Tara Westover, from reading chapter 22 of her memoir Educated, seemed to allow
herself to be pushed around by other people. Despite the great pain that is inflicted by Shawn, she lied unsuccessfully and attempted to convince others that it’s just a little game between two siblings. Further along down the chapter, she refused to accept help from her close ones to tend to the injuries Shawn inflicted. Tara did not even seem to be able to help herself, constantly doubting her thoughts and unable to come to peaceful solutions with her mind. From these, Tara showed an inability to stand for her own and even use her voice to speak truthfully towards herself and others.
Throughout chapter 22, Tara is frequently tormented by the chapter’s main antagonist,
her brother Shawn, but never directly opposed his violence towards her. While initially resistant when Shawn began jabbing her when she was preparing the Thanksgiving meal, she is immediately suppressed by him afterwards and did not complain when he jabs her the second time. This is again disturbingly seen after Shawn shoves her head in the toilet, she attempts to lie to Charles by desperately saying she’s fine and that “Shawn is so, so, so–funny” (189), much to Charles horror and subsequent fleeing. Finally when Shawn beaten and stripped down Tara in public to humiliate her and ffound that her begging will not get to him, she submitted and began laughing hysterically for the rest of her torture. Rather than continuing to resist Shawn’s abuse and stand her ground, she eventually allowed herself to be mistreated by Shawn in order for it to seem like a joke to other people watching the commotion.
Regardless of the injuries that Tara received from Shawn’s abuse, she refused most
offers of help from genuinely concerned people as she believed it will portray her as weak. A very significant event where she refused help was when Charles tries aiding Tara after Shawn’s beating. However, out of rage and paranoia, Tara screamed at Charles that she never wanted to see him again. He even realised that Tara would not accept help from others, opting to leave her to aid herself. Later on, Tara declined Robin’s suggestion to “go with her to a doctor” (190) for her injuries, and lied that they were already treated by her mother; this only worsened her physical condition. At some point, Tara developed a radical notion that she was somehow invincible; not only did she not desire aid from others, but she did not need it. Such mentality was preventing her from accepting the fact she needed aid, and was a self-damaging mindset for her to hold on to.
The end of the chapter revealed that Tara had little-to-no idea on how to aid herself, and
was in constant self-conflict. After her incident with Shawn at Stokes, she persistently asked herself why Shawn wouldn’t stop despite her begging, and proceeded to believe if she had “asked differently, been more calm, he would have stopped” (195). She discovered it to be difficult to come to terms with Shawn’s public humiliation of her, arguing with herself even as she began to understand his malicious intention. After Shawn apologised to her a second time when she was in Utah for her studies, she wrote in her journal that the incident was a simple misunderstanding between the two, a contrast to her original entry. It is clear that Tara was unhinged, and could not make peace with her mind, always questioning whether she was right or wrong on What was happening to her.
This “untouchable” mindset Tara had, as well as not being able to speak for herself
would lead to the complete self-destruction of an individual. Tara’s upbringing, her constant abuse from Shawn, and neglect from her father Gene Westover, never allowed her to develop an inner voice for her to use. From later chapters, even from previous, it is seen that Tara does not think too highly of herself, thanks to Shawn’s abuse and showing everyone “This is who you [Tara] are” (194). Her refusal to receive help from others was her attempt to conceal the truth of her life back home from other people. This chapter of the memoir revealed Tara’s self-struggle to stand up for herself and actively oppose her conflict with her brother.
Works Cited
Westover, Tara. Educated. Random, 2018

As a generally curious individual, I have conducted multiple informal research in the
past on my subjects of interest. My research methods are informal and direct, and are reliant on professional scientific publications for empirical information. Many of my research was on the topic of sharks, which would involve attempting to address questions of mine via reading and/or searching the Internet. When composing my vidiography, I researched the release date, publishers, developers, and platforms in order to compose MLA formatted sources of my favourite video games. After reading chapters 24-26 in my English textbook on fields of study, and retrospecting on my methods of research, I learned that I prefer the objective, rigorous, and mechanical structure that is currently present in Scientific writing.
My approach to research on a regular basis can be described as informal yet prosaic. It
is more beneficial to keep my inquiries specific, with the purpose of achieving more precise answers to said questions. I refrain from having questions that are too broad, especially if it is inconvenient, as it generates a multitude of answers that may not be sufficient or otherwise desirable. If no clear or concrete answer can be given at the moment, I usually wait for a Scientific article that can address my questions to be published under a reputable professional institution. Even then there is no guarantee for an adequate answer. Under the circumstance that no concrete answer is found, I usually lean towards notions that are supported by more quantitative or qualitative empirical Scientific evidence, or is the general consensus among Scientists. In light of this information regarding my research practices, It can be concluded that I rely heavily on the field of Science to provide answers or at least sufficient evidence to back a notion. This personal method of research was used heavily on sharks.
I conducted a great deal of research on sharks in the past when my interest was
piqued. During the beginning of my research, I was less reliant on the Internet out of unfamiliarity of it, and relied on shark books and the TV programme Shark Week instead. My research on sharks had allowed me to be more acquainted with the Internet after seeing that most of my books on sharks were outdated. I never took any notes during my research as I preferred to memorise information in my head through repeatedly reading them.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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