College Vocabulary

1.
evaluative
exercising or involving careful appraisals
You are, as Foucault might say, the intersection of many evaluative and potentially
determining discourses: you boy, you girl, have been made.
2. cartographer
a person who makes maps
Never has there been a more shrewd and imaginative cartographer of the psyche.
3. discomfit
cause to lose one's composure
I was, you might say, discomfited, and showed up to class for a while with my cellphone
jiggered to dial 911 with one touch.
4. psyche
that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings
5. prognosticate
make a prediction about; tell in advance
And all of those teachers and counselors and friends—and the prognosticating uncles,
the dithering aunts, the fathers and mothers with their hopes for your fulfillment—or their
fulfillment in you—should not necessarily be cast aside or ignored.
6. winnow
the act of separating grain from chaff
The battle is to make such writers one’s own, to winnow them out and to find their
essential truths.
7. embed
fix or set securely or deeply
Embedded in all of the major religions are profound truths.

8. provenance
where something originated or was nurtured
They have confronted you with scriptures—holy books that, whatever their actual
provenance, have given people what they feel to be wisdom for thousands of years.
9. amok
wildly; without self-control
The Internet is amok with services selling term papers and those services exist,
capitalism being what it is, because people purchase the papers—lots of them.
10. relegate
assign to a lower position
The coach knows what your athletic prospects are, the guidance office has a sheaf of test
scores that relegate you to this or that ability quadrant, and your teachers have got you
pegged.
11. leery
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
Colleges are even leery of disciplining guys who have committed sexual assault, or
assault plain and simple.
12. detach
cause to become separated
At the time I found his remark a tad detached, but maybe he was right.
13. cornucopia
a horn filled with fruit and grain symbolizing prosperity
Society has a cornucopia of resources to encourage you in doing what society needs
done but that you don’t much like doing and are not cut out to do.
14. protract
lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer

They’ve given you a sharp and protracted taste of what they feel is good and bad, right
and wrong.
15. indenture
formal agreement as to terms of a debt
Then there are those back-breaking student loans—people leave school as servants,
indentured to pay massive bills, so that first job better be a good one.
16. academia
the world of higher learning
The people who do this work have highly developed intellectual powers, and they push
themselves hard to reach a certain standard: That the results have almost no practical
relevance to the students, the public, or even, frequently, to other scholars is a central
element in the tragicomedy that is often academia.
17. disgorge
eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
Black limousines pulled up in front of his office and disgorged decorously suited
negotiators.
18. ethos
the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era
As far as I can discern, the student ethos goes like this: If the professor is so lazy that he
gives the same test every year, it’s okay to go ahead and take advantage—you’ve both
got better things to do.
19. quaff
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
If you advance in the direction of someone else’s dreams—if you want to live someone
else’s life rather than yours—then get a TV for every room, buy yourself a lifetime
supply of your favorite quaff, crank up the porn channel, and groove away.
20. libation
the act of pouring a liquid offering as a religious ceremony

Instead of being punished, these guys frequently stay around, strolling the quad and
swilling the libations, an affront (and sometimes a terror) to their victims.
21. eschew
avoid and stay away from deliberately
The student who eschews medical school to follow his gift for teaching small children
spends his twenties in low-paying but pleasurable and soul-rewarding toil.
22. expertly
in an expert manner
Because every subject you study is a language and since you may adopt one of these
languages as your own, you’ll want to know how to speak it expertly and also how it
fails to deal with those concerns for which it has no adequate words.
23. relevance
the relation of something to the matter at hand
24. pessimist
a person who expects the worst
He couldn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus, or in the afterlife, but to Schopenhauer, a

deep pessimist, a religion that had as its central emblem the figure of a man being
tortured on a cross couldn’t be entirely misleading.
25. prod
to push against gently
Occasionally—for you will need some help in fleshing-out the answers—you may have
to prod your professors to see if they take the text at hand—in this case the divine and
disturbing Plato—to be true.
26. compress
squeeze or press together

My father compressed his brow and blew twin streams of smoke, dragon-like, from his
magnificent nose.
27. administrator
someone who manages a government agency or department
As for the administrators, their relation to the students often seems based not on love
but fear.
28. shoddy
of inferior workmanship and materials
Shoddy work—in which the author cheats, cuts corners, copies from others—is quickly
detected.
29. resource
aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed
I came to college with few resources, but one of them was an understanding, however
crude, of how I might use my opportunities there.
30. dwindle
become smaller or lose substance
But then interest dwindles and matters go back to normal.
31. revere
regard with feelings of respect
You have been raised in proximity to common sense, if you’ve been raised at all, and
common sense is something to respect, though not quite—peace unto the formidable
Burke—to revere.
32. college
an institution of higher education
Welcome and congratulations: Getting to the first day of college is a major achievement.
33. touchstone
a basis for comparison
Brodhead, an impressive, articulate man, seems to take as his educational touchstone the
Duke of Wellington’s precept that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields
of Eton.
34. articulate
express or state clearly
of Eton.
35. goad
stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick
He was—and is—a perpetual challenge and goad.
36. fraught
filled with or attended with
Trying to figure out whether the stuff you’re reading is true or false and being open to
having your life changed is a fraught, controversial activity.
37. disparity
inequality or difference in some respect
The public senses this disparity and so thinks of the professors’ work as being silly or
beside the point.
38. consequential
having important issues or results
I learned that if I wanted to affirm any consequential ideal, I had to talk my way past
Freud.
39. expend
use up, consume fully

But when we expend our energies in rightful ways, Robert Frost observed, we stay whole
and vigorous and we don’t weary.
40. temerity
fearless daring
A friend of mine had the temerity to detect cheating on the part of a kid who was the
nephew of a well-placed official in an Arab government complexly aligned with the U.S.
41. erotic
giving sexual pleasure; sexually arousing
He calls it “the overestimation of the erotic object.”
42. analytical
using or skilled in using reasoning
And you will have to be tough if the professor mocks you for uttering a sincere question
instead of keeping matters easy for all concerned by staying detached and analytical.
43. revise
make changes to
He didn’t get to revise his understanding of himself, figure out what he’d do best that
might give the world some profit.
44. stroll
a leisurely walk, usually in some public place
45. detached
no longer connected or joined
46. nonetheless
despite anything to the contrary

Scholarship, even if pretentious and almost unreadable, is nonetheless labor-intense.
47. challenging
requiring full use of your abilities or resources
When he came to Harvard to talk about religion, he shocked the professors and students
by challenging the divinity of Jesus and the truth of his miracles.
48. reliance
the state of depending on something
Much more I learned from the sage—about character, about loss, about joy, about writing
and its secret sources, but Emerson most centrally preaches the gospel of self- reliance
and that is what I have tried most to take from him.
49. navigate
direct carefully and safely
His separation of the self into three parts, and his sense of the fraught, anxious, but often
negotiable relations among them (negotiable when you come to the game with a Freudian
knowledge), does a great deal to help one navigate experience.
50. sheaf
a package of several things tied together
pegged.
51. barrage
the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area
(Though sometimes—and this I owe to Emerson—it seems right to let the psyche fall into
civil war, accepting barrages of anxiety and grief for this or that good reason.)
52. periodically
in a sporadic manner
Periodically the public gets exercised about this situation, and there are articles in the
national news.
53. surround
extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
Amidst the impressive college buildings, in company with a high-powered faculty,

surrounded by the best of your generation, all you need is to keep doing what you’ve
done before: Work hard, get good grades, listen to your teachers, get along with the
people around you, and you’ll emerge in four years as an educated young man or woman.
54. transcendent
exceeding or surpassing usual limits
Schopenhauer, who despised belief in transcendent things, nonetheless thought

Christianity to be of inexpressible worth.
55. pretentious
creating an appearance of importance or distinction
56. exhilarating
making lively and joyful
Emerson’s greatness lies not only in showing you how powerful names and customs can
be, but also in demonstrating how exhilarating it is to buck them.
57. synonymous
meaning the same or nearly the same
“Strongly spent,” the poet says, “is synonymous with kept.”
58. guy
an informal term for a youth or man
59. astonish
affect with wonder

You can get a terrific education in America now—there are astonishing opportunities at
almost every college—but the education will not be presented to you wrapped and
bowed.
60. quest
the act of searching for something
The quest at the center of a liberal-arts education is not a luxury quest; it’s a necessity
quest.
61. challenge
a call to engage in a contest or fight
When he came to Harvard to talk about religion, he shocked the professors and students
by challenging the divinity of Jesus and the truth of his miracles.
62. exaggerate
enlarge beyond bounds or the truth
If you do not undertake it, you risk leading a life of desperation—maybe quiet, maybe, in
time, very loud—and I am not exaggerating.
63. intermittent
stopping and starting at irregular intervals
He buys shirts from the Salvation Army, has intermittent Internet, and vacations where
he can.
64. radically
in an extreme or revolutionary manner
This is radically false.
65. gruff
brusque and surly and forbidding
My father was a gruff man, but also a generous one, so that night at the kitchen table at
58 Clewley Road he made an effort to let me have the chance that had been denied to him
by both fate and character.
66. suggest
make a proposal; declare a plan for something
The dean of students laughed lightly when I suggested that this behavior might be
grounds for sending the student on a brief vacation.
67. legacy
a gift of personal property by will
The legacy of their college years will be a legacy of difficulties overcome.
68. develop
progress or evolve through a process of natural growth
This I began to develop because of my father, who had never been to college—in fact,
he’d barely gotten out of high school.
69. salient
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
Education has one salient enemy in present-day America, and that enemy is education—
university education in particular.
70. altering
the sterilization of an animal
This kind of perspective- altering teaching and learning can cause the things which
administrators fear above all else: trouble, arguments, bad press, etc.
71. thesis
an unproved statement advanced as a premise in an argument
All right, there’s nothing wrong with this as far as it goes—after all, the student who
writes a brilliant forty-page thesis in a hard week has learned more than a little about her
inner resources.
72. detect
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

detected.
73. enhance
increase
What colleges generally want are well-rounded students, civic leaders, people who know
what the system demands, how to keep matters light, not push too hard for an education
or anything else; people who get their credentials and leave the professors alone to do
their brilliant work, so they may rise and enhance the rankings of the university.
74. creator
a person who grows or makes or invents things
It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.”
75. ponder
reflect deeply on a subject
From Freud I found a great deal to ponder as well.
76. aspire
have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal
I don’t mean Freud the aspiring scientist, but the Freud who was a speculative essayist
and interpreter of the human condition like Emerson.
77. affront
a deliberately offensive act
78. projection
the act of expelling or ejecting
Having found what’s best for you to do, you may be surprised how far you rise, how
prosperous, even against your own projections, you become.
79. precept
rule of personal conduct
of Eton.
80. repress
conceal or hide
They’re disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes.
81. raise
move upwards
It’s been said that raising a child effectively takes a village: Well, as you may have
noticed, our American village is not in very good shape.
82. metaphor
a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
You’ll be looking into the reach of every metaphor that every discipline offers, and
you’ll be trying to see around their corners.
83. requirement
necessary activity
“How about the science requirements?”
84. confront
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
They have confronted you with scriptures—holy books that, whatever their actual
provenance, have given people what they feel to be wisdom for thousands of years.
85. precipitate
bring about abruptly
Edmund Burke saw common sense as a loosely made, but often profound, collective
work, in which humanity has deposited its hard-earned wisdom—the precipitate of joy
and tears—over time.
86. grade
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

87. banish
expel, as if by official decree
You must ask whether reason should always rule the passions, philosophers should
always rule the state, and poets should inevitably be banished from a just
commonwealth.
88. job
a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty
For students, that end is a good job.
89. probe
an exploratory action or expedition
And, too, you’ve been tested, probed, looked at up and down and through.
90. abstract
existing only in the mind
The students write their abstract, over-intellectualized essays; the professors grade the
students for their capacity to be abstract and over-intellectual—and often genuinely
smart.
91. arduous
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
When they face equally arduous tasks later in life, students will tap their old resources of
determination, and they’ll win.
92. major
greater in scope or effect
93. virtually
in essence or effect but not in fact
The proof is that virtually no undergraduate students can read and understand their
professors’ scholarly publications.
94. culture
all the knowledge and values shared by a society
We’ve got guns, drugs, two wars, fanatical religions, a slime-based popular culture, and
some politicians who—a little restraint here—aren’t what they might be.
95. proximity
the property of being close together
Burke—to revere.
96. conformity
correspondence in form, type, or appearance
The virtue in most request is conformity.
97. predict
tell in advance
He declares that dreams don’t predict the future and that there’s nothing benevolent
about them.
98. profound
situated at or extending to great depth
Embedded in all of the major religions are profound truths.
99. tenure
the term during which some position is held
The work they are compelled to do to advance—get tenure, promotion, raises, outside
offers—is, broadly speaking, scholarly work.
100. hatch
a movable barrier covering an entrance
One night after dinner, he and I were sitting in our kitchen at 58 Clewley Road in
Medford, Massachusetts, hatching plans about the rest of my life.
101. volunteer
a person who performs work done by choice
The professor saves his energies for the profession, while the student saves his for
friends, social life, volunteer work, making connections, and getting in position to clasp
hands on the true grail, the first job.
102. commend
present as worthy of regard, kindness, or confidence
You’re to be commended, and not just you, but the parents, grandparents, uncles, and
aunts who helped get you here.
103. chilly
appreciably or disagreeably cold
For their essays can be brilliant, in a chilly way; they can also be clipped off the Internet,
and often are.
104. realm
a domain in which something is dominant
Let the profs roam free in the realms of pure thought, let yourselves party in the realms
of impure pleasure, and let the student-services gang assert fewer prohibitions and newer
delights for you.
105. provoke
provide the needed stimulus for

Freud has something challenging and provoking to say about virtually every human
aspiration.
106. affirm
declare solemnly and formally as true
I learned that if I wanted to affirm any consequential ideal, I had to talk my way past
Freud.
107. discreet
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
The idea that a university education really should have no substantial content, should not
be about what John Keats was disposed to call Soul-making, is one that you might think
professors and university presidents would be discreet about.
108. clasp
hold firmly and tightly
109. faculty
an inherent cognitive or perceptual power of the mind

110. aversion
a feeling of intense dislike
Self-reliance is its aversion.
111. issuing
the act of providing an item for general use

If universities stopped issuing credentials, half of the clients would be gone by tomorrow
morning, with the remainder following fast behind.
112. potentially
with a possibility of becoming actual
113. create
bring into existence
But the public also senses that because professors don’t pay full-bore attention to
teaching they don’t have to work very hard—they’ve created a massive feather bed for
themselves and called it a university.
114. suppress
to put down by force or authority
You may find your own suppressed and rejected thoughts flowing back to you with an
“alienated majesty.”
115. prone
having a tendency
It’s just that smart people are prone to look into matters to see how they might go about
buttering their toast.
116. emerge
come out into view, as from concealment

people around you, and you’ll emerge in four years as an educated young man or
woman.
117. pose
assume a bearing as for artistic purposes

(Detached analysis has a place—but, in the end, you’ve got to speak from the heart and
pose the question of truth.)
118. massive
containing a great quantity of matter
Then there are those back-breaking student loans—people leave school as servants,
indentured to pay massive bills, so that first job better be a good one.
119. demonstrate
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
Emerson’s greatness lies not only in showing you how powerful names and customs can
be, but also in demonstrating how exhilarating it is to buck them.
120. controversial
marked by or capable of arousing disagreement
Trying to figure out whether the stuff you’re reading is true or false and being open to
having your life changed is a fraught, controversial activity.
121. injure
cause bodily harm to
But he writes another—in part out of a feeling of injured merit, maybe—and that one
they do buy.
122. discern
detect with the senses
As far as I can discern, the student ethos goes like this: If the professor is so lazy that he
gives the same test every year, it’s okay to go ahead and take advantage—you’ve both
got better things to do.
123. monetary
relating to or involving money
In a culture where the major and determining values are monetary, what else could you
do?
124. prohibition
the action of forbidding
Let the profs roam free in the realms of pure thought, let yourselves party in the realms of
impure pleasure, and let the student-services gang assert fewer prohibitions and newer
delights for you.
125. predecessor
one who precedes you in time
For somehow your predecessors are more yourself than you are.
126. primary
of first rank or importance or value
The idea that the courses you take should be the primary objective of going to college is
tacitly considered absurd.
127. cultivate
adapt something wild to the environment
The reason to read Blake and Dickinson and Freud and Dickens is not to become more
cultivated, or more articulate, or to be someone who, at a cocktail party, is never
embarrassed (or who can embarrass others).
128. invest
lay out money or resources in an enterprise
Whatever the case, no one wants to invest too much in them—for life is elsewhere.
129. benevolent
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
about them.
130. ignore
refuse to acknowledge
And all of those teachers and counselors and friends—and the prognosticating uncles, the
dithering aunts, the fathers and mothers with their hopes for your fulfillment—or their
131. publication
the act of issuing printed materials
The proof is that virtually no undergraduate students can read and understand their
professors’ scholarly publications.
132. energy
forceful exertion
133. perspective
a way of regarding situations or topics
This kind of perspective-altering teaching and learning can cause the things which
134. compel
force somebody to do something
135. reject
refuse to accept or acknowledge
136. exceed
be or do something to a greater degree

We need to see where they fall short and where they exceed the mark, and then to
develop them a little, as the ideas themselves, one comes to see, actually developed
others.
137. rub
move over something with pressure
But what to do with that talent—there was the rub for my father.
138. destructive
causing damage
You have to ask yourself if wildly expressive music (rock and rap and the rest) deranges
the soul in ways that are destructive to its health.
139. joint
junction by which parts or objects are linked together
I continue to hold in mind one of Emerson’s most memorable passages: “Society is a

joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to
each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.
140. talent
natural abilities or qualities
He had talent: My brother and I each got about half the raw ability he possessed and
that’s taken us through life well enough.
141. deposit
the act of putting something somewhere
Edmund Burke saw common sense as a loosely made, but often profound, collective
work, in which humanity has deposited its hard-earned wisdom—the precipitate of joy
and tears—over time.
142. brilliant
full of light; shining intensely
For their essays can be brilliant, in a chilly way; they can also be clipped off the Internet,
and often are.
143. medical
relating to the study or practice of medicine
They want the certificate that will give them access to Wall Street, or entrance into law or
medical or business school.
144. mock
treat with contempt
145. objective
the goal intended to be attained
146. devote
dedicate
What if you arrive at college devoted to pre-med, sure that nothing will make you and
your family happier than a life as a physician, only to discover that elementary-school
teaching is where your heart is?
147. content
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
148. bore
make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
But the public also senses that because professors don’t pay full- bore attention to
teaching they don’t have to work very hard—they’ve created a massive feather bed for
themselves and called it a university.
149. promotion
the act of raising in rank or position
150. contain
hold or have within
What he told me that evening at the Clewley Road kitchen table was true in itself, and it
also contains the germ of an idea about what a university education should be.
151. despise
look down on with disdain
Schopenhauer, who despised belief in transcendent things, nonetheless thought

Christianity to be of inexpressible worth.
152. sustain
lengthen or extend in duration or space
He never had a world of possibilities spread before him, never made sustained contact
with the best that had been thought and said.
153. statistics
a branch of mathematics concerned with quantitative data
You’ll not only question the statistics teacher about what numbers can explain but what
they can’t.
154. facility
a building or place that provides a particular service
So, if you want an education, the odds aren’t with you: The professors are off doing what
they call their own work; the other students, who’ve doped out the way the place runs, are
busy leaving the professors alone and getting themselves in position for bright and
shining futures; the student-services people are trying to keep everyone content, offering
plenty of entertainment and building another state-of-the-art workout facility every few
months.
155. aggressive
characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
Right now, if you’re going to get a real education, you may have to be aggressive and
assertive.
156. figure
the form or shape of a person's body
They’ve done a fine job skating on surfaces in high school—the best way to get an
across-the-board outstanding record—and now they’re on campus to cut a few more
figure eights.
157. ignored
disregarded
And all of those teachers and counselors and friends—and the prognosticating uncles, the
dithering aunts, the fathers and mothers with their hopes for your fulfillment—or their
158. restraint
the act of controlling by holding someone or something back
We’ve got guns, drugs, two wars, fanatical religions, a slime-based popular culture, and
some politicians who—a little restraint here—aren’t what they might be.
159. sage
a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
Much more I learned from the sage—about character, about loss, about joy, about writing
and its secret sources, but Emerson most centrally preaches the gospel of self-reliance
and that is what I have tried most to take from him.
160. achievement
the action of accomplishing something
161. contribute
provide
Such students leave and become donors and so, in their own turn, contribute
immeasurably to the university’s standing.
162. inevitably
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
always rule the state, and poets should inevitably be banished from a just
commonwealth.
163. detected
perceived or discerned
detected.
164. prospect
the possibility of future success
In terms of their work, students live in the future and not the present; they live with their
prospects for success.
165. assert
declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
Let the profs roam free in the realms of pure thought, let yourselves party in the realms of
impure pleasure, and let the student-services gang assert fewer prohibitions and newer
delights for you.
166. shrewd
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
167. odds
the likelihood of a thing occurring
months.
168. alter
cause to change; make different
This kind of perspective- altering teaching and learning can cause the things which
169. concern
something that interests you because it is important
170. comprehend
get the meaning of something
He gave me the chance to see what I was all about, and if it proved to be different from
him, proved even to be something he didn’t like or entirely comprehend, then he’d deal
with it.
171. survive
continue in existence after
To merely survive in this American village and to win a place in the entering class has
taken a lot of grit on your part.
172. future
the time yet to come
In terms of their work, students live in the future and not the present; they live with their
prospects for success.
173. adequate
having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

languages as your own, you’ll want to know how to speak it expertly and also how it fails
to deal with those concerns for which it has no adequate words.
174. sublime
of high moral or intellectual value
Reading the great writers, you may have the experience that Longinus associated with the
sublime: You feel that you have actually created the text yourself.
175. intensity
high level or degree
After the kid-samurai episode, the chair of my department not unsympathetically

suggested that this was the sort of incident that could happen when you brought a certain
intensity to teaching.
176. crude
belonging to an early stage of technical development
I came to college with few resources, but one of them was an understanding, however
crude, of how I might use my opportunities there.
177. associate
bring or come into action
Reading the great writers, you may have the experience that Longinus associated with
the sublime: You feel that you have actually created the text yourself.
178. ability
having the means or skills to do something
pegged.
179. lecture
a speech that is open to the public

The world wants him to write more, lecture, travel more, and will pay him for his efforts,
and he likes this a good deal.
180. experience
the content of observation or participation in an event
My father had some experience with lawyers, and with policemen, too; he was not well-
disposed toward either.
181. undertake
enter upon an activity or enterprise
If you do not undertake it, you risk leading a life of desperation—maybe quiet, maybe,
in time, very loud—and I am not exaggerating.
182. text
the words of something written
Reading the great writers, you may have the experience that Longinus associated with the
sublime: You feel that you have actually created the text yourself.
183. adopt
take into one's family
languages as your own, you’ll want to know how to speak it expertly and also how it fails
to deal with those concerns for which it has no adequate words.
184. esteem
the condition of being honored
One kid I knew (and rather liked) threatened on his blog to mince his dear and esteemed
professor (me) with a samurai sword for the crime of having taught a boring class.
185. scholar
a learned person
186. accomplish
achieve with effort
I was about to go off to college, a feat no one in my family had accomplished in living
memory.
187. function
what something is used for
The primary function of Yale University, it’s recently been said, is to create prosperous
alumni so as to enrich Yale University.
188. reflect
throw or bend back from a surface
These essays are honest: Their footnotes reflect real reading, real assimilation, and real
dedication.
189. commit
engage in or perform
190. substantial
real; having a material or factual existence
191. sustained
continued at length without interruption or weakening
192. perpetual
continuing forever or indefinitely
He was—and is—a perpetual challenge and goad.
193. course
a connected series of events or actions or developments
But until I had the reincarnation stuff from a solid source, I better get to work and pick
out some English classes from the course catalog.
194. depart
go away or leave
This view informed an address that Richard Brodhead gave to the senior class at Yale
before he departed to become president of Duke.
195. fundamental
serving as an essential component
No matter what anyone says this work has precious little to do with the fundamentals of
teaching.
196. evolution
sequence of events involved in the development of a species
You’ll be the one who challenges your biology teacher about the intellectual conflict
between evolution and creationist thinking.
197. formidable
extremely impressive in strength or excellence
Burke—to revere.
198. harsh
disagreeable to the senses

One does not need to be as harsh as Schopenhauer to understand the use of religion, even
if one does not believe in an otherworldly god.
199. conceive
have the idea for
When you read Plato, you’ll probably learn about his metaphysics and his politics and his
way of conceiving the soul.
200. source
the place where something begins
201. decade
a period of 10 years
He wasn’t invited back for decades.
202. toil
work hard
The student who eschews medical school to follow his gift for teaching small children
spends his twenties in low-paying but pleasurable and soul-rewarding toil.
203. philosopher
a specialist in the investigation of existence and knowledge
always rule the state, and poets should inevitably be banished from a just commonwealth.
204. invisible
impossible or nearly impossible to see
“No!” he said, filling the air with an invisible forest of exclamation points.)
205. discourse
an extended communication dealing with some particular topic

206. plenty
a full supply
months.
207. direction
a line leading to a place or point
In saying that, he (like my father) hinted in the direction of a profound and true theory of
learning.
208. restore
bring back into original existence, function, or position
Education is about finding out what form of work for you is close to being play—work
you do so easily that it restores you as you go.
209. necessity
the condition of being essential or indispensable
To be poor in America is to be a failure—it’s to be without decent health care, without

basic necessities, often without dignity.
210. hint
an indirect suggestion
learning.
211. risk
a source of danger
If you do not undertake it, you risk leading a life of desperation—maybe quiet, maybe, in
time, very loud—and I am not exaggerating.
212. luxury
something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
quest.
213. analysis
abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts
(Detached analysis has a place—but, in the end, you’ve got to speak from the heart and
pose the question of truth.)
214. vigorous
characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
215. intellect
knowledge and mental ability
Of course, given your intellect and discipline, you can still probably be one.
216. decline
grow worse
You’ll ask your history teacher about whether there is a design to our history, whether
we’re progressing or declining, or whether, in the words of a fine recent play, The
History Boys, history’s “just one fuckin’ thing after another.”
217. rejected
rebuffed (by a lover) without warning
218. influence
a power to affect persons or events
This was my own experience reading the two writers who have influenced me the most,
Sigmund Freud and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
219. surrender
relinquish possession or control over
I continue to hold in mind one of Emerson’s most memorable passages: “Society is a

joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to
each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.
220. center
an area that is in the middle of some larger region
quest.
221. instruction
activities that impart knowledge or skill
He’s always behind on his student-loan payments; he still lives in a house with four other
guys (not all of whom got proper instructions on how to clean a bathroom).
222. balance
harmonious arrangement or relation of parts within a whole
You must inquire of yourself if balanced calm is the most desirable human state.
223. inevitable
incapable of being avoided or prevented
I need the wherewithal, as Emerson did, to say what’s on my mind and to take the
inevitable hits.
224. absurd
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
225. determination
the act of finding out the properties of something
When they face equally arduous tasks later in life, students will tap their old resources of
determination, and they’ll win.
226. arrive
reach a destination
227. merit
the quality of being deserving
they do buy.
228. injured
harmed
they do buy.
229. access
the right to enter
They want the certificate that will give them access to Wall Street, or entrance into law or
medical or business school.
230. institution
a custom that has been an important feature of some group
To get an education, you’re probably going to have to fight against the institution that
you find yourself in—no matter how prestigious it may be.
231. declare
state emphatically and authoritatively

about them.
232. idle
not in action or at work
The question “Who do they think you are at home?” is never an idle one.
233. instructions
a manual explaining how to install or operate a device
He’s always behind on his student-loan payments; he still lives in a house with four other
guys (not all of whom got proper instructions on how to clean a bathroom).
234. tradition
a specific practice of long standing
They’ve given you family traditions—you’ve learned the ways of your tribe and your
community.
235. purchase
acquire by means of a financial transaction
The Internet is amok with services selling term papers and those services exist, capitalism
being what it is, because people purchase the papers—lots of them.
236. significant
rich in implication
Freud challenges nearly every significant human ideal.
237. channel
a deep and relatively narrow body of water
If you advance in the direction of someone else’s dreams—if you want to live someone
else’s life rather than yours—then get a TV for every room, buy yourself a lifetime
supply of your favorite quaff, crank up the porn channel, and groove away.
238. normal
being approximately average or within certain limits
But then interest dwindles and matters go back to normal.
239. conflict
an open clash between two opposing groups
You’ll be the one who challenges your biology teacher about the intellectual conflict
between evolution and creationist thinking.
240. deny
declare untrue; contradict
My father was a gruff man, but also a generous one, so that night at the kitchen table at
58 Clewley Road he made an effort to let me have the chance that had been denied to
him by both fate and character.
241. victim
an unfortunate person who suffers from adverse circumstances
242. render
give or supply
They gave words to thoughts and feelings that I had never been able to render myself.
243. element
a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
244. corner
the point where three areas or surfaces meet or intersect

detected.
245. opportunity
a possibility from a favorable combination of circumstances
You can get a terrific education in America now—there are astonishing opportunities at
almost every college—but the education will not be presented to you wrapped and
bowed.
246. utter
without qualification
247. intense
possessing a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
Scholarship, even if pretentious and almost unreadable, is nonetheless labor- intense.
248. confess
admit to a wrongdoing
I confessed that I was.
249. possess
have ownership of
He had talent: My brother and I each got about half the raw ability he possessed and
that’s taken us through life well enough.
250. incident
a single distinct event
After the kid-samurai episode, the chair of my department not unsympathetically

suggested that this was the sort of incident that could happen when you brought a certain
intensity to teaching.
251. tour
a route all the way around a particular place or area
If I had such info, pre-law would be fine, and maybe even a tour through invertebrate
biology could also be tossed in.
252. office
place of business where professional duties are performed
Black limousines pulled up in front of his office and disgorged decorously suited
negotiators.
253. liberal
showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
quest.
254. capacity
capability to perform or produce
The students write their abstract, over-intellectualized essays; the professors grade the
students for their capacity to be abstract and over-intellectual—and often genuinely
smart.
255. goal
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve
Students come to college with the goal of a diploma in mind—what happens in between,
especially in classrooms, is often of no deep and determining interest to them.
256. essential
basic and fundamental
The battle is to make such writers one’s own, to winnow them out and to find their
essential truths.
257. observe
watch attentively
258. exist
have a presence
The Internet is amok with services selling term papers and those services exist, capitalism
being what it is, because people purchase the papers—lots of them.
259. remark
make or write a comment on
260. shape
a perceptual structure
It’s been said that raising a child effectively takes a village: Well, as you may have
noticed, our American village is not in very good shape.
261. attend
be present
Then I had better study literature, unless I had inside information to the effect that
reincarnation wasn’t just hype, and I’d be able to attend college thirty or forty times.
262. blame
an accusation that one is responsible for some misdeed
And how can we blame them?
263. simple
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
264. absolute
perfect or complete or pure

We’re drawn to them because we hunger for absolute authority.
265. generation
group of genetically related organisms in a line of descent

266. solid
not soft or yielding to pressure
267. labor
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
268. precious
of high worth or cost
No matter what anyone says this work has precious little to do with the fundamentals of
teaching.
269. require
have need of
Doing so requires energy from the professor—which is better spent on other matters.
270. ease
freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
To ease your grief, society offers alcohol, television, drugs, divorce, and buying, buying,
buying what you don’t need.
271. severe
unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment
(The class was a little boring—I had a damned cold—but the punishment seemed a bit
severe.)
272. divine
a clergyman or other person in religious orders
Occasionally—for you will need some help in fleshing-out the answers—you may have
to prod your professors to see if they take the text at hand—in this case the divine and
disturbing Plato—to be true.
273. journal
a daily written record of experiences and observations
One can slave for a year or two on a single article for publication in this or that refereed
journal.
274. devoted
zealous in allegiance or affection
275. surrounded
confined on all sides

276. request
express the need or desire for; ask for
277. entrance
something that provides access to get in

They want the certificate that will give them access to Wall Street, or entrance into law
or medical or business school.
278. design
the act of working out the form of something
You’ll ask your history teacher about whether there is a design to our history, whether
we’re progressing or declining, or whether, in the words of a fine recent play, The
History Boys, history’s “just one fuckin’ thing after another.”
279. terror
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
280. exercise
the activity of exerting muscles to keep fit
Periodically the public gets exercised about this situation, and there are articles in the
national news.
281. brief
of short duration or distance
The dean of students laughed lightly when I suggested that this behavior might be
grounds for sending the student on a brief vacation.
282. practical
guided by experience and observation rather than theory
283. contact
the act of touching physically

284. virtue
the quality of doing what is right
285. theory
a belief that can guide behavior
learning.

College Vocabulary

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College Vocabulary

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1.

exercising or involving careful appraisals

a person who makes maps

cause to lose one's composure

that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings

make a prediction about; tell in advance

the act of separating grain from chaff

fix or set securely or deeply

Embedded in all of the major religions are profound truths.

where something originated or was nurtured

wildly; without self-control

assign to a lower position

openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

cause to become separated

a horn filled with fruit and grain symbolizing prosperity

lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer

formal agreement as to terms of a debt

the world of higher learning

eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era

to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught

the act of pouring a liquid offering as a religious ceremony

avoid and stay away from deliberately

the relation of something to the matter at hand

a person who expects the worst

He couldn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus, or in the afterlife, but to Schopenhauer, a

to push against gently

squeeze or press together

someone who manages a government agency or department

of inferior workmanship and materials

aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed

become smaller or lose substance

But then interest dwindles and matters go back to normal.

regard with feelings of respect

an institution of higher education

express or state clearly

stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick

He was—and is—a perpetual challenge and goad.

filled with or attended with

inequality or difference in some respect

having important issues or results

use up, consume fully

giving sexual pleasure; sexually arousing

He calls it “the overestimation of the erotic object.”

using or skilled in using reasoning

a leisurely walk, usually in some public place

no longer connected or joined

despite anything to the contrary

requiring full use of your abilities or resources

the state of depending on something

direct carefully and safely

a package of several things tied together

the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area

extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle

Amidst the impressive college buildings, in company with a high-powered faculty,

exceeding or surpassing usual limits

Schopenhauer, who despised belief in transcendent things, nonetheless thought

creating an appearance of importance or distinction

Scholarship, even if pretentious and almost unreadable, is nonetheless labor-intense.

making lively and joyful

meaning the same or nearly the same

“Strongly spent,” the poet says, “is synonymous with kept.”

an informal term for a youth or man

affect with wonder