![]() ![]() Homer’s opening lines ask the Muse to sing to him of Odysseus, who was blown off course after the fall of Troy Virgil calls on the Muse to recognize the persecution and mistreatment of such a man as Æneas, who leaves the same wreck behind in search of Rome. Both Homer and Virgil invoke the Muses in their tales of long wandering. Dante invoked Beatrice’s beauty and wisdom as she sought to set him on the right path through Virgil, and he sits within a tradition cultivated by the ancients. The idyllic voice of a creative presence helped the writers and artists produce sacred beauty and enduring goodness. The early Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts made invocations to the gods in the Christian era, the Medieval theologians, Renaissance writers, and Romantic poets all invoked the Muses. Rooted in the Græco-Roman world, inspiration has been part and parcel of human nature since the invention of writing. Pointing to a specific book or character, a student can say, and explain why, they were inspired by the cunning of Odysseus, the virtue of Atticus Finch, or the wisdom of Gandalf. This kind of inspiration is tangible, constructive, and purposeful. When directed, inspiration provides encounters with the great characters of literature, who became a chorus in the backdrop of a student’s life urging them to virtue and hope. These voices are joined by the teachers to contribute meaningful direction and point out the ends of education: truth, goodness, and beauty. It is giving them characters and voices from the past, which can encourage, excite, rebuke, and motivate. So, what is that end?Ĭlassically speaking, inspiration means teaching students to invoke the Muses over their education. We as such-and-such a school are not just here to inspire your students arbitrarily, but we are here to inspire them to this specific end. Even more, it must clearly define those ends. It cannot merely be against cultural winds such as utilitarianism, communism, postmodernism, or a vague charge of “indoctrination.” Instead, classical education must construct an affirmative vision, one to inspire students who inhabit its classrooms on a daily basis. We must first keep in mind that classical education must be aimed at constructing something meaningful. ![]() ![]() What is the classical educator’s answer to this question? However, disagreement over the purpose of education leaves us wanting direction and definition relating to inspiration. It is generally agreed that inspiration is essential: classical, parochial, charter, and public education rarely differ on this. What should students-or societies for that matter-be inspired toward? The aim of a good education will bear resemblance to the aim of a good society, because education is aimed at making good citizens and not just good students. With its frequency and ambiguity, classical education has another role to play: defining inspiration. It says nothing about the end of education. It is so open to interpretation it has no meaning it feels affirming, but communicates no constructive boundaries or telos. This lazy, ineffectual use of the term lends itself to hyper-individualism. Pop culture throws the word around on billboards, in commercials, and in so-called political discourse surrounding education. It must offer a hopeful, constructive, definitive, and purpose-filled inspiration, bound by eternal meaning and direction. If classical education is to inspire holistic human beings, then it must address the meaningless use of the word inspiration in American culture today. ![]()
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