Literary notes about taught (AI summary)
In literature, the word “taught” is used in a remarkably varied way, serving not only as a descriptor of formal education but also as a metaphor for the transmission of ideas, values, and even personal experiences. For instance, Shakespeare’s reference to a spirit “taught to write” ([1]) suggests an almost mystical inspiration behind creative expression, while Tennyson’s line about being “taught…all the sin” ([2]) implies that learning can also involve the internalization of negative qualities. Philosophical works often raise questions about the limits of instruction—for example, Plato wonders whether virtue can even be taught ([3]), and Rousseau contrasts being taught how to be good with being taught how to be learned ([4]). Additionally, in more personal or everyday contexts, teaching is depicted as a formative act—from a mentor giving a violin lesson ([5]) to the nuanced transmission of moral lessons that might lead one to vanity ([6]). Together, these examples highlight the multifaceted nature of “taught” in literature, capturing both the beauty and the complexity inherent in the act of imparting knowledge.
- Was it his spirit, by spirits taught to write, Above a mortal pitch, that struck me dead?
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - He taught me all the mercy, for he show'd 2 me all the sin.
— from The Early Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson by Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson - Now when there is all this care about virtue private and public, why, Socrates, do you still wonder and doubt whether virtue can be taught?
— from Protagoras by Plato - All, I may add, taught him to be a good man; but not one taught him to be learned.
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - He was very fond of Peter, and would sometimes take him to his home; and he gave him a violin, and taught him to play it.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - You only taught me to be vain.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
