Children often develop the same political views as their parents due to the constant stream of
inherently biased information. Through this logic, it seems as if Tara and her siblings should be
just as extreme as their father. Why aren’t they? What pushes them to pursue an education?
Gene Westover was riddled with mental illnesses, causing him to conjure some illogical beliefs
in the areas of government, vaccines, doctors, schools, etc. Though due to the restrictions of
the household, Tara and her siblings were confined to no other viewpoints than those of her
father. It would be assumed that the Westover children would fall into the same ideological trap
as their father, though over time, dissent seems to grow between certain children and Gene.
This separation was caused by the art of curiosity, a gift with which Tyler, Tara, and Richard
seem to have been blessed with. The options unveiled by curiosity seem to spread like wildfire
throughout the children, “Tyler stood to go. “There’s a world out there, Tara,” he said. “And it will
look a lot different once Dad is no longer whispering his view of it in your ear. (Westover 120).
The spark of curiosity fuels the flame that roars into shaping Tara’s education.
Word Count: 159
Tara’s story seems to refute the idea that it’s unreasonable to “pull yourself up by the
bootstraps”, even when born into a tough situation. Is Tara’s experience evidence as to a
sustainable and reasonable path for Americans?
Mass levels of poverty strike the United States, and the debate surrounding the issue is
incredibly heated. One side seems to claim that it’s possible to “pull yourself up by the
bootstraps”, no matter the obstacles. The other party argues that it’s simply not reasonable to
expect the average citizen to become successful when born below a certain level of wealth.
Tara’s a factual example of a success story, someone who made it despite the harshest of
circumstances. However, while not directly outlined in the book, Tara Westover carries a set of
skills that make her exceptional. She carries a certain amount of grit and determination that
many citizens simply don’t have. At the age of 16, with no mathematical skills past that of a 3rdgrader, Tara taught herself fractions, algebra, and even trigonometry through hours of selfstudy. “Every night for a month I stay in the opera house… and practice the most basic
operations.” (Westover 124). Though Tara’s story is amazing, it may be too extraordinary to
reasonably expect the average citizen to accomplish. Most teenagers, even in well-off school
districts, struggle to accomplish standard levels of homework. How can those with the harshest
of familial and societal struggles be expected to succeed in a rigged system?
Word count: 208
Perspective article:
Educated is Tara Westover’s life story, and though the book narrates an education, the
message is one of an awakening, a becoming, and an upheaval of true self. Through the lens of
a paranoid father, Tara was masked, all her childhood, as to the extent of the world’s
possibilities. Though perhaps it is us, and perhaps it is me, in my white-picket suburban
neighborhood, who is more restricted in scope. For even though I am free to explore every
breadth of the world, I self-limit my own horizons. Tara was inhibited by her situation, but not by
herself. Her religion, her father, and her community all enforced the idea that she would never
exceed her role as a subordinate woman. Her dad never seemed to let go of this idea. “Who
knew we’d have to send you to Cambridge to get you in the kitchen where you belong?”
(Westover 261). Though despite the critical memo, Tara persists in the hope of her own future.
It appears that I, and many other high schoolers forging their own paths ought to take a page
out of Tara’s book.
Word count: 186