Educated - A Memoir
Tara Westover
Contributed by Micheal Celestin
Chapter 30
Summary

The chapter illustrates the experiences that Westover had at Trinity College of Cambridge University where she had gone to study a Master of Philosophy. She recalls dressing in dark colors for her first lecture in an attempt to blend among other students even though she was aware that she could not resemble them. They spoke differently from her, and they simply looked more learned. She chose a seat at a larger square table there she was able to listen to two students talking about the concepts of liberty by Isaiah Berlin, one of the lecture topics. One of the students said he had studied the concept while at Cambridge and he said that he had heard of it while at Oxford. The lecturer then began the presentation with the presumption that the students “were already familiar with it” (Westover 255). This showed the notable differences in the institutions where Westover had studied versus those where the other students had attended.

Analysis

The chapter highlights the difference in Westover’s education as she moved from BYU to Trinity College in England. In England, she met students who seemed more astute, educated, and full of confidence. They also appeared to be more prepared for the lectures than she had been. She was taken aback by the fact that the lecturer assumed that all the students were already aware of the lecture topic (Westover 259). This indicated the need for Westover to adapt to the changes in her new environment and ensure that she was able to keep up with her peers in the bid to acquire more education and interact with the people around her effectively.

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