Can the effect of today’s education system on young people be likened to the identity loss of the individual in dystopian literature?
15:41
This may seem like a bold statement, not least a
controversial one, but let me explain.
The whole point of dystopian literature is of course to
highlight potential flaws in society and allow the reader to reflect on the
world. However, it is unlikely that
either 1984 by George Orwell or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood were
written with the view to being compared to the education system in the 21st
Century.
The title I created for my A2 English Literature coursework
claimed that ‘The purpose of dystopian literature is to dehumanise the
individual’. I then went on to discuss
this view in relation to the two novels mentioned above. In the introduction, I began by distinguishing
three factors that, in my opinion, define a human being (simplified of course
for the purpose of the essay), which were individual identity, freedom and dignity. Whilst I’m not going to sit here and argue
that the experience of students in the UK today is undignified and compromises
freedom, I can’t help but notice some similarities when it comes to the loss of
individual identity.
On many levels, students today are encouraged to ‘be
themselves’ and create a personal identity through pursuing their interests and
goals. But does this really match up
with the huge emphasis placed on exams, grades and success? As I explained in my previous post, I feel as
though the pressure of school, sixth-form in particular, caused me to lose
myself, or perhaps never even find myself.
In other words, in some ways, school seemed to stunt my personal growth. Many of you reading this will probably
completely disagree, as I’m sure most people experience the opposite. It is undeniable that school is full of
opportunities and experiences, which have the potential to inspire and motivate
young people. However, I do believe that
it doesn’t always work like this.
In my essay, I explored the significance
of the names of both Winston Smith (1984)
and Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale). The character’s lack of individuality is
reflected in the commonplace ‘Smith’ and the possessive ‘Of Fred’. My name is of course Harriet, although during
my time at school, I couldn’t help but feel that I was defined by what I did, rather than who I was.
For example, while the head teacher may not have always remembered
my name (perfectly understandable), I was ‘The Runner’. In the same way, to many of my peers I was ‘The
Clever One’, or ‘The One Who Always Has A Spare Pencil’. I was known as the girl who always seemed to
be going up for awards in assembly. But
of course I wasn’t the only one; girls (and boys) like me are everywhere, in
every school all over the country. I
speak only for myself, however, when I say that I was hiding behind these
labels, as empty and ‘vessel-like’ as Offred.
I had no time for personal growth and development when every moment was
taken up with trying to succeed, both academically and physically. “Surely you’re expecting too much; your
identity lies in your studies and interest in sport?” I hear you ask. The truth is, I wasn’t particularly
interested in my studies, because everything I learnt seemed to be for the sole
purpose of passing an exam, rather than for the enjoyment of it. On the rare occasion that something did grab my interest, we had rushed onto
the next topic before any real flame had been ignited. And as for doing research in my own time on
these subjects? No way was I going to
spend the precious few moments of ‘my own time’ looking into something that
wouldn’t be in the exam! Of course, much
of the ‘A’ Level content is interesting,
yet is compromised by the fact that we seem to be learning for the sake of
learning. In the days before each of my
exams, my one wish was to ‘get all this information out of my head!’ Walking out of the exam hall, I felt complete
relief at being able to just let go of all the facts and figures I’d been so
desperately clinging on to for the past few months. Is this really what education should be
about? Sure, almost a year on, I can
remember the vague overview of the A2 Psychology course. But if someone gave me the exact paper I sat,
I’d wonder how on earth I even began answering the questions.
If it seems as though I’ve gone off
on a tangent, let me bring you back to the point. I gave everything I’d got to those exams, in
order to keep myself covered by the label that said I was ‘The Clever One’. What would be left of me if I didn’t get
those A*’s? I had nothing to fall back
on. This was made even worse when I gave
up running around exam time because the pressure of training and revision had
got too much. Then, when the exams were
all finished and I had my A’s and A*’s, I emerged, bleary-eyed, feeling as
though I’d spent the last year or two in a dark cave. I realised with horror, that without the
safety of my label-identities, I had absolutely no idea who I was. And here I return to the title of this piece;
my identity was lost (or perhaps never allowed to form) because I was driven by
the need to succeed at the things I was known for: academia and athletics. I believe that this drive was partially
fuelled by the competitive nature of today’s society and the emphasis placed on
exam success by the education system.
Unsurprisingly, I can’t offer any
ground-breaking solutions. What I can
say, is that if I were to do my time at school again, I would be more aware of life
after sixth-form and exams. I would
invest time in doing activities that might be irrelevant in the classroom, but
would leave me with more than just the letter ‘A’ at the end of it. If I could go back, I wouldn’t look down my
nose at my friends who seemed to spend more time ‘having fun’ than
revising. I don’t know what the perfect
balance is between the two, but I do know that those friends are now coming to
the end of their first year at uni and I’m sitting at home trying to pick up
the pieces.
Harriet x
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