While reading The Mill on the Floss, I encountered one problem regarding education that I believe is still relevant today. That would be the idea that young people are being inadequately prepared for future jobs, some of which possibly don’t even exist yet. Eliot first presents this problem in the novel when Tom is being taught Latin and Euclid by Mr. Stelling, topics that are “academic” and interesting but do not prepare him for the money-centric business world of book-keeping and accounting. Some of you have probably seen this video before, but it does a nice job of illustrating the problems regarding education and employment from the 19th to the 21st century (His distinction between the economic and intellectual pillars of education I believe is quite relevant to the novel):
I think it’s interesting to see this issue appear in The Mill on the Floss since it testifies to the prevalence of this problem throughout history. I believe that with the incredible reliance on computer technology in the 21st century, our job economy is going through a radical transformation similar to the one that occurred during the dawn of the British credit economy. In fact, there’s a strong push in American public schools to begin teaching kids coding skills to prepare them for future jobs, with organizations such as Code.org are at the forefront of this movement. More recently, Obama has announced an initiative to fund and teach computer science to students throughout America, stating that computer skills will become “basic skills”. In December, Arkansas passed a law requiring computer science courses to be available in all public and charter schools.
I think that this problem of future job security is quite interesting, one that I grapple with myself as an English Literature major. I was wondering what anyone else thought about this problem as it appears in the 21st century? Also, does the novel present it as an issue that can be overcome, or is it an issue that is a natural product of a modernizing world?
Regarding the video, do you agree with his observations and opinions?
The lack of applicability of Tom’s education stood out in my mind particularly when he is asking Mr. Deane for assistance in finding a ‘situation’. While Tom lists what he has learned in school, Mr. Deane feels “a sort of repulsion” towards Tom rather than being impressed, and points out that “Your [Tom’s] Latin and rigmarole may soon dry off you, but you’ll be but a bare stick after that”, pointing out that Tom has no useful skills for the careers he is likely to hold.
This made me think about the process of falling and rising in society, and how it seems to be considerably harder to rise than it is to fall. Mr. Tulliver spends money, and Tom spends several years, on an education that is intended to help the family rise; however, this endeavour fails given the family’s rapid fall. In contrast to the years Tom spends at Mr. Stelling’s, it takes around two months for the family to socially fall and lose their possessions. Mr. Deane’s suggestion that Tom abandon his more ‘high-brow’ education, and learn how to keep books instead, returns Tom’s education to the status quo. Tom’s situation in a career suitable for his social ranking, regardless of his education, underscores the futility of Mr. Tulliver’s efforts to raise the family.
Given that The Mill on the Floss is indeed set during a transitional period, your comment on “inadequate” preparations for future jobs is an interesting take on job security. I think there is also a curious disparity between being inadequately prepared for a job suitable for one’s current social class (Tom), and being unable to be adequately prepared for jobs which do not yet exist, and are not fully comprehended (today).
Like Taylor’s comment regarding the rise and fall in society, Tom’s given education is not useful for the jobs he is likely to hold. He lacks the foundation for actual job security, because Mr. Tulliver was not knowledgeable enough of education, to ensure Tom the learning he intended (like sums). Instead, the learned subjects of Latin and Euclid contains a level of leisure that is not “suitable” for Tom’s class situation. In terms of job security, Tom could have been adequately prepared for careers with job security, through the right education – if only Mr. Tulliver had been more aware of the system. But this inability of Mr. Tulliver’s is perhaps similar to the lack of complete understanding we have today, regarding what to learn, if we are to “move” forwards in the world.
Is the topic of job security presented by the novel as an issue that can be overcome? That’s a great question and I think that to a degree Eliot, in this case, does. Tom is able to overcome his education (interesting), and get “back on track” by learning numbers at night, and working at a warehouse, gradually obtaining higher positions in trade. More can be said about this, actually, given the context of what we have been discussing in class.
Disclaimer: This comment is entirely based on my not have watched the linked video, and being roughly 4/5 through the novel! 🙂
Hi Liam, Taylor and Queena,
I don’t have much to add, but I think you all make some very interesting connections and provide some insightful platforms for further thought and discussion.
I think that Elliot’s novel appears on the cusp of a new age where information, innovation, and ideas are a form of currency. So in that sense, yes… I think this is just a natural product of a modernizing world. However, I think that ideas are valuable because of their potential for practical application (as exemplified by Tom’s Latin lessons).
I agree that much of education can be faulted for failing to make applications to “real world” issues. However, I wonder if this is not just an issue of failed curriculum, but of failed values. We are programmed (at least I have been) to pursue excellence in terms of reports and GPAs. But I wonder if valuing this too highly overlooks the opportunity for engaging with classroom material on a deeper level. If we are constantly striving to “make a grade”, perhaps this prevents us from taking risks with class content. If we remove some of these pressures, there could be more room for creativity. However, I do think there is a danger in taking this too far. If we remove pressure, evaluation, and competition, this also limits creativity. I think the key would be to find a balance between these elements.
Is this what you were getting at?
Yeah, that makes sense to me. I believe that the education system does need to be restructured because of some of the issues that you raise. There is still an emphasis on the “proper” way to learn material, especially in high school, and deviation from this proper way may lead to a lower letter grade. Lately I’ve heard of a few high schools that are attempting a more flexible method to teach kids, one that focuses on how each kid learns as an individual instead of forcing them to fit an educational mold. However, I don’t have any accurate specifics about those schools other than hearsay.
I’ve had this discussion about education, particularly in the Arts, with my dad who does hiring for his financial company. He says that regardless of your major, if he sees UBC education on your resume it immediately goes to the top of the pile (where it then probably gets sorted by major anyways…). He says that a UBC education demonstrates a level of discipline and intelligence; that even though one may be applying to a job in business but possesses a degree in literature, due to one’s UBC education one may also have certain desirable personal qualities that would make one a valuable employee. One may apply this idea to the novel in the character Tom. Is it possible that he would have been able to successfully enter business unless he went to school? It’s entirely possible that the discipline he learned due to his studies gave him the ability to persevere and work hard to pay off the debt. This idea implies that all education is valuable to a degree.