a) �I believe that our own experience instructs us that the secret of Education lies in respecting the pupil.�
�The two points in a boy�s training are, to keep his naturel and train off all but that�to keep his naturel, but stop off his uproar, fooling and horseplay�keep his nature and arm it with knowledge in the very direction in which it points.�
�Nature loves analogies, but not repetitions.�
I was attracted by Emerson�s emphasis on the basic nature of a student, which he called �naturel,� and the idea of patience and respect of the teachers towards their students. Many teachers in today�s society seem to be more interested in teaching skills and basic knowledge, even professional knowledge, to their students, trying to transform them into well-educated, but different persons rather than to let them be who they truly are inside. Emerson�s own definition of education, I believe, is the true meaning of education.
b) The best-written paragraph for me in the essay would definitely be paragraph 4, which starts with a sentence, �The two points in a boy�s training are, to keep his naturel and train off all but that�to keep his naturel, but stop off his uproar, fooling and horseplay�keep his nature and arm it with knowledge in the very direction in which it points.� In this paragraph, Emerson depicts how to raise and educate a child from his very birth. The child should first be well-born healthy and be able to learn basic knowledge as he grows up, and although it may at first seem vague and unsure, this type of education is better for the child in the long-run. Through such device, the child will go a step further each time as he enters a new, or bigger world. With a strong bond of truth, nature, and knowledge, the child allows himself to be led to an illustrious society of the lovers of truth and finally learn the true meaning of life.
This type of education is nevertheless nearly impossible in today�s society, where professional knowledge and fierce competition is necessary. I believe, however, the competition among the individuals will become more influential and meaningful when it is done through a process of truth and nature, which allows people to become more engaged within themselves.