Tara Westover Educated

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Tara Westover Educated

This is a sample rhetorical analysis written for an AP English Language and Composition class. In a rhetorical analysis, one is given a passage to analyze, specifically looking at the techniques the author uses to develop his/her argument.

In her memoir Educated, author Tara Westover describes her childhood in a family with extreme Mormon beliefs and how its clash with her experience with formal education in university allowed her to see herself and the society around her in a different light. “Educated” by Tara Westover reads as if a barely believable novel. And yet, it is a true-to-life memoir. So, get ready to relive a life stranger than fiction – through the eyes and heart of a fascinating firsthand witness! Raised by Mormon survivalists. Tara tries to calmly tell him that he’s already seen the proof with his own eyes, but Dad accuses Tara of coming home to “raise hell” and trying to put Shawn in prison. Mother is silent the entire time, unwilling to say a word on Tara’s behalf. Tara begins sobbing and runs to the bathroom to be alone.

Educated

I obtained a mark of 6/6 on this essay, and my teacher left the following comment:

“Veronica, This is a RA to be proud of. You articulate your insights persuasively, in a manner that would hold its own in any post-secondary class.”

Passage:

Source: Educated, by Tara Westover, pg. 113

I was fifteen and I felt it, felt the race I was running with time. My body was changing, bloating, swelling, stretching, bulging. I wished it would stop, but it seemed my body was no longer mine. It belonged to itself now, and cared not at all how I felt about these strange alterations, about whether I wanted to stop being a child, and become something else.

That something else thrilled and frightened me. I’d always known that I would grow differently than my brothers, but I’d never thought about what that might mean. Now it was all I thought about. I began to look for cues to understand this difference, and once I started looking, I found them everywhere.

One Sunday afternoon, I helped Mother prepare a roast for dinner. Dad was kicking off his shoes, and loosening his tie. Midi drivers for mac os x. Photoshop keys for mac keys. He’d been talking since we left the church.
“That hemline was three inches about Lori’s knee,” Dad said. “What’s a woman thinking when she puts on a dress like that?” Mother nodded absent while chopping a carrot. She was used to this particular lecture.

“And Jeanette Barney,” Dad said. “If a woman wears a blouse that low-cut, she ought not to bend over.” Mother agreed. I pictured the turquoise blouse Janette had worn that day. The neckline was only an inch below her collarbones, but it was loose fitting, and I imagined that if she bent it would give a full view. As I thought this I felt anxious, because although a tighter blouse would have made Jeanette’s bending more modest, the tightness itself would have been less modest. Righteous women do not wear tight clothing. Other women do that.

Analysis:

In her memoir Educated, author Tara Westover describes her childhood in a family with extreme Mormon beliefs and how its clash with her experience with formal education in university allowed her to see herself and the society around her in a different light. In the given passage, Westover looks at a specific example of her family’s Mormonism: the expected behaviour of women. Through the connotations of her specific word choice, use of past tense, and conversational tone, Westover demonstrates that she has gained the mental distance to recognize that her father’s claims are unfounded.

In the first paragraph, Westover describes how her body changes through puberty, asserting that it was “changing, bloating, swelling, stretching, bulging” (Westover 2). Westover expresses her body’s change with various words with slightly different meanings, which allows her audience to paint a more vivid picture in their heads. However, the words Westover chooses to use, such as “bloating,” “swelling,” and “bulging,” contain negative connotations; these words are often associated with deformities. Through her specific word choice, Westover reinforces that these body changes are unwelcome. Moreover, by omitting conjunctions and using asyndeton, Westover creates a quicker pace within this phrase. This change of pace can reflect how quickly Westover’s own body was changing, a sentiment that was further expressed in this paragraph. In doing so, Westover allows the audience to more clearly view Westover’s past experiences through her eyes. By creating sympathy, her audience is thus more likely to trust Westover’s perspective and consider her main argument throughout the remainder of the passage: that she is able to now recognize the unreasonable expectations of her childhood.

Westover accomplishes this through her use of past tense. For instance, she says that “I wished it would stop, but it seemed that my body was no longer mine” (Westover 2). The audience is aware that Westover is now an adult, and that Educated in a memoir; thus, the separation she presents as a narrator and as a character in this story demonstrates that she was able move on from her past perspective. Through her use of tense, Westover shows that she says, does, and thinks are in the past, and do not necessarily apply to her present self; she has been able to move on. As the beliefs of her childhood are likely not held by her audience, showing that she no longer holds those beliefs is important in gaining her audience’s trust. Westover also does so by presenting a contradiction in the logic of her father. A woman wearing a loose-fitting blouse would be considered immodest as she bends out, but a tighter blouse in and of itself would be immodest as well. By pointing out this contradiction, Westover also shows how, in the culture of her childhood, there is no way for one to satisfy every tenet of this specific variation of Mormonism; to be “perfect” in the eyes of her father would be nearly impossible. By recognizing this contradiction, Westover shows that she is aware of the fallacies in her father’s line of thinking, and thus that she now has the ability to think for herself, despite her upbringing — an idea that is reflected through her use of tense.

Throughout the passage, Westover maintains a conservational, albeit serious, tone. Her audience is likely a general one, rather than limited to a specific niche. Thus, Westover’s colloquial tone allows Westover to better connect with her audience. For instance, Tara states that her body “cared not at all how I felt about these strange alterations, about whether I wanted to stop being a child, and become something else.” This sentence resembles a run-on sentence; however, in doing so, Tara writes as if she is speaking aloud, allowing her to be closer to her audience. While Westover’s experience is unique, the sentiments she expresses are ones that are shared by many. For instance, many people feel uncomfortable with changes to their bodies during puberty, or are frustrated by the seemingly unreasonable logic of their parents. While her audience’s experience may not be to the same degree as Westover, by maintaining a conversational tone, Westover creates an atmosphere of openness; her writing feels as if she is confiding in a close friend. Through this particular technique, Westover allows her audience in and builds their trust. Thus, her audience is more likely to believe in Westover’s narratives and the lessons drawn from her story.

In this passage from her memoir Educated, Westover expresses the contradictions in her father’s Mormon beliefs. Through her word choice, use of tense and conservational tone, Westover effectively develops a relationship with her audience that allows her to demonstrate that she now is able to recognize the fallacious reasoning behind her father’s beliefs about the modesty of women. In doing so, Westover shows that she has been able to see past the Mormon dogma of her childhood, allowing her a broader perspective.

Summary

Tara, the story’s author, narrator, and protagonist, begins her memoir by recounting her earliest memory, which she reveals is actually just a figment of her imagination. In this “memory,” Tara watches as her mother falls to the ground while holding a baby. Tara uses this anecdote to describe her family, particularly her father and grandmother. Tara explains that her parents are survivalists, and her dad has been preparing for the end of the world since as early as the narrator can remember. Tara grows up in rural Idaho, the youngest of seven children. As a child, Tara plots to escape to Arizona with her grandmother, but her plan gets ruined when another neighboring survivalist family gets prosecuted by the government.

Tara spends her days at home, where she observes her mother begin her career as a midwife’s assistant. Judy, the midwife, initially recruits “Mother” for her herbalist skills. Tara passes time with Maria, Judy’s nine-year-old daughter. Tara’s mother is initially terrified of being a midwife’s assistant, and she is traumatized from her first birth. However, she is forced to continue working in order to make money for the family. After Judy moves to Wyoming, Tara’s mother takes her place as the local midwife.

Tara delves into her parent’s respective backgrounds. Tara’s mother, whom she refers to with the pseudonym “Faye,” was raised in a traditional home. Tara’s maternal grandmother was preoccupied with maintaining a polished facade, and she often dressed her daughter in elaborate outfits to present her as hyper-feminized. Tara’s father, “Gene,” grew up in the same rural community as Tara. Tara recounts how her father became more radical as he got older.

Tara remembers a trip her family took during her childhood. In order to escape the harsh Idaho winter, Faye suggests that the family drive to Arizona for vacation. During their journey, Tyler, Tara’s seventeen-year-old brother, falls asleep at the wheel. The car hits a pole, and Faye is severely injured. Gene refuses to call an ambulance, and the family returns home. Due to Faye’s brain injury, she has developed horrific migraines and dark circles under her eyes. Faye stays in the basement in order to avoid sound and light, and she experiences the debilitating effects of this accident throughout her life.

Tara Westover Educated Family Pictures

Tyler, one of Tara’s older brothers, decides to leave home and go to college. Although Gene vehemently disapproves of this decision, Tyler has saved enough money to be independent. Tara is saddened by her brother’s move, and she even grows resentful towards Tyler for his ability to leave Buck’s Peak. She begins to spend more time at her maternal grandmother’s house, where Tyler often sought refuge. Tara begins to understand how education can lead to emancipation, and she begins to unearth other manners of existence.

After Tyler moves away for college, Audrey, Tara’s older sister, begins working outside of the home. As a result, Gene’s metalworking scrapyard is understaffed. Despite her young age, Tara begins working in the dangerous scrapyard. Faye also begins working as a midwife again. She also dabbles in herbalism and “muscle testing.” Tara misses Tyler and is envious of his college experience. As a result, Tara begins to read Mormon doctrines in an effort to educate herself.

One day, Tara’s brother, Luke, severely burns his leg in the scrapyard. Faye has been called to help with a birth, and Tara is left alone to help her ailing brother. This memory scars Tara, and she is forced to grapple with the inconsistencies of her memory. She wonders about Gene’s role in Luke’s injury, and she begins to see the risk associated with working in the scrapyard. Tara begins looking for ways to escape home, and she determines that she needs to follow Audrey’s footsteps and get a job in town. Tara begins to take dance lessons, but Gene finds out and expresses his disapproval. Tara then begins to sing in Mormon choirs, which Gene supports enthusiastically.

Analysis

Tara Westover Educated Summary

Westover begins her memoir by recounting an impactful memory that is not based on true events, but rather constructed from her imagination. As a genre, the memoir is a “collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public and private, that took place in the subject’s life.” It is clear that the memoir’s opening paragraph introduces the theme of memory and its inextricable ties to the literary genre. However, this opening paragraph also comments on Tara’s fraught relationship with her memory. Tara, an academic historian by profession, approaches her life’s story with skepticism and doubt.

Tara Westover Educated Family

In differentiating between a fabricated and a real memory, Tara asserts that she ultimately possesses the narrative power to distinguish fact from fiction. As an author, Tara positions herself as someone working to reclaim a story that has been questioned and denied. Moreover, this opening paragraph addresses the importance of the subconscious. As Tara imagines her mother falling to the ground, she conveys her personal anxieties surrounding womanhood and motherhood. As the memoir progresses, the audience is able to decipher how the Westover women experience gendered violence at the hands of their husbands and brothers.

Tara traces her parents' backgrounds in order to better understand how they came to their extremist lifestyle. Tara realizes that her mother’s relationship with Gene signified a rebellion against her conservative upbringing. Gene, who was raised in rural Buck’s Peak, may have developed his survivalist viewpoints in his young adulthood as a result of mental illness. In investigating her parents' childhoods, Tara explores the legacy of intergenerational trauma. She realizes that her life has been involuntarily shaped by her parents' uniquely extreme philosophy.

As the youngest of seven children, Tara sees her older siblings grow up and begin to pave their own lives. Tara watches Audrey leave the scrapyard to find safer work in town. She also grows envious of Tyler, who makes the decision to leave Buck’s Peak entirely and go to college. Her siblings' paths encourage Tara to recognize the toxicity of her home life and search for other opportunities. By teaching herself to read through Mormon scripture, Tara becomes accustomed to parsing through ancient texts and drawing her own conclusions. This educational experience later affects Tara’s academic pursuits.

Tara Westover Educated Quotes

During her childhood, Tara observes how work is divided by gender. Contrary to Gene’s patriarchal perspective, Tara’s mother serves as the economic backbone of the family. Faye manages all of the domestic duties while simultaneously making money as a midwife’s assistant and herbalist. Furthermore, Tara’s opinions about the toxicity of the scrapyard are significantly shaped by Luke’s accident. Tara realizes that metalworking is not sustainable, and she is motivated to find ways to spend less time at home.