Education in Randland

[udbabor520]

 

As for the inn having so many book, is was an inn in a very large city.  So he would have access to a lot more books to purchase not to mention some of those book might of been there awhile.  Its possible things like books are handed down so that library might of been growing for many many years.  I don't see any issues with everyone in Edmonds Field being literate and having some education.  A place like Edmonds Field books might be shared among friends etc...  Now are they probably reading deep philosophy, probably not.  Now had the group left the two rivers and suddenly started spouting off histories of certain areas, or Rand was suddenly an expert on taxes and marshaling armies I would have a much bigger issue with their education.  I am sure even a Tarien common farmer probably has a very basic education that includes reading and writing.  But again if average tairens are spouting off some old tongue I would question it. 

 

Sounds about right.

 

Ironically I'm re-reading KoD, and when Rand returns to Tear, he thinks to himself that he had no idea whether his tax cuts were actually helping people and Elayne would know better. LTT replies to him by trying to explain wealth creation and how it interfaces with taxation to create jobs. Rand doesn't understand a single word of it.

 

 

Magicana, this is true but Rand is not a total idiot.

[Magicana]

 

Remember how Mat's letters were described?

Ugghh why remind us. That was a Sandersonism, I wouldn't read anything into that.

 

 

This reminds me of Samuel Hake (The cut-purse that Elayne hires to tail her Darkfriend bodyguard), who could barely write at all.

 

udbabor520 - Not stupid, but definitely outside his area of expertise.

[mb]

Mat did one letter before the Sanderson books.  Crown of Swords.

 

Like I told earlier, at least part of his education seemed to come from the memories.

Letter writing might have been one of those things.  Not entirely sure.

[udbabor520]

Magicana, how many people would understand a lecture about taxation in university level without any preparation?

[solarz]

We have to remember that the Two Rivers is NOT your typical medieval village, not even your typical WOT village.

 

I'm not even talking about the whole "old blood" thing. I'm talking about how the Two Rivers is a fairly prosperous place.

 

Everyone in the Two Rivers (that we read about) either owns a farm, or has a craft. Even though the land is described as harsh, apparently nobody starves to death in the Two Rivers.

 

In reality, medieval peasants practiced subsistance living. They were lucky if they could feed their family. Even in WOT, we see plenty of beggars and destitutes out in the world.

 

Medieval peasants don't read because they have no time to learn how to read. Two Rivers folk apparently don't have that problem.

 

And just to correct a common misconception: the world of WOT is not a medieval parallel. It is a RENAISSANCE parallel.

[Orderofolde]

 

"I don’t know what would be enough, Perrin." She shivered slightly. "Is there anything an Aes Sedai would not do, or put up with, if the White Tower told her to? I have studied my history, and I was taught to read between the lines. Mashera Donavelle bore seven children for a man she loathed, whatever the stories say, and Isebaille Tobanyi delivered the brothers she loved to their enemies and the throne of Arad Doman with them, and Jestian Redhill... " She shivered again, not so slightly.

   "It’s all right," he murmured, wrapping her in his arms. He had studied several books of history himself, but he had never seen those names. The daughter of a lord received a different education from a blacksmith’s apprentice.

 

Stopping at the edge of the green, Egwene gazed back at the wide stone bridge that arched over the rapidly widening stream running from a spring that gushed out of a stone outcrop strongly enough to knock a man down. A massive marble shaft carved all over with names stood in the middle of the green, and two tall flagpoles on stone bases. "A battle monument," she murmured. "Who could imagine such a thing in Emond's Field? Though Moiraine said that once a great battle was fought on this spot, in the Trolloc Wars, when Manetheren died."

   "It was in the history I studied," Elayne said quietly, glancing at the bare flagpoles

.

 

 

I'm not a history buff, I can barely remember a few things from HS. When Perrin states that he studied SEVERAL books of history what does he mean by it? They are basically peasants (but they can read and write) in a very little village far from the world.

 

What kind of education did a peasant have in the 16-17th century? Or is this an error? (For example blacksmiths are not bodybuilders, no, they are not.)

 

Books of tales, lore, heroes (Travels of Jaim Farstrider) and the battles fought pretty much, that and the map on the wall of Bran's Inn.  The most basic of educations.  Her education was different in that she was tutored both by scholars as well as by her father's retired armsman who thought it amusing that she wanted to learn how to use knives.  Towards the end of the series we see Rand's schools as a gathering of scholars and inventors and a sharing of knowledge like we are used to, a more traditional setting like an early University. 

[jack of shadows]

@solarZ,
"The two rivers is a fairly prosperous place".

The two rivers didn't pay taxes.
Between 1100-1600 in europe,the average tax paying peasants would had to pay the equivalent of 2%(annually)of the value of their farm in england, up to 15% annually in some countries e.g.sweden,ruinous taxation drove peasants to bankruptcy, starvation and revolts e.g. flanders 1323, estonia 1343,france 1356,england 1381, galicia 1431 and more..a lot more.
Incidentally,the two rivers didn't finance a militia or a group of mercenaries because they didn't have either,their mayor has a "day job" as an innkeeper,in fact,the only one who doesn't seem to have a paying job is nynaeve.

[Ryrin]

At the end, didn't Rand hope to open schools?

[jack of shadows]

rand did more than just hope,he opened an academy in chairhien, and issued a decree

as part of the dragon peace treaty that required the opening of a great school in each

capital,fully funded and with doors open to those who wish to learn.