
Abrams, Stacey. “SUMMIT Signature Speaker Series Presents: Stacey Abrams.” Agnes Scott College, Center for Global Learning, 11 September 2019, Presser Hall, PR-Gaines Chapel, Decatur, GA. 141 East College Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030.
Cronon, William. “Only Connect…: The Goals of a Liberal Education.” The American Scholar. Vol. 67 no. 4, Autumn 1998, pp. 73-80.
