"Children must be left entirely at liberty; they will learn every
thing better than you can teach them; their memory must not be overloaded with
trash; their reason must be left to grow." Maria Edgeworth's "On Tasks" explores the growth of a child, not only physically but emotionally as well. I feel that this quote explains a concept most children will readily agree with and most adults will readily disagree with; I personally agree with this quote entirely. As adults push their own opinions and ideas upon children, they can create the "trash" that can "overload" a child's memory and create unnecessary memories for them. The idea that "their memory must not be overloaded with trash" relates to our discussion last week regarding memory. I feel that this chapter on tasks emphasizes that over-stimulation of our brains will create memories that we do not necessarily need. Allowing a child's reason to grow on its own, rather than pushing for it to grow, allows the child to grow up into an individual rather than an imprint of the adults who have brought that child up.
Hi Sirisha--
ReplyDeleteInteresting questions here. Edgeworth tries to strike a balance between those who set up reading as a "task" and those worried about overloading the mind and thus leaving the child at liberty.
What, in this case, might it mean to have a memory filled with "trash?" Or to have an "overloaded" mind? I wondered if this offered any new insights into Sterne's novel and its difficulties... I was also curious: are you thinking of this idea in terms of the eighteenth-century? Today? Learning to read as a child, or reading more generally throughout life?
best,
NP
p.s. if you have a moment, you might be interested in Shan's post (The Charioteer) on how literary difficulty might overload, or overtax, the mind and decrease literary pleasure.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be interesting to think about how difficulty plays in here. How do we distinguish between the difficult and the overtaxing, or excessive? What makes a memory useful or useless?
best,
NP