Brutalising is the only adjective for the public schools of that district around 1908 and 09… Few teachers had the true vocation for their work. They taught because it was one of the few jobs open to them; because it was better paying than factory work; because they had a long summer vacation; because they got a pension when they retired. They taught because no one wanted to marry them… These barren women spent their fury on other womens children in a twisted authoritative manner.
The cruelest teachers were those who had come from homes similar to those of the poor children. It seemed that in their bitterness towards those unfortunate little ones, they were somehow exorcising their own fearful background.
Extract from Smith, B. (2005). A tree grows in Brooklyn (reprint), p. 153. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Compare and contrast how Freudian and neo-Freudian concepts have influenced this novelists writing by applying both approaches to examine how she formed such impressions of public school teachers during that time.
In particular, make reference to relevant defence mechanisms, Erik Erikson, and Karen Horney to guide your analysis.
Additional notes/guidance/instructions:
To answer this question, you will have to review information from your textbook on
Freudian theoretical concepts. However, this will not be sufficient as the information in the textbook is limited and also unlikely to touch on this exact subject matter. You are required to do additional research and cite at least FIVE academic sources (i.e. journal articles, book chapters of published books) for this question.
Reading widely and beyond the textbook will add depth to your essay, and references to relevant research studies and examples will earn you more marks. There are many credible resources that you can access from the library and Library eResources.
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