Don’t let schooling get in the way your education. Mark Twain wrote in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” about how schooling ruined his life. The advice, as well as Grant Allen’s writing, are timeless and still relevant today. This article will explore the advice from Grant Allen and Mark Twain, as well as his own experiences with school.
Mark Twain’s advice on schooling
If you’ve ever wondered if it’s worthwhile to go to school, consider this advice from a literary giant. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was a brilliant writer who never finished high school and expressed a deep cynicism about our mediocre education system. He firmly believed that learning and schooling were two different things, and that we should not place blind faith in schooling.
In 1905, Samuel Clemens delivered a speech to youth called “Advice to Youth.” This was a short, humorous literary informational text, and it is written in the style of a speech, which is a great choice for a classroom setting. Mark Twain was an American writer who had already written two famous books, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, and his advice for schooling students is relevant today.
Grant Allen’s writings
A famous saying from Mark Twain’s “A Tale of Two Cities” is attributed to the American writer Grant Allen. This maxim, which means “No schooling can get in the way of my education,” is perhaps best known to children, but it also applies to adults. As a child, Grant Allen may have been inspired by his own childhood experience. He would teach in a girl’s school and do literary hack work for newspapers in order to earn money, but he was determined not to let school interfere with his education.
Mark Twain’s own experiences with schooling
As a writer, Mark Twain’s life was an interesting study in its own right. Besides being a prolific reader, he also compiled an impressive library for his family. The writer was also an avid reader of ancient literature. He was a close friend of William Dean Howells and Robert Browning. He enjoyed reading the poet’s works and liked to read them aloud. In addition, the author was also deeply interested in nature and regularly referenced scientific volumes in his writing.
Although Twain never attended a formal school, his informal education was significant. He went to school during the summers, and his uncle taught him all about farming. He grew up with older boy cousins, and spent his days with them on the farm. They went hunting for partridges during the day and ‘coons and ‘possums at night. He also spent much of his time with his uncle, so his formal education didn’t stop there.