Life of a Closed Mind

          The general argument made by Anna Quindlen in her work Life of the Closed Mind is that post 9/11 the students of this generation are more closed minded. More specifically, Quindlen suggest that students only look at arguments from two sides. She writes, “Good and evil, holy and profane, them and us.” (pg. 67) In this passage Quindlen is suggesting that 9/11 was very damaging to students’ minds and their ability to express themselves and share their beliefs with others. In Conclusion, it is Quindlen’s belief that 9/11 has caused to students to be very closed minded and that this could grow on other generations as time goes on.

             In my view, Quindlen is right because students are often afraid to share their point-of-view with others. For example, they are often very afraid of offending others. Such as in class when someone is afraid to answer a question because it could offend another student. I have experienced this personally and believe that it is often for security and protecting yourself. Although Quindlen might object that this will never change, I maintain that eventually the students will become more open minded. Therefore, I conclude that it does seem very likely that 9/11 has affected the students of this generation.