Educated Themes by Dane Scholefield https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h 1) List topics or subjects, which can be turned into theme statements. 2) Include an example and a brief explanation. 3) Write a theme statement for your topic and link it to your example - include a literary device in your explanation. en-us 2018-10-18 06:54:42 UTC 2022-10-26 19:39:10 UTC hello@padlet.com DS Connection to the land dscholefield https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345587962 2022-10-18 17:28:46 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345587962 https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345705339 Upholding religion ]]> 2022-10-18 18:34:08 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345705339 The Harm of Being Misinformed and Uneducated https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345706032 2022-10-18 18:34:34 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345706032 Coming of Age https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345706757 2022-10-18 18:35:02 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345706757 https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345707893 Affect of religion ]]> 2022-10-18 18:35:44 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345707893 Coming of age https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345708340 “What I observed was a woman who… had her own thoughts… and no longer childlike”(Westover 132)
In this scene Tara is observing her dad lecture her mother. She somewhat envisions herself growing up and becoming more than just someone who follows, but someone who leads. ]]> 2022-10-18 18:35:58 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345708340 Manipulation and Fear https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345708830 “I heard Dad’s step on the stairwell. Mother sighed and her eyes fluttered, as if she were coming out of a trance.”


When Gene is not present Faye feels more inclined to share her thoughts, however, once she’s aware that Gene is near she immediately changes her disposition. Displays how Gene has managed to manipulate Faye to an extent where she no longer feels comfortable sharing her opinions openly. ]]> 2022-10-18 18:36:15 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345708830 Vulnerability https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345709741 Dwain hefted Shawn onto his back. For a second that contained an
hour, I stared at my brother, watching the blood trickle out of his temple
and down his right cheek, pouring over his ear and onto his white
T-shirt. His eyes were closed, his mouth open. The blood was oozing
from a hole the size of a golf ball in his forehead. It looked as though his
temple had been dragged on the asphalt, scraping away skin, then bone.
I leaned close and peered inside the wound. Something soft and spongy
glistened back at me. I slipped out of my jacket and pressed it to Shawn's
head. (p.145)

Tara’s family is a patriarchy with Shawn having lots of power over her. In this passage, Shawn is injured and vulnerable towards Tara.

]]> 2022-10-18 18:36:49 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345709741 Consequences of Belief https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345710247 2022-10-18 18:37:10 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345710247 Between identities/belonging https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345711647 “This is who you are. You’ve been pretending that you’re someone else. Someone better. But you are just this.” (page 194)

Tara has struggled to fit in at BYU because she has always been homeschooled. For example, during her class, she didn’t know what the holocaust was and when she asked everyone thought she was trying to be funny.

]]> 2022-10-18 18:38:08 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345711647 Manipulation and power tripping https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345713340 2022-10-18 18:39:17 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345713340 Indoctrination of beliefs https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345714304 “But here, in this loud, bright place, surrounded by gentiles disguised as saints, I clung to every truth, every doctrine he had given me”(Westover 156).

Even though she is far away from her family, her families beliefs still stick with her. Her environment changed, but her beliefs did not. This shows how beliefs are difficult to change and stick for a long time.]]> 2022-10-18 18:39:56 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345714304 Silence in the churches https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345715215 [she wakes up being strangled by her brother, with needles In her head. He was calling her a whore and a slut. ]

- this quote is about her abusive life style and how no one really stands up for her and supports her decisions, overall i think this passage is about how she needs to get out and get away from her abusive house hold


]]> 2022-10-18 18:40:33 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345715215 Raw, Uneducated Knowledge https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345715442 "The misery bbegan when I moved beyond the Pythagorean theorem to sin, cosine, and tangent. I couldn't grasp such abstractions" (p. 125).

Tara is in awe about the logical and complexity of trig, but she shifts to a resignated attitude for the same reasons. The "feet" in the title may mean her raw knowledge and "Earth" may mean complex abstractions. Thus, her uneducated, raw knowledge is unable to grasp trig. The theme is that uneducated minds goes only so far. ]]> 2022-10-18 18:40:43 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345715442 Fitting in https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345716926 “It didn’t matter that I was wearing a gray T-shirt—a goose among the swans. We moved together, a single flock.” (page 79)

Tara gets to participate in her first dance performance with the other dancers, but she isn’t allowed to dress like they do. She says it doesn’t matter as long as they are dancing together. Don’t judge someone for the way they look, but rather for the way they act.]]> 2022-10-18 18:41:41 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345716926 Coming of age https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345719941
  • For nineteen years I’d lived the way my father wanted. Now I would try something else.” (p. 212)

    • This sentence is a huge moment of realization for Tara as she understands the weight of her fathers voice on her decisions. This just goes to show her growth from not living with her family. Tara is more self aware and can prioritize quality time for herself. Tara is happier at BYU than at home with her family despite not fitting in at times.

    ]]>     2022-10-18 18:43:36 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345719941     Ignorance https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345728896 “ ‘Those herbs won’t do a damned thing,’ Dad said. ‘Herbals operate by faith. You can’t put your trust in a doctor, then ask the lord to heal you.’ “ (Westover, pg. 93)

    On January 1st, the day after the fabled “Y2K” event that Gene Westover had monotonously prepared his family for, he “slipped into a state of despondency” (Westover, pg. 92) after recognizing that the urban legend of the “Days of Abomination” (pg. Prologue, xiv) was merely a hoax. As the family prepared for a car trip to Arizona, Westover’s grandmother slowly started to visit the doctor more frequently due to cancer in her bone marrow. When Gene discovered this, he enforced his mormon beliefs prohibiting the use of medical drugs, stating “[t]hose doctors will just kill you quicker.” (Westover, pg. 92) While it isn’t specifically stated in the memoir, Gene Westover implies that the use of medical treatment is an act of sin and betryal against the faith of god, who is supposedly responsible for the curing of illness or injury.


    ]]>     2022-10-18 18:49:25 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345728896     Descisions/Dilema https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345730834 “I believed hospital drugs were an abomination to God, but if I’d had morphine that night, I’d have given it to Luke” (Westover, 2018, p. 72). 

    Tara is facing a dilemma. She doesn't know whether to betray her dad and let go of his ideology in order to do things that make sense for helping herself and others. Or to stay loyal in order to make everyone happy but then do whatever he wants instead of what she wants and thinks is best.]]>     2022-10-18 18:50:38 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345730834     Example theme statement: Educated, by Tara Westover, conveys the theme that one needs to leave their birthplace to become educated. dscholefield https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345736003 2022-10-18 18:53:59 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345736003 Family/Nurture vs. Nature https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345741753 "[Dad] said I was whoring after a man’s knowledge instead of God’s"(Westover, pg.125)

    "We both know that if I ever again find Shawn on the highway, soaked in crimson, I will do exactly what I have just done/ I'm not sorry. Merely Ashamed" (Westover, pg.148)

    “I’ve never understood it before. The truth is this: that I am not a good daughter. I am a traitor, a wolf among sheep; there is something different about me and that difference is not good.”

    To what extent should one's connection to family control their perspectives and actions? Tara, having grown up in a family with extreme Mormon beliefs, has experienced both emotional and physical abuse. Her family has created a large influence on her but she is able to walk out of her past. On the other hand, Tara's brother Shawn grew to become aggressive and believe men should be better than women. ]]>     2022-10-18 18:57:43 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345741753     The power of knowledge https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345742731 2022-10-18 18:58:21 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345742731 Self dubiety/Lack of faith alistairl168 https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345792460 Despite Tara having proved herself as a scholar with Dr Steinberg remarking, "[that he has] been teaching in Cambridge for thirty years... And [Tara's] is one of the best essays [he's] ever read," (Pg. 240) she still lacks faith that her academic prowess is enough to stand on. She asserts that regardless of her intellectual propensity she is "still Tara Westover. [Having] done jobs no Cambridge student would do." (Pg. 245) And in reference to Pygmalion (which is also the title of the topical chapter) she predicates, "Dress us any way you like, we are not the same." (Pg. 245) This demonstrates and indicates her inclination to reject her rightful place in academia.]]> 2022-10-18 19:35:07 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345792460 Accepting/asking for help https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345792516 “Here’s the proof nothing touches me” (P. 191)
    Tara has put herself in a mindset where if she aces this algebra test everything else that is wrong will be fine even thought it’s not]]>     2022-10-18 19:35:10 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2345792516     Educated, by Tara Westover, conveys the theme that self-esteem and confidence are important factors in life. https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2353944055 "That was their world. I stepped into overalls and returned to mine." (pg. 135)]]> 2022-10-24 16:29:05 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2353944055 Changes in morality https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2353957839 Educated, by Tara Westover, demonstrates that while family has a large influence on one’s morality, education can improve how one views the world.]]> 2022-10-24 16:36:39 UTC https://padlet.com/dscholefield/23mbz7myd73h/wish/2353957839