Discussion Topic
Characterization and remarks of Mr. Weston in "To Sir, with Love"
Summary:
Mr. Weston in "To Sir, with Love" is characterized as a competent and approachable teacher who supports the protagonist, Mr. Braithwaite. His remarks often reflect his practical approach to teaching and his genuine concern for the students' well-being and education.
How is Mr. Weston characterized in To Sir, with Love?
Weston's characterization in the novel is offered as the veteran teacher who has become burned out due to the demands of his profession. Weston's introduction is one where he is shown to have appropriated the very worst of his students' behavior. The joke about Braithwaite's skin color to start is reflective of this. Weston has lost the initial passion that once drew him into the profession. In talking about how Hackman, Braithwaite's predecessor, had "escaped," it becomes clear that Weston is a burned out teacher. This is furthered in his discussion of students as "morons" and how they enjoy "teacher baiting." Weston is offered as representation of the Status Quo. He is shown to be the inertia in the teaching profession that prevents a full understanding of the transformative capacity intrinsic to teaching. In many respects, he is the "anti- Braithwaite." Whereas Braithwaite has a sense of hope and progressivism...
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about what he can do, Weston lacks these qualities. Weston's characterization makes clear that from the earliest of moments, Braithwaite's challenges exist in educating both the students and the adults, as well.
What does Weston remark about Braithwaite in "To Sir, with Love"?
Weston's remark about Braithwaite in Chapter 2 is about his race. It is meant as something in jest, but it reflects more. Initially, Braithwaite is an outsider to the school community because he is a man of color, but also because he is a young teacher. Weston is a veteran teacher, burned out in his profession and scornful of the children he is consigned to teach. In his comment to Braithwaite, he wishes to make clear that the young teacher "know his place."
Weston's comment is a crude racial joke about "Black magic." The remark highlights everything Braithwaite confronts in his new position. Being a man of color, being a new teacher, and serving in the capacity at this particular school with these particular students are all formidable obstacles that Braithwaite must navigate in order to find success. Weston's remark no more than five minutes at the school helps to highlight exactly what Braithwaite faces. It is a comment that demarcates the line between the young teacher who is not jaded and the veteran teacher whose eyes have been blinded with cynicism.