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In an earlier post, I proposed my belief that non-academic matters of education in public schools (and even more so in Catholic or otherwise religions schools) is better termed Indoctrination. Now, I have come to realize that even some academic subjects should be included in that belief.
The Bronte sisters' novels, for example, are ridiculously labeled as literature -- and innocent children are persuaded of that; they are indoctrinated with the sure knowledge that these books are great literature.
I, for one, have not been persuaded.
The Bronte books can be read online at no charge --
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
LINK
Below is an illustration from another novel of the same ilk, titled Persuasion, by another author, Jane Austen.
This illustration tells me all I want to know about the novel. Reading it is not enough, though, not nearly enough. A reader, to understand what it's all about will need to seek out another source for that. Such as Wikipedia or some other source of literary education.
A lifetime of indoctrination is a comment from a reader of Greta Christina's blog. It describes what I am trying to say about Education being more appropriately termed Indoctrination.
I hasten to admit that some indoctrination is a good thing, serving to prepare children to be proper and subservient members of society.
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WORD FOR TODAY
persuade [puhr-swayd]
Verb
- Cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument.
- Cause (someone) to believe something, esp. after a sustained effort; convince.
Persuasion is the influence of beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviors. Persuasion is a process aimed at changing a person's (or a group's) attitude or behavior toward some event, idea, object, or other person(s), by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination thereof.
Persuasion is also an often used tool in the pursuit of personal gain, such as Election Campaigning or a Sales Pitch.
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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Born Jan 18, 1892
Died: Aug 7, 1957
Died: Aug 7, 1957
Oliver "Ollie" Hardy (born Norvell Hardy) was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.
By 1915, he had made 50 short one-reeler films, and between 1918 and 1923, he made more than 40 films.
In 1927, Laurel and Hardy began sharing screen time together and this pairing created arguably the most famous double act in movie history.
In 1949, Hardy’s friend, John Wayne, asked him to play a supporting role in The Fighting Kentuckian.
Born Jan 18, 1955
Age: 57 years old
Age: 57 years old
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has won two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Emmy Award, and has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards. Costner's notable roles include Eliot Ness in The Untouchables, Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, Lt. John J. Dunbar in Dances with Wolves, Jim Garrison in JFK, Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard.
He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role as Devil Anse Hatfield in Hatfields & McCoys.
Costner will play Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, in the 2013 film, Man of Steel.
Born Jan 18, 1941
Age 71 years old
Age 71 years old
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey," which sold over one million copies in the United States.
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Born Jan 18, 1904
Died Nov 29, 1986
Cary Grant (born Archibald Alexander Leach) was an English-born American film and stage actor. Known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor and "dashing good looks", Grant is considered one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men.
Grant was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. He was known for both comedic and dramatic roles; his best-known films include The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).
Born Jan. 18, 1913
Died March 3, 1987
Died March 3, 1987
Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky) was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. His best known performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire nonsense songs.
Kaye starred in 17 movies, notably The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), White Christmas (1954), and – perhaps his most accomplished performance – The Court Jester (1956).
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The object of oratory alone is not truth, but persuasion.
--Thomas B. Macaulay
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