Semantics: Ivory Tower

College Essays
#1

<p>alright so its 1:30 in the morning and i've suddenly become very concerned over the use of the term ivory tower. I had an experience with a racial slur being directed towards me for the first time in a town had otherwise been rather blind of the fact that i am essentially the only minority who attends my school. I'm trying to describe the bubble i lived in. I liked the term ivory term for several reasons.
a) its structural, therefore it implies walls
b)it references purity
c) the color also alludes to the fact that i live in a pretty much white town
However, ivory tower is generally used in the sense of academia. I'm concerned that its not befitting of a school that clearly goes in the other direction of an ivory tower. At the same time i think the irony makes it even better?
So basically do you think its appropriate?
also would rephrasing it to make it more clear b saying "my ivory tower melted away to revel the grim reality beneath" be to overdramtic /cliche ? </p>

<p>p.s. I'm writing this for brown's perspective question</p>

#2

<p>The idiom "Ivory Tower" certainly works here. Academia is an example of it, but "Ivory Tower" refers to any situation or place that is cut of from representative or ordinary life.</p>

<p>don't really understand how it makes sense in the melting example, though.</p>

#3

<p>I'd be careful here. The image most of these adcoms will instantly associate with the term "ivory tower" is the negative term for a university that houses removed intellectual pursuits. When you use that term in your essay, they might envision an Ivy League gothic library. So I don't think it fits here. You could just use the term bubble. That is also a generally negative term, but adcoms will probably not have much imagery associated with the word "bubble."</p>