Mit frareds Erlaubnis poste ich den Aufsatz hier als Diskussionsgrundlage - zunächst im englischen Original, eine Übersetzung ins Deutsche liefere ich nach, sobald ich dazu komme.
Obi-Wan as a Mentor
von: frared
von: frared
Much has been said about Palpatine’s influence on Anakin, but didn’t he spend so much more time with Obi-wan? Above all, this presents the opportunity of comparing his two approaches with his apprentices. Within the context of the saga both his apprentices are of roughly the same age, or he teaches them at roughly the same age in the movies. They are nearly growing out of adolescence, yet the time we see Obi-Wan spend with them is cut short in Luke’s case and prolonged in Anakin’s.
There are some pivotal scenes that showcase Obi-wan’s teaching style.
The Arrogance of Always Being In The Right
By the time we meet them in AOTC, we know that Obi-wan has already spent 10 years with Anakin (the apprenticeship under his guidance has been established in TPM) in a very personal one-on-one relationship- as is the fashion with the Jedi. At first we see him with Anakin in an elevator trying to reassure him because he is tense.
Obi-wan gives a subtle hint that he knows Anakin is tensing up because of the upcoming meeting. The scene establishes they know each other well. There is friendship and love between those two.
Obi-wan: You seem a little on edge, Anakin.
Anakin: Not at all.
Obi-wan: I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks.
Anakin: You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you, remember?
Obi-wan: Oh yeah. (they laugh) You're sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath.
Anakin: I haven't seen her in ten years, Master.
Obi-wan: She's not the Queen anymore, Anakin.
Anakin: That's not why I'm nervous.
The next time we see Anakin, he is in a situation of more political importance. The pair is to protect the Senator Amidala- who, not incidentally, is also Anakin’s love interest and in danger of assassination.
The subsequent meeting with the senator and her entourage brings cracks to this shiny surface of friendship and caring. When meeting the senator, Obi-Wan gives the impression that he has no patience with his student. His demeanour towards his student (“We are not going through this exercise again, Anakin. You will pay attention to my lead.”) suggests this pattern of the student interrupting the master has become routine. This is alarming for two reasons: a) obviously Obi-wan as the teacher hasn’t thought of a way of handling this situation and easing the conflict and b) the routine appears not to leave room for the student being able to voice his own thoughts and ideas.
Indeed, the proceedings make one question Obi-wan’s competence as a mentor. Not only does he not listen to his student, he also comes across as if he isn’t mature and calm enough to deal with a headstrong and impatient student like Anakin Skywalker.
The reasons for this are multiform, of course. As in any communicative pattern they come from different sources. Suffice it to say for now, whatever it is, Obi-wan is beyond questioning his own strategy and approach, he cannot recognize his own deficits- a trait of many a reactionary school of thinking.
Anakin, simply put, has a different idea of protection for the senator:
Obi-wan: We are not going to exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner.
Anakin: Why?
Obi-wan: What??!!
Regarding the embarrassed faces all around, Obi-wan should by all means realize these reactions are also a criticism of his work. Subliminally, maybe he does- yet the way he reacts to the situation is inappropriate and tells of immaturity and hurt ego.
His approach cannot be considered strong or smart, as in reality it is very exhausting and demanding to hold up. Of course it will look to the uninitiated as if Obi-wan needs to remind Anakin of the authority he holds- but what he will do by this strategy is enforce the negative aspect of an authoritarian and hierarchical system, namely obedience.
Authority in general can mean greater competence in a field or greater expertise in situations. Authority is often equated with age and maturity, and awarded automatically. This often leads to blindly following the leader which in a supposedly enlightened organization like the Jedi order should be a grand no-no. Instead, in this single exposure to Obi-wan’s teachings, we can judge the extent of indoctrination to which Obi-wan himself must have been subjected to- or, if that sounds far-fetched, we can catch a glimpse of how much Obi-wan himself fears losing hold over his student and especially the situation. In a very abstract sense, Obi-wan cannot let go of his status. He fears nothing more than no longer appearing superior and all-knowing, which makes him hold on to his supposed authority even stronger.It is a trait very common among young and inexperienced teachers: they will enforce their authority again and again just to make a point. It speaks of great insecurity in the face of an unusual student like Anakin Skywalker. (Indeed, Anakin himself will later on tell the audience and Padmé that he is labelled as unpredictable by his mentor. The connotations of this are obvious: he does not go by the book, as at least Obi-wan wishes.) The authority and power a mentor holds is more in the ability to step back and allow the student to explore a field or a situation.
A good example for Obi-wan’s reliance on authority – both in terms of obedience he means to install in his own student and in terms of obedience to the council:
Obi-wan: I'm sure the Jedi Council have their reasons.
Obi-wan: We will not go through this exercise again, Anakin. You will pay attention to my lead.
Obi-wan will go so far that in order to have the last word, he will silence his own student and completely discourage him to voice his opinion. In fact he resorts to a threat:“We will do as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one." It doesn’t entirely depend on the number of times this occurs. For a sensitive person one demonstration of authority over everything can suffice. It speaks highly of Anakin’s spiritual strength and stubbornness that he still speaks up and out of turn. More sensitive people would have grown submissive to the nth degree over this kind of oppression.
This is an subjective assessment of Obi-wan’s skill as a mentor, but teaching is a highly individual act- the uniqueness of which should actually be reinforced through individual methods and strategies.
It thrives best through reflection on personal acts. When undesired situations occur, it is part of the duty of a teacher to reflect on what went wrong. This wrongness is tied to desired and undesired outcome, a subjective and amoral category.
Without wanting to go too deep into technicalities here – if the expected outcome of the teachings isn’t matched by what is actually happening, it is of vital importance to reconsider what has happened as interaction is defined by both parties. The approach of perpetually blaming The Other will not lead to any new and constructive learning, as the personal conduct isn’t heeded. Interaction relies on at least two people.
Either way, it is nearly always more useful not having to enforce. This way the teaching system is rooted in installing fear of punishment, and is not likely to inspire explorations or what is necessary to progress internally and externally. In the long run, the student will stick to obedience and not delve into developing personality and exploring meaning to his/her surroundings beyond the limits the mentor sets.
In short, this approach is diametrically opposing the humanist strategy which Montaigne so eloquently describes in his metaphor of following your student in his/her footsteps in order to learn how s/he walks.
“It’s useful when the teacher allows the student to trot before him, so by regarding the way he walks he will be able to judge how much he has got to pull back in order to adapt to the student’s strengths. If we miss the right proportion, we will spoil everything. To find it and act accordingly is one of the hardest tasks that I know of: only a high and incredibly strong spirit is able to tune in to the student’s childish way of walking and also to serve him as a pacemaker." (1)
This strategy will pay off for an individual assessment of every student which is at the heart of good teaching.
As the scenario progresses, we encounter them again in a more private and less exposed moment: (Anakin is disappointed in Padmé’s reaction)
Obi-wan: Anakin, you're focusing on the Negative again. Be mindful of your thoughts. She was pleased to see us.
Without even knowing much about the context of the quote, I can deduce a fair number of things from it. This again suggests that this is part of Anakin’s routine. Not only is it part of Anakin’s routine, but it’s also part of what Obi-wan perceives as Anakin’s routine. Thus he places it in his student’s hands to find out the reasons why he actually focuses on the negative. Obi-wan makes a mention of the possible Positive by saying she was pleased to see us, which in itself as a statement only reinforces that he in his superior wisdom knows in fact more than his student. He also fails to make his statement more tangible by perhaps saying why he thinks she was glad. Thus the statement rings hollow.
It’s ironic, come to think of it, that while it’s clear to Obi-wan that Anakin is ‘focusing on the negative', Obi-wan does so, too – with regard to his student, that is. Obi-Wan completely disregards his own wisdom.It’s an ultimately hypocritical act: not practising what you preach yourself.
At a later time in the movie when they are alone again we can also catch a glimpse of Obi-wan’s skills at lecturing. Again, Anakin’s reaction suggests this has become routine:
Obi-wan: Mind your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi order... a commitment not easily broken... and don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted.
Anakin: She's not like the others in the Senate, Master.
Obi-wan: It's been my experience that Senators are only focused on pleasing those who fund their campaigns... and they are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get those funds.
Anakin: Not another lecture, Master. Not on the economics of politics.... It's too early in the morning... and besides, you're generalising. The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt.
Obi-wan: Palpatine's a politician, I've observed that he is very clever at following the passions and prejudices of the Senators.
Obi-wan’s heart is in his right place. He wants to warn his Padawan learner of the inherent pitfalls and fallacies of people acting as politicians. This would be a valid object lesson in any curriculum. It’s criticism of authority and it’s vital in order to develop a sense of morality and justice within yourself.
Yet, the method he uses, of lecturing his student, talking down to him and not heeding his defence is diametrically opposed to what he wants to achieve. The thinking he would like to motivate is only allowed if it follows his line of thought, whatever Anakin brings forth. Anakin even goes so far as to challenge his mentor: “you're generalising”. His objections, “The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt.” And “She's not like the others in the Senate” both based on his own perceptions and not on generalizations, are completely ignored by Obi-wan. And yet they are valid in their own right. Obi-wan on the other hand, practises a more pragmatic approach of first generalizing “politician[s are] not to be trusted” and later on refuting his Padawan’s objections with “I've observed”. The scene ends relatively abruptly because finally their assignment begins to take more concrete shape.
What can be deduced from the exchange is that the method Obi-wan uses to install critical thinking in his student is by dictating what his student is supposed to think. Whereas it would be far more challenging to face up to his student’s own observations and feelings and argue himself out of the situation. What he does is state his observations and even though Anakin challenges them and seems willing to argue the points (as in the earlier exchange, most obvious in his question Why?), he does not allow for it. Instead he will just restate his points.
Just to clear this up, there is no one single way to teach critical thinking, maybe Montaigne says it best
“the teacher better encourage the student to press everything through his own sieve, he ought not present anything simply by assuming his authority and reputation. Aristotle’s theorems aren’t supposed to be theorems for the student as much as the Epicurean theorems aren’t or stoicism isn’t. One ought to present the multitudes of view before him: he will then, if he can, make his choice; if not, he will go on doubting – only fools are always certain and solidified.” (1)
And yet it seems a fair assumption that lecturing one view is not going to challenge any student’s thinking in the least. In fact the definition of indoctrination according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, instructing especially in fundamentals and rudiments and imbuing with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion (2), suggests that it is downright opposing a number of views.
A possible summary for his approach would be, an authoritarian and reactionary arrogance of assuming a dominant position over his student caused by great insecurity and an environment that in itself discourages critical exploration beyond the realms of what is being lectured.
Teaching A New Hope
Keeping all this in mind along with the over twenty years that pass between episode 2 and 4, also considering the actual events that took place, it would hardly be surprising to see Obi-wan changed both his outlook on reality and his dealings with people.
We first encounter him as ‘a crazy old hermit’ when he helps Luke fight off the sandpeople. He will tell Luke what he considers necessary in order to have Luke help the rebellion. His objective isn’t very clear since he states things that seem to be an interpretation of events rather than the truth, e.g. he will say “a young Jedi named Darth Vader […] betrayed and murdered your father.” Of course, after having watched episodes 1 to 3 already, one is to question old Ben’s sanity, but in fact this seems the first step he takes towards a more relativistic view.
Needless to say that his dealings with Luke are also supposed to mirror and enhance Qui-gon Jinn’s encounter with the small boy that Anakin Skywalker once was. This is not of much concern here, I appreciate Lucas’ approach of posing the two trilogies as mirrors to each other nevertheless. It is more interesting here to analyze his handling of the objective of introducing Luke to investing his piloting skills in favour of the rebellion.
Ben Kenobi, as we are now to think of him, goes on to tell Luke about the force, all in the interest of him joining him in their assignment to take Artoo to Alderaan. Let’s look at the way he does that: “Learn about the Force, Luke.” A very simple and plain statement which follows Luke’s implication that he more important things to do than going on this journey. The simplicity of the statement is even more obvious by the next : “You must do what you feel is right, of course.”
This single statement elevates all of the rest of Obi-wan’s teachings in episode 4 to genius, because it is the one that allows Luke to make the decision, something which is crucial in developing judgement and independence. In other words, Obi-wan has assumed a position of presenting the possibility, but ultimately leaves it to his student to decide what he wants to do. It also brilliantly conveys the idea of the ultimate right not existing, just like the ultimate wrong doesn’t exist. Both are relative to our situation and state and, as he says, to our feelings. By giving Luke this choice, he will teach responsibility and decision-making. And he will install a sense of trust in his own mind and judgement in Luke, which will be vital in the grander scheme of the saga.
Later on, already onboard the Millennium Falcon, he will give Luke his first object lesson with the force (this is also parallel to what we see Yoda teach the Younglings in Episode 2). Obi-wan will try to make Luke rely less on his rational thinking “Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them.” And instead wants him to focus on his feelings, again, “Stretch out with your feelings.” The simplicity of which is astounding again. After Luke complies and apparently stretches out with his feelings, Obi-wan manages to give him praise “You see, you can do it.” Which both in its simplicity cannot be misunderstood and it’s also a welcome diversion since he doesn’t manage praise with Anakin.
Luke: You know, I did feel something. I could almost see the remote.
Ben: That's good. You have taken your first step into a larger world.
Again, encouragement and simplicity.
The simplicity I point out time and again here is not to mean that all teaching is supposed to be simple so it can be understood. In this particular context, it’s meant to highlight a humbleness that has become ingrained in Obi-wan’s teachings. He is no longer the one who is sure of himself, he is no longer the one to arrogantly assume a superior position, and he is no longer frightened of other people making different decisions from his.
Within the movie this is not the last time we will see him teach, he will meet his destiny and doom with Darth Vader on the Death Star, and will teach both Luke and his father Anakin Skywalker a lesson of power and wisdom by sacrificing his life. The responses of both Luke and Anakin will set off a chain reaction of events that will bring about the downfall of the empire. Thus he will give his all as a teacher to teach the lesson. And he will do so by choosing the elegant and graceful way of implicitly demonstrating instead of explicitly telling.
Sources:
(1) Michel de Montaigne: Montaigne für Lehrer. Eichborn, Frankfurt am Main, 2004. [Montaigne for teachers - excerpts from ESSAIS (translations all mine)]
(2) Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 10 Ed, Merriam-Webster’s Inc, Springfield Mass., 1993.
Online versions of the script: http://www.xs4all.nl/~johanw/
