Analysis of The Education of Henry Adams
Analysis of The Education of Henry Adams
While reading the book, The Education of Henry Adams, I found it to be amusing, and interesting at the same time. Henry Adams had a unique way of looking at history and events that happened in his life. There were two themes in the book that I thought were very interesting. The first was how he defined “education”, and the second was his Dynamic Theory of History.
The term education to Adams was not going to school and learning how to read and write. It was a continuing experience through out one’s life. It involves people you come into contact as well as events that take place in your life. He states that in order to gain those experiences you first have to lose your innocence. As he was growing up in Quincy, he lived a carefree life naively enjoying the freedoms of a child. Then things started to change with his visit to Washington with his father. He experienced slavery for the first time, and it was then that he started to lose his innocence, and become confused about life. He wondered how men could treat other men that way. Another event that further disillusioned Adams was the corruptness of politicians. The Free Soil Party agreed to support a pro-slavery democrat for the office of Governor of Massachusetts in return for the democrats to support a Free Soil candidate for the United States Senate. Adams’ points out that this is his first lesson in “practical politics”. After Adams lost his innocence he talks about a struggle to confront exploitation of the weak. This is a big topic for Adams because of his anti-slavery stance. He also feels that this is one of the main struggles in life because there is always someone trying to take advantage of people. The issue of gold came up several times in his life and he saw that there was always someone trying to make money while taking advantage of the commoners. Every one of these experiences gave him a little more education.
To Adams formal education is worthless. He has many experiences with it, going to Harvard, and studying law in Europe. He feels that one’s own experiences are how one is educated. This...