John Locke: Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1692

What is the biographical context?

Locke lived in turbulent times- King Charles I executed, the people become the head of England, conflict between Protestants and Catholics

Grew up in a Puritan household

Spent most of his life as a tutor for nobility

Earned recognition for being an excellent tutor, so people sought his advice on education

Remained a bachelor, never married or had kids

Edward Clarke asked his opinion on education

Locke wrote his own epitaph- wrote he was modest, a scholar devoted to truth, people could learn from his writings

What were Locke's philosophical beliefs (context)?

Learning should occur in stages

Advocated for teaching/learning of manual labour in case of falling on hard times

Physical activity is extremely important

Believed each child was unique and thought one on one education was crucial

Saw children as rational creatures able to understand a lot

Saw value in fostering children's talents

Tabula Rasa- the mind as a blank state, education moulds individuals character and abilities

How is lexis and semantics used?

Semantic field of information/informative lexis- text reads similarly to an instruction manual more than a philosophical essay

'His'- reflects the time period of his writing in which many women or girls would not have been educated, so assumes the child in question is male

Binary opposition: 'young gentlemen' should be raised with a valuable education that 'will not so perfectly suit the education of daughters' which suggests that women are weaker to pain than men

Rhetorical question & hyperbole: 'What can it be less, than to murder their tender babes, to use them thus?'

1st, 2nd and 3rd person pronouns- uses all three to make the test more personal (1), address the audience directly (2), and to indicate who should be exposed to his methods (3)

Repetition of 'I doubt not- assures audience that he is certain of his research and convince the audience of his point that hands and feet should be treated the same

6 variations of the word 'hard'- Locke is emphasising the importance of making young boys resilient

What genre is the text?

Polemical writing/essay- style of essay designed to persuade the intended reader of their cause

What is the purpose of the text?

To persuade

To educate

What are the 4 parts to Locke's beliefs about education (context)?

Virtue- the importance of a relationship with God

Wisdom- Children cannot be wise as you gain wisdom from experience, so they must witness it from their parents in their pursuit of knowledge

Breeding- the manners of a person, for one to be well-bred they must respect both themselves and others and doesn't view anyone as below themselves

Learning- when accompanied by virtue and wisdom, learning is necessary, but it's otherwise unimportant

Give a summary of what Locke argues in his essay.

Health and strength are more important than comfort and luxury

Boys should get used to being tough from a young age by showering in cold water, not being over protected, wearing simple clothes. He believed this would make them healthier, stronger and better prepared for life

Argues that children in other countries such as Germany or Poland already do this and their children grow up healthy even in cold climates

Criticises mothers for being too protective and afraid of the cold, saying children are tougher than their parents think

How is pragmatics used?

Locke's views are outdated from a contemporary viewpoint- we know the effects of cold water in harsh conditions and that shoes with holes have a poor effect on health

Cross-cultural references- e.g. referring to Horace (philosopher) which would be understood by a variety of people due to his widespread works

How is discourse used?

Tone- Initially the text adopts a factual tone, explaining the details of Locke's methods and how it should be implemented, however in the third and fourth paragraph of the text he switches to a more desperate tone, throwing in lots of evidence and cases where his methods were used as a means to increase his credibility

How is phonology used?

How is grammar used?

Exclamatives- 'What!' is used in the text to almost mock the reaction of mothers to his suggestions, implying that he anticipates a poor reaction to his thoughts from overprotective mothers

How is syntax used?

Complex sentence structure- exemplifies Locke's higher level of education and indicates the education level of his desired audience, as he expects them to be able to understand his proposal concerning education

Who is the audience?

Others engaged in education/teaching

Parents of children due to be educated

Mainly upper class (due to him being a private tutor for upper class families)

How can we apply Brown & Levinson's Politeness theory?

Negative face- Locke protects the parents right to choose how to implement his methods 'it may be left to the prudence and convenience of the parents, to choose either night or morning'

Face-threatening acts- Locke attacks parents (specifically mothers) for coddling young lads and softening them up too much

How can we apply Aristotle's Triangle of Rhetoric?

Logos- by using lots of examples of where his methods were used, Locke increases the credibility and logic behind his argument and convinces the audience that his methods are well-founded and effective

Pathos- Locke almost mocks this idea by using aa hyperbolic metaphor when referring to the reaction of mothers to his methods