2A 

Books and education are important? No way!

Books are probably one of the most important resources that we have. They hold infinite wisdom that can be unlocked by simply opening it. 

Kafka's books show just that. ""The idea is that when you're exposed to a meaning threat –– something that fundamentally does not make sense –– your brain is going to respond by looking for some other kind of structure within your environment," said Travis Proulx, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSB and co-author of the article."*

This shows how reading a book or short story by Kafka can actually change the structure of your brain. This not only strengthens your brain, it helps with creative problem solving. I thought this was extremely interesting, as when you read the book your brain has to make sense of what is written, and in turn makes new brain structures to help with the understanding. The article goes on to say that the effects would not be prominent, but would certainly be there. 

The same is true for education. If you have only studied one subject, you would consider yourself to be an expert in that field, right? That's what happened in the article "The 'Learning Knights' of Bell Telephone." 

Imagine the feeling of only truly knowing one subject, then going back to school and discovering that you have many more interests, none that are what you had originally known. "What’s more, the graduates were no longer content to let the machinery of business determine the course of their lives."** This shows how important an actual education is. You can discover who you think you are and who you want to be. 

I will definitely start reading more and try to keep an open mind about what I really want for my education after reading these two articles. They both brought up very important and interesting arguments. By focusing on those two, I can help myself become an independent thinker.

* http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915174455.htm

** http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/opinion/16davis.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1283212898-Ot6WYK6hWbuoj3WowlOZzQ