Analysis Of O Americano Outra Vez

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From infancy to adulthood, organisms are always learning. The conscious and the subconscious are taking in information and sorting it, discarding irrelevant information and storing the relevant. The most common mode of gaining knowledge is through repetitions and memorization. These methods are effective for knowing exact definitions but do not develop understanding. In O Americano Outra Vez, Richard Feynman describes his teaching experiences while at the Brazilian Center for Physical Research. There he discovers the flaw in the modern education system, students are memorizing material but are unable to apply it to a real life scenarios, demonstrating they are gaining knowledge but not understanding it. Similar to Feynman’s Brazilian class, …show more content…

There is a fear that one will be looked down upon for asking questions because it is admitting you do not know or grasp a concept. This fear is present in all classrooms including Feyman’s, “It was a kind of one-upmanship, where nobody knows what’s going on, and they’d put the other one down as if they did know (56)”. To maintain a sense of pride, no one revealed their misunderstanding of topics choosing silence instead. This silence was also presented by the onlookers in the painting. Many expressed interest in the experiment, others sat quietly contemplating, another upset by the event, the child confused yet looking on without a word. The older gentleman conducting the experiment is asking his audience the importance of the experiment and what it teaches them about the bird, but none of them are answering, instead they turn to each other expectantly as if the other should know. Pride prevents many people from inquiring about matters they do not understand, especially when peers are present. Confined thinking takes place in the painting as well, shown by the small circle of light which highlights the observer’s faces. All present are thinking about what is happening to the bird but do not ask its implications or importance. They only focus on that exact moment, so their mind has only gained minimal information, which accounts for the partial illumination of the room. …show more content…

The benefits of this communication are varied perspectives influenced by one’s social class, gender, age and moral values. Within the painting all in attendance are from the same social class as shown by their clothes and hair styles. Both men and women are present ranging in age from the older gentleman on the right to the young girl. Most importantly, their facial expressions depict their varying reaction to an ethical issue. The young girl and her crying mother are the most illuminated in the entire painting representing their level of

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