Educated: Week 3 Discussion

Please use a different color font for answers.

Roles

List any absent group members:

● Facilitator: Madison Evans

Notes

1. By part two of “Educated,” Westover has decided she wants to get an education, has found a way to
take the ACT, and has left the mountain to go to college at BYU, despite her father’s objections. In her
first class at college, Westover recounts not knowing what the word “holocaust” means. Why is this
moment significant? (Chapter 17)

It’s significant because it shows how ignorant she is and how her parents did not give her the “stellar”
education she thought she got. It also shows how her father chose to tell her about the issue with the
Weber’s but not the Holocaust. He specifically left out a horrible situation and instead told her about
one family getting killed. Her parents did not give an unbiased education. In many ways, they were more
biased and “corrupt” than BYU is. Tara realizes that she really knows nothing about the real world and is
slightly embarrassed about her ignorance. This further turns her away from her family and the mountain.

2. Over the course of this book, the Westover family deals with a number of accidents: Westover’s
brother Tyler falling asleep and driving off the road, Westover’s brother Luke catching on fire, and later, a
very serious accident for their father. Early on, Westover writes that she thinks “all the decisions that go
into making a life — the choices people make, together and on their own, combine to produce any single
event.” What do you think she meant by this? How does this insight apply to your own life?

Your views influence your decisions. In the case of Tara, her family was staunchly against the government
and healthcare. When problems arise at the junkyard or on the road, they deal with it themselves
instead of trusting anyone else to help them. A lot of things build up before an accident occurs. Tara’s
father does not care about safety so Tara’s brother caught on fire. Tara’s father fell into a depression after
New Years so they went to Arizona and got in the car crash. It shows how people’s habits, good or bad,
can have cascading effects on their lives. You need to think through every decision you make and ensure
that you have an educated view that will lead to a positive outcome.
3. In chapter 18, Tara’s struggles run deeper than social anxiety. The way she has been raised is in direct
opposition to the way those around her have grown up, and the pressure to learn a whole new set of
social skills—and keep up with her studies and finances, as well—wears on her as the semester goes by.
Tara is learning that education is more than just book-learning. What might this mean? What important
things have you learned that were not from book-learning?

It is important not just to be book smart, but able to socialize as well. Since Tara grew up on an isolated
farm, she never learned how to make friends or be independent. There are social niceties ingrained in us
as we grow up, but Tara never experience that which led to her being ignorant about many things
including the Holocaust, how to be a good roommate and manage finances. Things I have learned from
school and other social situations is how to make friends, keep healthy relationships, be respectful, have
meaningful conversations, and read social situations.

4. By Chapter 22, Westover writes that her life was often “narrated for me by others. Their voices were
forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.”
What is the significance of this realization? Do you identify at all with this?

Abuse victims live in a mentality of being weak and unable to stand up for themselves. Once they are
able to separate themselves from that relationship, they realize that their opinion is just as important as
other people’s. You are allowed to have differing opinions and argue with people. You are not always in
the wrong. Once Tara realizes this, she is able to realize how horrible her childhood was. It is healthy to
have your own opinions and share your opinions. You can narrate your own experience and do what you
want to do. I do not personally resonate with this because I have never been in a situation where I am
unable to share my opinion or follow my dreams. It goes to show how different my childhood has been
from Tara’s.

5. In chapter 22, why does Tara become extremely nervous about Charles coming home to dinner, how
do you think Tara felt when Charles sees her being abused by shawn?

Tara does not want Charles to think she is weird or her family is weird. She wants Charles to think she
had a perfectly normal childhood and she is a perfectly normal girl. Around Charles, Tara acts very
differently than with her family. She puts on makeup, dresses differently, and talks about anything other
than the mountain. When Charles comes to her house, she is no longer able to pretend everything is
fine. When Shawn starts hurting Tara and abusing her, Tara “laughs” it off and pretends it’s all a joke. She
doesn’t want Charles to think she is weak and helpless. She is convinced that if she acts like she isn’t
hurt, that makes her strong.

Summary- This is the time period when Tara begins to realize how little she knows about the real world.
Now that she is separated from her family and free of the mountain, she is able to freely express her
opinions and live. She is finally getting some independence and the opportunity to make her own
decisions. She is finally free of a large amount of the physical and emotional abuse she suffered. This is a
new chapter in her life and that’s why it has its own section.