I have no idea how to start this post, but I have done much too much procrastinating so here goes.
I think it would be an understatement to say that there is a lot going on in Euripides’s Bacchae. Yet, one element (or theme rather) stood out to me. This is a theme of structure, of rules and order. I believe that the Bacchae is a warning that there can be too much order and structure in life. That strict law and order should be in balance with mayhem and a bit of chaos every now and then.
I found this idea of balance, portrayed in the Bacchae, to be rather applicable to my own life and in particular my education. I was “unschooled” a term that falls under the umbrella term “homeschooled”. “Unschooling” is an attempt to give young minds a way in which to learn and grow organically. The basic principles of reading, writing, and arithmetic are taught, but nothing beyond that. Once able to read the pupil is given free rein to do as they please. For example, once I learned to read, pretty much all I did (education wise) for about 3 months, was read poetry. I had always been fascinated by W. B. Yeats so I read all of his poetry that I could get my hands on and then delved into his biography. Tangentially, I became interested in his home country of Ireland thus began to read about the history of Ireland. Soon I became interested in the UK as a whole. The basic principle being, when young minds are given the proper tools and proper amount of freedom their interests tend to fan out to encompass many different disciplines.
Yet, I realized as I grew older that I longed for some structure, I wanted deadlines and due dates to kick me into gear. In order to help me prove to myself the, to have evidence of my own learning. I then enrolled in a community college and found the structure I longed for.
There are of course pros and cons to both education styles. Yet, I think much like the structure and frenzy represented in the Bacchae, there is a place for both. That being said there needs to be a balance. I think that much like the Bacchae; my education has been a balance of rigidity (my college experience) similar to the stiff and hard mindedness represented by the role of Pentheus and the debatably organic chaos (my unschooling) that Dionysus brings to the table. I believe that in every life there should be room for both. Not that everyone should be unschooled, rather that we should learn to embrace these separate elements in whatever form they come to us.