All posts by a.caloobanan

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Free post, Weekly Post Check-In #4

Education Is Passion.

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When I walked into this class on the first day and I heard the theme of it, I told myself, “Wow, this is going to be one hard class to comprehend.” The mere idea of school not being everything contradicted beliefs that I have shaped my whole life around. I don’t have many hobbies or passions (really none at all, actually) and my main focus has always been about school. I love to learn, so it never affected me by taking me away from something I loved to do, therefore I never thought to really think about the formal education system.

Yet here this class was: centered on rethinking education and the process of it that I had come to be so fond of. At first, the theories presented were definitely hard to swallow. For example, our first reading was on Bach and how he encouraged the idea that kids did not need school if they could be as passionate and dedicated to a subject or certain career field like he was. I disagreed with this, shaking my head in amusement the entire time I read it. Kids need school – this was always something I firmly believed in. You can have passion and intelligence, but nowadays, without a degree, your chances of getting far in the field of your choice are low. I thought that this was what the class was going to be about and I was determined to keep my mindset from wavering in a direction that challenged formal education. But the more we read other works, the more I realized that the class wasn’t trying to turn one away from formal education. Instead, the class’ goal was to open a student’s mind to other ways that he or she can become educated.

Reading about Douglass and Malcolm X’s makeshift methods of educating themselves makes me realize how fortunate I am to have learned in a formal environment that has guided me well, but has also given me a good amount of freedom to think for myself. It also reminds me of this photo of a child from the Philippines that went viral. The photo showed the child studying and doing his homework on a wooden stool under the light from a McDonald’s. It was late at night, so one would expect he’d be doing his assignments in the safety of his own home, under his own lamp. The child is homeless, however, but his determination to learn and educate himself was much stronger than any embarrassment one would have at having to resort to such methods. This small, 9-year-old boy is so dedicated to leaving a life of poverty and yet, he does not want to become a businessman, politician, or some other wealthy figure. He wishes to become a police officer in order to help the Philippines become a safe and better place. Not only is this young boy becoming educated in books and schoolwork, but also is educating himself in the needs of humanity. He is learning how to become an even better person, something you would never truly learn about just from school, and I sincerely hope to see more people follow in his footsteps.

Education doesn’t have to come from the classroom. Education is independence. Education is passion. You make your own education. It starts with the basics, such as reading and writing, but you build your education to fit your own learning and life needs. One never stops learning – even when school ends, education does not. Life itself is filled with lessons from different subjects, most of which do not pertain to those taught at school. Out of all the texts we’ve read, I think Emerson’s speech on “The American Scholar” has struck the strongest chord within me. Optimism is a beautiful thing, but in this day and age, things must be done to achieve a better future for all of mankind. I’m not one to speak, as I am a follower, but I hope to one day follow a leader who is the manifestation of this phrase: “Man hopes: genius creates” (Emerson Paragraph 15).

This class, as hard as some of the readings were, was definitely an experience that I don’t regret taking. It challenged me to think harder about what education is, to broaden my perspective on what it means to learn. I have a much more open-minded view of education as a whole now, and this class is the reason for it.

Introduction Exercise #2

Limited Potential: Introduction

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All throughout school, students are taught to learn from books – but is it possible that books can actually hinder one’s true potential? Emerson believes so. He maintains that there is a certain extent to the benefits of books, and once that maximum has been reached, the self should be its own teacher instead. Emerson’s theory on books from his speech, “The American Scholar,” argues that while books are beneficial to foundational components of one’s education, they limit the mind from thinking further than the thoughts already presented to it. The education of Shelley’s the monster from Frankenstein echoes this theory, as the books he reads help him understand the world around him and himself but give him reason to justify his growing detestation for humans, therefore preventing him from looking past this hate. To demonstrate this claim, the paper will first discuss how the books from the woods were able to build up the foundation of the monster’s education. After this, there will be an analysis on specific examples of how some of the monster’s readings fueled his anger towards humans. Then, the consequences of the monster’s understanding and reliance on the books will be addressed as well as what could have happened if the monster had looked past the texts. Emerson’s theory will also be integrated among these discussions in order to defend the thesis.

Thesis Exercise #2

Limited Potential: Thesis

Emerson’s theory on books from his speech, “The American Scholar,” argues that while books are beneficial to foundational components of one’s education, they limit the mind from thinking further than the thoughts already presented to it. The education of Shelley’s the monster from Frankenstein echoes this theory, as the books he reads help him understand the world around him and himself but give him reason to justify his growing detestation for humans, therefore preventing him from looking past this hate.

Close Reading Post, Free post

The Plight of Manhood

Both texts by Gaines and Malcolm X suggest a pattern that starts with writing and reading. These actions lead to a freedom of mind and therefore allow an individual to be more certain about himself. This self-certainty and education is what opens the doors to manhood, as these texts portray a man as someone who stands strong and tall despite the adversaries and obstacles that surround him. A man knows who he is and is firm in that belief, even if others try to destroy his self esteem.

Grant narrates, ““They must believe, if only to free the mind, if not the body. Only when the mind is free has the body a chance to be free’” (Gaines 200). Though this quote has quite the negative context, as Grant refuses to believe in God or that Jefferson has been fairly judged for his supposed crime, it can relate to Jefferson and even Grant himself in other ways. After receiving the notebook, Jefferson begins to write, and his words vary from thoughts about death to the difference between being a hog and being a man. Through his writing, Jefferson begins to understand himself more and with Grant’s help, starts to see himself as an actual human and not as an animal like he previously believed. Jefferson’s mind has become free and he has become overall more confident in who he is, something that Grant never really knew for himself. Grant recognizes this difference and tells Jefferson: “‘You’re more of a man than I am, Jefferson…My eyes were closed before this moment, Jefferson. My eyes have been closed all my life’” (Gaines 184). This experience with Jefferson has freed Grant’s own mind a bit, as he has never been sure of who he is or what his purpose is. Jefferson has taught him to get over this uncertainty and stand firm in his belief in himself. And through Jefferson’s own freedom of mind obtained by Grant’s encouragement and his own writing, Jefferson becomes a man, and his final moments display this change as he walks towards the electric chair.

Malcolm X also gained a sense of manhood through the freedom of mind that his self-education brought him. His first display of manhood is what actually started it all, as he was determined to be able to articulate his strong thoughts through writing and took charge of his own learning. Through his own willpower, he learned how to read and write, and soon enough, his reading would change his life forever. Malcolm X wrote, “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” All of the books he read freed his mind and opened it up to concepts that he would have never thought possible to understand. The readings, especially those that had to do with black mistreatment, inspired him to take a stand. He wrote, “As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive” (Malcolm X). This mental alertness spurred by his freedom to think for himself is what showed him what it was he needed to do. Malcolm X, through his self-educated reading and writing skills, gained the freedom of mind to become a man – a man who dedicated his life to relieving the plight of the black man.

Methodology Check In, Methods Check-In

Finding One’s Own Way: Methodology

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Our ASM will teach an understanding of the city and its streets on the way to the destination. This will all be depending on the individual’s actual motivation to reach the goal or in this case, the destination, which is an additional lesson for this ASM. It will also help our students learn about their partners and how to use teamwork to reach a shared objective. The students themselves would do the teaching, as they are educating themselves by choosing their own paths and following their own intuitions to find the landmark hints we will give them. The city will also help with the teaching by making students pay attention to their surroundings and increase their sense of direction. Our ASM will take place in the city; it will start at 59th street Maison Kayser and end at 74th street Maison Kayser. We chose Maison Kayser because as a group we have never heard of this cafe. This cafe is also not as mainstream as Starbucks or Paris Baguette. Our ASM will take place at 12pm noon on a Sunday because that is usually a lively time and day in the city and hopefully the amount of people on the streets will throw our students off and make it harder for them to find a way to Maison Kayser. Also, if our students get lost, they would need a good amount of time to get there before it gets dark. For the group that will receive strict directions, we will have to prepare a printout of these directions and a map to give to them. As for the group without the map or directions, we will need to take pictures of certain landmarks to give them hints. We will need two cameras to record each group during their journey to the destination.

Steps:

  1. Meet up as a group one day that is separate from the day of our ASM and we will basically go through the process our students will go through for ourselves.
  2. Half of our group, Kelly and Angela, will determine which landmarks and buildings to use.
  3. This half will also take pictures using our cameras of these landmarks and buildings and print them out.
  4. The other half, Gabrielle and Ariane, will Google and print out directions from Maison Kayser 59th St. to Maison Kayser 74th St.
  5. This half will also walk the set path with directions to determine the time limit to place on our student pair.
  6. After determining the time it takes to get there by directions, we will add thirty minutes to that for the time limit to give them some leeway in the case of any disruption.
  7. Schedule a Sunday that works for all the group members, as well as our students.
  8. Meet up on that day at Maison Kayser near Columbus Circle.
  9. Explain our project to our students and distribute the materials to each pair.
  10. Divide the groups and introduce each student to their partners.
  11. Then we will divide the pairs among the members of our group. Kelly and Angela will follow and film the pair without directions or a map. Gabrielle and Ariane will follow and film the pair with directions.
  12. We will confiscate the phones from all students to make sure they do not cheat.
  13. We will give Kelly and Angela’s group a five minute head start to make sure they do not follow the group with directions.
  14. The students will begin walking and we will begin recording.
  15. When everyone reaches the destination, we will discuss what all of the students learned about the city, each other, and themselves. This will determine the success of our ASM.
  16. We will also ask them if they liked the project and ask if they have any suggestions on what we could have done differently. We will include these statements in our paper.
  17. Then when everything relating to our ASM is done, we will eat to celebrate and as a reward for all of the walking!
Brainstorming Exercise #2

Limited Potential

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Describe it:

After being created by Victor Frankenstein, the monster is abandoned by him. The latter then makes the journey to become educated enough to be able to communicate his thoughts and have the intended audience understand them. After learning how to read and write, the monster finds three books in a bag in the woods and takes them to read. These readings change him and have allowed him to understand the circumstances that surround his existence. The books make him realize that he is different from humans and has been exiled by them for this reason. The books give him a lot to think about, but they also affect him negatively, causing him to believe that humans will only outcast him and regard him with disgust.

Trace it:

The monster’s body is made up of several stitched together body parts. These parts come from corpses, making the monster’s appearance truly gruesome and disgusting to look at. Even Victor Frankenstein, the very creator of the monster, is revolted by the sight of the latter, and runs away in fear. The monster, after searching for another sign of life, finds an old man in a hut who shrieks and also retreats at the sight of the monster. The monster continues to a village, where more people flee due to his frightening appearance. Even though he wants to talk to these people and understand why no one wants to approach him, he cannot do so due to lacking knowledge of the human language. So he makes a resolve to educate himself, learning how to read and write by watching the family next door. Eventually he finds the books in the woods and reads them, understanding his situation and himself through the text.

Map it:

This negative impact brought upon by books relates to a theory from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” that argues that books limit the mind. While books are beneficial to one’s education, just as how the monster learns to understand his difference from humans because of the books from the woods, they do place constraints on the mind. Instead of thinking beyond thoughts that have already been thought, books plant preconceived thoughts by others into an individual’s mind. Because the monster relates so much to John Milton’s Paradise Lost and the character of Satan, he fails to think much beyond the thoughts the epic poem has given him. Exiled and looked down upon just like Satan, he sees humans as incapable of seeing him as anything more than a monster. Therefore, he decides to “hate them who abhor [him]” and becomes firm in never seeing humans in a positive light (Shelley 103). The monster could have looked past his newfound hate for humans if he had not been so influenced by the books, and in this way, he is held back from his full potential. He has become so overwhelmed with the ideas the books have presented him that he cannot think for himself and understand that not all humans will be disgusted by him.

Through the lens post

“Deafness, Dumbness, and Blindness”

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Frederick Douglass’ narratives of his life imply a theory that education, whether it be obtained by formal or unconventional means, paves the way for an individual’s success. Douglass’ own education, despite going through very alternative ways to attain it, gave him the knowledge and courage that he needed to have to understand that an escape from slavery would be his best bet at success. Chapter 7 of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass especially focuses on Douglass’ learning of the true meaning of slavery from books and his resolve to escape from it.

This theory is definitely reflected in Malcolm X’s autobiography. At first a man with very low literacy skills, Malcolm X soon becomes frustrated at not being able to communicate through writing. He soon starts to “acquire some kind of a homemade education” (Malcolm X 1) and read, studies, and practices writing words from the dictionary he obtains from the Norfolk Prison Colony. Malcolm X even says, “Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade” (1). In reality, his literacy is self taught, knowing that in order to express himself in a way that will garner him respect, he would need to educate himself as much as possible.

Even though it takes place in a different century, Malcolm X’s reading of slavery and its “atrocities” has a very similar reaction to Douglass’ readings of it (Malcolm X 3). It opened both men’s eyes to the horrors of white exploitation of blacks and in Malcolm X’s case, other races as well. But Douglass’ readings caused him to wish to have continued to be ignorant instead of suffering with the knowledge of black mistreatment. Malcolm X, on the other hand, although he became more sensitive to the “deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America,” he did not allow himself to be overcome with the negativity and suffer in silence (3). This is probably due to the difference in the two men’s circumstances: Douglass thought he was going to be a slave for life while Malcolm X knew that prison was going to be temporary for him and that he could make a change once released. This change is something he resolved to do and he accomplished it and also nationwide attention, making his mission to expose black mistreatment a success. This success was only possible through the unconventional means of education that he provided for himself.

"The What" Check-In

Finding One’s Own Way

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  1. Describing Our ASM

For this Alternative Schooling Moment, we will have our students travel around the city to reach one destination. We will be getting four people that we already know because it is too difficult to ask this of strangers. We will split these four into two pairs of people, those paired together will not be acquainted with each other, and their goal will be to reach the same destination. We will simulate the pressures of society on formal education on one of the groups. This group will get a printout of directions obtained from Google Maps, MapQuest, etc. They will strictly follow the directions we give them, similar to how students strictly follow the lesson plan given to them by formal education. Additionally, we will place time constraints on this group, which relates to the time limits institutions place upon students during the school year and especially during test-taking conditions.

As for the other group, we will simply give them hints on where to go, such as pictures of landmarks and street corners. This group will be left to use mostly their own intuition to reach the destination. They are prohibited from asking strangers on the street for help, for that may suppress any creativity that their intuitions may spur. Instead of coming up with their own ways to reach the destination, they would still be relying on others’ help, which we want to avoid as much as possible. Our group of five will split up to film each pair separately, and we will not attach ourselves to pairs with members that we individually know.

2. Our Audience and Our Students

The audience will be those who believe that formal education and the society attached  to it should be the main motivators for a student’s education. Our second audience would be supporters of non formal education methods. Our students will be friends, two of whom will be chosen by asking them if they want to go on an adventure in the city, thus creating our motivated group. We are choosing friends that do not know one another because we do not want their existing relationship to influence this ASM, and two people meeting and learning about each other for the first time should also be a nice additional lesson.

3. The Three Main Objectives of Our ASM…

  • Understanding of the city, the students’ surroundings, and even of their newly acquainted partners by those who have no “societal pressures”
  • Creativity in the way to get to the destination by the group with the freedom to pave their own path
  • Evoking and receiving passionate and genuine motivation to reach their destination from the students

4. …And How They Reflect Our Group’s Philosophy on Education

The understanding that will hopefully be obtained by the group with no “societal pressures” will reflect how we believe that motivation to learn coming from within the self achieves the best, long-lasting results. The group with constraints will be pressured to strictly follow the directions we give them and therefore will not be able to enjoy their surroundings and learn from it as well as the group with freedom. We also hope to garner as much creativity and fun from the group without pressures as well, and this will help them think of it less and less as a task that we are asking them to achieve. The creativity and fun will also help our next objective, which is to evoke and receive passionate and genuine motivation to reach their destination. This passion and true motivation will bring our philosophy back full circle, because if they are able to bring this kind of reaction out, they will obtain the best results of understanding the city, their surroundings, and their partners. Those who are more motivated with no pressure from anyone except themselves are more likely to be open to learning lessons from everything that surrounds them, instead of limiting themselves to the mindset presented to them.

5. Two Readings Reflecting Our Group’s Philosophy on Education

Rousseau:

Rousseau’s insistence of Emile learning from and for himself allows our group’s philosophy to support it. Rousseau writes, “This is also the time to train him gradually to prolonged attention to a given object; but this attention should never be the result of constraint, but of interest or desire” (17). This quote comes from Rousseau’s instruction on the ideal education for man, as he says that it is best for Emile to be trained gradually to give attention to a certain thing, but this attention should not be forced or limited to certain constraints. Instead, it should come from the student’s own interests and desire to learn. This relates to our philosophy that the student who motivates himself to learn and has actual interest in the topic is the one who obtains the ideal education. This is why we are allowing one group to be free of constraints that one usually has on his or her education, so that the group’s motivation to reach their destination will come purely from their own interest and desire.

Additionally, Rousseau believes that one learns when they reason and experience things on their own freely. He writes, “”Let him know nothing because you have told him, but because he has learnt it for himself. Let him not be taught science, let him discover it” (Rousseau 15). The students with no direction also will have to heavily rely on their own instincts in order to reach the destination. Like Rousseau gives Emile no set plan on what to learn and does not teach the latter things, the students with freedom must learn and discover their own way to the destination. This gives the students a clearer and more personal understanding of where they are going and how they get there. Students with direction, however, won’t receive the same understanding since the directions are directly given to them. They will strictly follow the directions and therefore, they will not be free to admire their surroundings, learn mistakes, or have much fun on the way to the destination. They aren’t discovering anything new, instead they are only learning within the constraints set upon them.

Shelley:

The reading written by Shelley, specifically with the monster motivating himself and paving his own way to education is also a text that our group’s philosophy supports. The monster, after being abandoned by Victor Frankenstein, finds “that [he] could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which [he] could not either surmount or avoid” (Shelley 209). Because the monster was not a part of society and had no expectations from others he could go around without being held back by anyone or anything. He was able to find Frankenstein while also gaining knowledge in his own way. The motivation to find his creator influenced his decisions to observe and learn from others even though he was rejected by humans. He did not give up the hope of wanting to communicate with others. This relates to what our philosophy is trying to reflect, that one should not base his or her own motivation to learn on what others think or try to tell one to. Whether or not others are in support of one’s journey to education should not affect the individual’s desire to keep going.

This motivation can come in different ways, and the monster displays that. Hope to communicate with others is one way, and another way is his fear that he will never be able to reach that goal. The monster “tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds” however “the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from [him] frightened [him] into silence again” (211). Though afraid at first and drifting back into silence, the monster quickly gets over that in his determination to learn the ways of humans. Similar to how the monster’s inability to communicate and learn language frightened and motivated him at the same time to educate himself, the students without directions will be motivated by their fear of getting lost and not reaching their destination.

Another instance that supports our philosophy occurs when the monster was in the woods, when he “quickly collected some branches, but they were wet and would not burn” (Shelley 212). The monster sat and observed how “the wet wood which [he] had placed near the heat dried and itself became inflamed” (Shelley 213). He reflected on his mistake “and by touching the various branches, [he] discovered the cause and busied [him]self…that [he] might dry it and have a plentiful supply of fire” (Shelley 213). The monster’s lesson of learning how to start a fire relates to our project and philosophy. The students without directions will be learning from their mistakes because if they ever get lost, they now know never to go that way again if they want to go to the same destination. This way of thinking also reflects on our philosophy because the monster was motivated to supply himself with fire, not letting his mistakes destroy his determination to survive and instead learning from them. Learning from mistakes are lessons that stay with individuals for life, because they learn that there is nothing to gain from that route.

 

Peer Response Post

Miserable Restriction

This is a peer response to Jenny’s post that can be found here.

I definitely agree with Jenny’s post. I had not thought to compare Joseph Zobel’s message on education to that of Rousseau’s but her post really had me nodding. After reading her post, I thought back to some scenes in the novel that really relate to Rousseau’s theory that children should be allowed to enjoy an easygoing and happy youth, free from all kinds of restrictions, including physical ones. Additionally, while Rousseau implied a tough love that should be shown to children to ensure their proper understanding on the way the world works, Zobel showcases a very cruel childhood and education through Jose Hassam’s early life.

Mme Léonce is introduced as a nice, but a strange authority figure in Jose’s life. Soon, however, Jose becomes suspicious of her unexpected kindness, and it becomes apparent that Mme Léonce’s feeding him would not be a favor unreturned. Jose, instead of enjoying his free time, becomes stuck, growing more and more indebted to Mme Léonce every time she gives him a meal. She starts to treat him, a mere child, like a servant, ordering him to clean up her kitchen in exchange for food. At this point in his life, Jose should be enjoying his childhood, free of stress and full of curiosity and adventure to be explored. Instead, he is “constantly afraid of Mme Léonce whom…[he] detested because of the unending humiliation [he] underwent at her house” (Zobel 69). A child should never have to experience embarrassment in such a degrading way. Jose is put in a situation in which his sense of justice had matured too fast, recognizing immediately that what Mme Léonce was putting him through was not acceptable. Forcing her to do these “li’l favor[s]” restricted him from his childhood freedom that Rousseau advocated so strongly for (Zobel 68). Not only does this take away from his playtime with Raphael and his other friends, it also causes him to reach school late, taking away valuable time from proper education.

A place of prayer should never be the same place where violence is condoned. While sitting with other children for Sunday prayers, Jose giggles with the rest of them. This does count as rude during a time dedicated to silent prayer and praise, but the people who are the most religious should act as the best role models for the children who will learn to copy them. Adults should also understand that children have “this uncontrollable urge to laugh,” especially in situations where one definitely should not do so, and that with children, they tend to imitate each other – when one laughs, the rest will, too, eventually (Zobel 95). So when a woman of faith shows children cruelty instead of love, Zobel’s contradiction to Rousseau’s theory on childhood education is evident. Jose narrates: “Mam’zelle Fanny…hadn’t forgotten to bring her whip, lashed out…with blows on our backs and even on our faces if we hadn’t had time to bend down. And she would lead two victims away by their ears, putting them to kneel down in front of the Holy Table” (Zobel 95). This act of brutality is committed to teach these children and the rest of those watching a lesson. This restricts a child’s right to learn of their own free will, by the ways of which they choose. Just as importantly, it is taking away the children’s love for things that are being taught to them, for these topics are accompanied with violent reproach when not practiced to adult satisfaction. This is exactly what Rousseau wants to avoid with his thoughts on “cruel education” suppressing a child with limitations and “making him miserable,” just like Jenny said in her post (Rousseau 4).

Theory Check-In

“I Let My Curiosity Motivate Me.”

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Have you ever thought about the advice given in children’s movies? In the movie Antz, Barbatus says, “Don’t follow orders your whole life. Think for yourself.” Society has always consisted of people deciding for others, resulting in one forgetting to think for himself. Man’s natural curiosity then becomes suppressed in an attempt to conform man’s education to fit what society deems best. However, those who let their curiosity guide them have the advantage of broadening their horizons of knowledge and therefore becoming more successful with their own education. Therefore, our theory on education is the idea that man learns best when the motivation to become educated comes from within himself, instead of allowing the pressures of society to be the main influence on his education. In order to prove this claim, we will be exploring Shelley’s theory on education and how our claim reflects some of its ideas, highlighted by Victor Frankenstein and the monster. Next, we will support our theory by discussing Frederick Douglass’ curiosity for information, which led to his successful education. After that, we will discuss how Emerson’s idea of the “American Scholar,” pushes men to be their best and therefore reflects our theory. Lastly, we will analyze how Rousseau’s idea of society influencing man challenges our claim of achieving an education through one’s own drive to learn.

Mary Shelley’s illustration of her theory on education reflects our own claim very well, having the characters of both Victor Frankenstein and his monster ignore societal influences on the road to educate themselves. When Victor Frankenstein was just a little boy, he fell in love with the way specific theorists thought. However, people whom he respected were constantly calling the things he studied nonsense and a waste of time, but instead of listening to them, this just motivated him to keep learning.  At the age of thirteen, he began reading a book about Cornelius Agrippa, becoming entranced by his theories and showing it to his father in excitement, but this only garnered a reaction of: “Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash” (Shelley 34). By emphasizing this quote in Victor’s past, Shelley lets the audience know that this would prove to be a crucial moment – the answer his father gave him did not satisfy his curiosity so he kept pushing himself to obtain the education he desired. This motivation follows him to university, where he encounters a professor who gives him a similar reaction when hearing about Victor’s interest in these theorists. Instead of resenting this advice to give up the things he believed in, he took his professor’s words and incorporated it into the lesson plan he had for himself, finding “a great deal of sound and sense” to add to what he had already learned (47). All of this motivation to gain intellectual success allows him to do what has not been done before – create life in the monster through artificial means. Life is not the only thing Victor seems to have given the monster, however, as the latter has received his creator’s passion to learn and understand. Despite the constant backlash the monster receives from society due to his appearance, he pushes forward with his desire to educate himself, spending his days in “close attention, that [he] might more speedily master the language” taught by Felix to Safie. The monster is so successful with his study plan that by the next time he meets with his creator, he is well spoken and well read, having already finished the books from the abandoned bag that he finds in the forest. He is able to narrate his story to Victor and ask the latter to create for him a companion. More importantly, the monster is able to get Victor to understand what the former has gone through due to Victor’s neglect, and this is all a result of his unwavering determination to educate himself in the ways of man.

The idea of providing education to slaves was immoral and never accepted by the society of Frederick Douglass’ time. Society and man forbid slaves of education from the very beginning of their life. Black children didn’t even know their age, but white children could say the exact year of their births. The discrepancy in education between whites and blacks made Douglass realize the injustice of slavery. Additionally, the lack of knowledge that Frederick Douglass had further motivated him to pursue a greater education. Sophia Auld, Douglass’ mistress, had given the “inch” to Douglass by fulfilling his request on teaching him how to read. Master Hugh Auld intervened and stopped his wife from teaching Douglass any further because it would awaken the latter’s curiosity. However, it was too late; Douglass’ suppressed curiosity due to society’s standards had been aroused and Douglass wanted the “ell” to his “inch.” Douglass’ own desire for knowledge grew more intense that he became willing to sacrifice whatever he could to obtain it. Douglass traded bread for lessons on how to read, he copied words from little Tommy’s books, and learned how to write by watching others at the shipyard. To Frederick Douglass, if he did not have that self-desire for knowledge, he would not have gotten an education that led to greater things upon his life later on.

This same desire to learn is what fuels Emerson’s idea of the American Scholar. His theory encompasses the concept of an independent mind, free of influences that may suppress the inner truth that the self is attempting to conceive. Emerson says, “In the right state, he is, Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker” (Paragraph 6). In two sentences, Emerson summarizes the consequences of man relying on what society encourages him to learn to base his education on. If man follows accordingly to society’s study agenda, he loses his ability to create a study plan based on his own personal interests and curiosity. If he loses this, he loses his potential to think like a true intellect. This is what Emerson wishes to avoid as he insists that man find truth within himself, as that is the most effective way of reaching progression. He says, “[The mind], instead of being its own seer, let it receive from another mind its truth…and a fatal disservice is done” and goes on to talk about how over influence hurts the genius. External influence on one’s education is acceptable to a certain extent; anything past that will only damper man’s ability to achieve educational greatness within himself.

Rousseau’s theory of man influencing education by societal pressure challenges our claim of man learning best through his own motivation to learn. Putting the pressures of society on man is ineffective on one’s education. Rousseau states: “Society must be studied in the individual and the individual in society” (31). He believes that one should compare themselves to the customs and traditions of society in order to mold them into what is socially acceptable. Here, Rousseau is man influencing, while Emile is man being influenced. Rousseau believes that he should “put him in his place from the first, and keep him in it, so that he no longer tries to leave it” (8). This explains how people tend to categorize one another, which then builds boundaries on one another’s way of learning. By formal education, one is learning the core curriculum that the teacher wants him or her to learn, which might not be within their interests. With this, one becomes complacent, and halfheartedly achieves their grade, rather than excelling in the topic because they have expressed a true interest in it. This hinders one’s ability to think and reason if they are not passionate about the topic, which then confines man to the scope of their knowledge to what must be taught and learned. There are many cases when those who have dropped out succeed because of their motivation to learn on their own. Rousseau expresses the importance of gaining an education through the influence other men. However, this would only stop people from reaching their full potential. Instead, one should rely on his own motivation to influence his education.