“I'm sure you know the difficulty. Sometimes those two things can be at cross purposes, say, when one child is a bit behind, maybe keeping the others from moving on. What should you do? Ignore the child? I found that I had no choice in the matter. As soon as I started seeing the class as more important than the student, the children were lost, I was lost. Nothing was grand, nothing was noble. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The speaker reflects on her teaching career and discusses the difficulties of reconciling the demands of individual students with the general growth of the class. She admits that there is sometimes a contradiction between these two goals especially when one child is struggling and potentially impeding the advancement of others. The speaker argues that by ignoring the difficult kid, she jeopardized the nature of her work and the pupils' well-being. This reflection reflects the speaker's belief in the value of tailored education as well as the negative implications of ignoring individual needs in the name of communal advancement. It highlights the speaker's dissatisfaction with a system that prioritizes the grandness of the collective over the well-being and development of each student leading to a loss of purpose and significance in her teaching.
“People seem to like their laws made by someone who has always lived beyond them.”
Despite allegations about Juliet's lavish lifestyle, the narrator observes that she has risen through the political ranks and become a senator. According to the quote, society finds a particular appeal in persons who have lived a life outside of normal morality and laws. People may assume that such figures have a deeper awareness of life's intricacies and temptations making them more relatable and capable of making educated decisions. The quote also emphasizes society's predisposition to be drawn by the charisma and intrigue surrounding larger-than-life characters even if it blurs the line between real esteem and scandalous infatuation.
“What I don't get is why does everyone here lie to each other all the time? It seems juvenile. The truth comes out anyway.”
In this quote, Jeph expresses his dissatisfaction and uncertainty about the abundance of lying in the community. His idea is that the truth will eventually come to light, rendering the lies useless and ultimately destroying the community's trust. Jeph's question demonstrates his desire for honesty and transparency, emphasizing the significance of open communication and genuine encounters. He regards lying as a juvenile habit that weakens the basis of trust and calls the community's integrity into question. By bringing this up, he challenges the reader to consider the consequences of lying and the value of honesty in human relationships.
“People will finally realize that they've been expecting too much from a fragile system.”
The quote represents the protagonist's reflection on the potential repercussions of relying on an unsustainable socioeconomic framework. Within the given setting, the protagonist's father believes that a disturbance in society will occur forcing people to confront the constraints of the existing system. According to the quote, people have placed too many expectations on this frail system assuming it will always provide their wants and keep them secure. The quote is a criticism of society's reliance on fragile systems that are prone to failure, emphasizing the need for a more sustainable and resilient approach to meeting basic requirements. It raises concerns about the assumptions people make and the potential repercussions of relying on institutions that may not be able to resist unexpected disturbances.
