Note #29
In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion.
In his speech "This is Water", Wallace asserts that education must not be about knowledge but rather about simple awareness. Munro's stories expose the reader to themes and facets of families, individuals and relationships that often remain latent in formal education. Formal education often has a tendency to dismiss these concepts due to their simplicity as they lack the grandeur of more fancy and hyped up concepts (such as war in Coriolanus). Although Munro's stories center around themes that are commonplace, they are no less complex or layered than more extravagant stories. Wallace quotes that "The most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about." There is an uncanny truth in this statement. We often tend to graze over familial notions superficially, failing to realise that even the most minuscule gestures are representative of intricate details. An example of this is in 'Family Furnishings'. The narrator's family made minimal efforts in setting up the table when they had regular guests, yet went the extra mile to display their best silverware when Alfrida was around. This simple act insinuates that the narrator's parents highly valued Alfrida's companionship and the relationship they had with Alfrida was far more valuable to them than with others as they made extra efforts to please her. This rather simple act discloses substantial information about family dynamics to the reader. Wallace suggests that our education must help us tune ourselves to be alert and aware of these minute happenings.
Wallace highlights the difficulty in practicing empathy due to our "default-setting" being self centredness. It is easy to be caught up in the hectic reality of our lives and fail to take into account that there exist people in parallel settings; people who live in alternate realities. He states that our education must aid us in consciously making a choice about how to perceive others. The setting of Munro's stories is often rural Canada, a reality that many readers may not associate with. Yet there is a certain relatability wherein lies a sense of shared humanity that transcends territorial barriers. Readers may not have grown up in a fox farm like the narrator in 'Boys and Girls', yet the need for freedom and independence is typical of an average person. Through exposure to Munro's stories, a reader subconsciously embraces the characters' felicity and agony based on a mutual sentiment. However for the more convoluted aspects, such as Flo's behaviour in 'Royal Beatings', the reader must actively engage in dissecting the character and try to fathom that she acts the way she does because of her past as an urban woman, which starkly contrasts with her present role as the housewife of a low-income family in a poor town. This conscious build-up of empathy stems from a series of passive experiences, which ultimately allow us to change our "default-setting". Wallace denotes that true freedom involves attention, awareness and effort, qualities that actually facilitate us to make the best of our education.
In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion.
In his speech "This is Water", Wallace asserts that education must not be about knowledge but rather about simple awareness. Munro's stories expose the reader to themes and facets of families, individuals and relationships that often remain latent in formal education. Formal education often has a tendency to dismiss these concepts due to their simplicity as they lack the grandeur of more fancy and hyped up concepts (such as war in Coriolanus). Although Munro's stories center around themes that are commonplace, they are no less complex or layered than more extravagant stories. Wallace quotes that "The most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about." There is an uncanny truth in this statement. We often tend to graze over familial notions superficially, failing to realise that even the most minuscule gestures are representative of intricate details. An example of this is in 'Family Furnishings'. The narrator's family made minimal efforts in setting up the table when they had regular guests, yet went the extra mile to display their best silverware when Alfrida was around. This simple act insinuates that the narrator's parents highly valued Alfrida's companionship and the relationship they had with Alfrida was far more valuable to them than with others as they made extra efforts to please her. This rather simple act discloses substantial information about family dynamics to the reader. Wallace suggests that our education must help us tune ourselves to be alert and aware of these minute happenings.
Wallace highlights the difficulty in practicing empathy due to our "default-setting" being self centredness. It is easy to be caught up in the hectic reality of our lives and fail to take into account that there exist people in parallel settings; people who live in alternate realities. He states that our education must aid us in consciously making a choice about how to perceive others. The setting of Munro's stories is often rural Canada, a reality that many readers may not associate with. Yet there is a certain relatability wherein lies a sense of shared humanity that transcends territorial barriers. Readers may not have grown up in a fox farm like the narrator in 'Boys and Girls', yet the need for freedom and independence is typical of an average person. Through exposure to Munro's stories, a reader subconsciously embraces the characters' felicity and agony based on a mutual sentiment. However for the more convoluted aspects, such as Flo's behaviour in 'Royal Beatings', the reader must actively engage in dissecting the character and try to fathom that she acts the way she does because of her past as an urban woman, which starkly contrasts with her present role as the housewife of a low-income family in a poor town. This conscious build-up of empathy stems from a series of passive experiences, which ultimately allow us to change our "default-setting". Wallace denotes that true freedom involves attention, awareness and effort, qualities that actually facilitate us to make the best of our education.
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