September 01, 2013

Seamus Heaney - On our step in line, know your place culture

Henri Cole of The Paris Review asked Seamus Heaney: "As you end your twelfth year at Harvard, what are your impressions of American students?" Seamus Heaney responded:

"When I came here first I was very aware of their eagerness to be in contact with the professor. At home in Ireland, there's a habit of avoidance, an ironical attitude towards the authority figure. Here, there's a readiness to approach and a desire to take advantage of everything the professor has to offer. That unnerved me a bit at the start, but now I respect it. Also, the self-esteem of American students tends to be higher. They come to college with positive beliefs in their abilities, whatever they are."

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1217/the-art-of-poetry-no-75-seamus-heaney


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