Authors Elliot Eisner, Ivan Illich, and Aldous Huxley take similar positions about language in education, professing that schools limit student access to an adequate range of learning opportunities, resulting in narrow definitions of literacy and education. Examines Eisner's attitude about curriculum balance, Illich's beliefs about tools for conviviality, and Huxley's stand on language and knowledge, noting implications for the curriculum. (SM)