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Writer's pictureEmmanuel Tomilore Adegboyega
Apr 9, 20215 min read

Short Stories Conclusion

As the short story/Essay unit comes to an end, I thought to share some of the readings that stood out to me and my take away from each of them.



Author - GUY DE MAUPASSANT


Themes - Our perception of reality isn’t always accurate

  • Material things is not the key to true happiness

  • The pursuit of instant gratification will ultimately lead to misery

  • The importance of being thankful and grateful for what we have

  • Untruthfulness leads to paying a price you have no business paying

  • Lack of self-love is destructive

  • An attractive appearance is no guide to character, influence, appreciation, self-confidence or joy.


Author - Frank Stockton


Themes - There is a price to pay for love

  • Sometimes in life, the choices we have in front of us all carry unpleasurable consequences

  • Decision are fate-deciding

  • Wrong leaders lead to corruption and unreasonable laws/systems

  • The success of a society is dependent on who is in charge

  • Decisions are influenced by emotions

  • The power to choose the outcome of our lives is in our hands

  • Choices precedes consequences

  • Trust in people influences our decisions

  • The price to remain alive is to make decisions

  • Power in the wrong hands is destructive


Author - ERNEST HEMINGWAY


Themes:

  • Gender views defers on sensitive issues such as abortion

  • Abortion destroys relationships

  • Flawed relationships are destructive

  • Unprecedented circumstances lead to disregard for morals and values such as honesty, respect, and commitment.

  • Humans will do anything to return to state of ‘freedom’

  • Communication in a relationship reveals the values of the other


Author - Robert Nielsen


Thesis - The Education System has failed the students


Questions: p.330 #1,2,4,5

1. Nielsen saw higher education as universities abandoning moral truth in favour of a shallow, shifting mix of values. In other words, he believed that institutions have become a place of moral relativism, where tolerance and acceptance are more important than challenging students to think critically and to understand what living a ‘good’ life entails. I completely agree with Nielsen's opinion and view on ‘higher education’ because I have friends that are in universities, many of them first years, who do not know much about life and are still struggling with whether or not there are objective truths. Most oftenly, some of them come and ask for my opinion on certain decisions they already made or are about to make. Then, I ask myself why they keep asking me these questions when they are supposed to be older than me and know much more about decision making than I do. I soon realized that I knew certain keys, precepts, and principles that they don’t know as they weren’t taught and they didn't go seeking for it either. Age does not define the body of knowledge and truths one knows. One could go their entire life without discovering the keys to living a ‘good’ life. So, I do agree with Nielsen completely because I’ve seen the effects of a failed ‘higher education’ system. The education system has failed students in its propagation of tolerance, relativity, and feelings over breeding critical thinkers who are well equipped to be leaders and change ambassadors.


2. Nielsen argued that students should take both arts and sciences because he believes that a good program of liberal education feeds the student’s love of truth and passion to live a good life. Furthermore, he believed that education should make students curious about man’s highest aspirations, as opposed to his low and common needs and this can’t be achieved, however, without consulting the great thinkers and writers of the past. Nielsen believed this quest should be led by the arts/humanities faculty ( literature, philosophy, and history). For this sole purpose, Nielsen believed that students should not just focus on the sciences but also the arts in order to achieve the true purpose of education.


4. Scathingly indicts - This is an harshly critical accusation or statement

Moral relativism - Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others. Nothing is objective and everything is subjective mindset/belief.

It defies almost every tenet of fashionable modern thought, and leaves no academic

ox ungored - This simply means that every fashionable modern thought is ignored/refused and no academic subject/topic/person is left untouched. In essence, Nielsen's book went against everything that was popular at the time and that it pierces every unintelligent person of academia.


5. Higher education has failed democracy in the sense that as a democracy we are able to put in our opinions on how to improve certain things such as the education system. Although we have all contributed ways to make higher education suitable for all students, the government still makes curriculum to only fit the average student. Higher education also failed democracy as it is not properly building individuals who are the political class of tomorrow and this puts our democratic nation in jeopardy and risk. Souls of today's students are impoverished because students are not receiving a well rounded education in the sense that most students will fall into an art, science, math, or business category and when this happens as students we no longer learn aspects from the other strands of education. Thus we are not getting a well rounded education and we learn to become closed minded.



Brave New World - PG.331

Author - Aldous Huxley


Themes - The future is scary


Questions:p.334 #1,2



The Role of the Teacher - PG..337

Author - Irving Layton


Thesis - Teachers play a vital role in the education system

Questions:p.334 #1,2

1. According to Layton, the fault lies with unprogressive or penny-pinching school boards who engage teachers whose unsuitability is fully known to them in advance. And behind the incompetent teacher and the conservative school board stands a society which has no comprehensive vision of what education is or the aims that it ought to pursue. Layton says teachers are being blamed unreasonably for the problems with education.

2. Yes, I totally agree with that statement because if students don’t learn things like that in school, where else would they? Students spend more time in school than they do with their family and friends. Schools are the place where most students call their second home so I do believe that schools should enrich students' lives by giving them the tools of self-improvement and the cultivated mind to use them.


The Uses and the Abuses of University - https://thewalrus.ca/the-uses-and-abuses-of-university/

Thesis - Canadian universities are producing graduates whose education is poorly matched with the national economy.

On the Road to Berlin

Thesis - There is always a cost to heroism


A Story of War and Change

Thesis - War can change people


The Dead of September 11th

Thesis - There are no words to describe or capture the cost of wars


The Perils of Indifference

Thesis - Indifference is destructive and it reduces others to an abstraction.


The Perils of Indifference Speech


The Flash

Themes:

  • People around you will always shut down your quest for knowledge or truth

  • People’s limited perspective can quench our curiosity and desire to know more

  • There will always be resistance when attempting to question systems in the world

  • People become angry and uncomfortable when they are forced to think and use their minds

  • Humans will always live in uncertainty


The Passenger

Themes - In life, we sometimes find ourselves being passengers of the world, filled with insecurities

  • Compelling appearance does not equate confidence and security in life


If you have read any of these works please do let me know you thoughts in the comments. If you have not read any of these before, I do encourage you to do as these works have forced me to think and reflect.


Stay Tuned!!

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