Why Adams' "Education" motivates and inspires us.

When Henry Adams decided to write his own biography, "The Education of Henry Adams," he used the third person perspective. It was a revolutionary concept at the time, since the "usual" standard of an autobiography was focused on what was perceived the author had done "right" throughout their life, versus the struggle Adams had seen in retrospect or "wrongs." He takes the reader on his journey in the quest for not only knowledge, but the understanding why he decided to ignore the standard of following the expectations of his famous family while questioning his own motives and expectations.

Adams recognizes his status in the beginning of his life, which is one of privilege due to his family's background. He consistently rebels against what is perceived as the correct way for his life to unfold to experience life on his own terms. Adams openly does the one thing that terrifies people by the admission that he was wrong in some areas and the consequences of the decision as being a life-long question of what motivates people to achieve greatness on their own standards. He uses this fact to motivate and inspire himself to look beyond what is usually offered to a person and sees the potential of enlightenment. That potential, Adams believes, is achieved though self-education and is a life long endeavor that has to be pursued until he has the answer.

Why did Henry Adams write this book? Adams gives the reader a look into the intellectual and political life of the late 19th century and the impact of the "dynamo and the virgin" on his modern world. It helps us all to be Henry Adams and see what we can achieve instead of looking back on our own life without regrets and endless "What if" scenarios by continuing our own education as he did. It also helps us to understand the questions we ask ourselves and how Adams had similar questions that we ultimately find our own resolutions in our continuing education.

Michael