My Life in China and America · Chapter
At Monson Academy explained
Yung Wing and his fellow Chinese students, Wong Shing and Wong Foon, enter Monson Academy in Massachusetts.
What happens
Yung Wing and his fellow Chinese students, Wong Shing and Wong Foon, enter Monson Academy in Massachusetts. They study under the principal, Rev. Charles Hammond, and board with Mrs. Phoebe H. Brown. After Wong Shing returns to China due to health, Wong Foon and Yung Wing decide to continue their studies in the West. Wong Foon accepts an offer to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, while Yung Wing resolves to attend Yale. They graduate from the academy in 1850, marking the end of their shared educational journey.
Themes in this chapter
Education as a Tool for National Reform
Yung Wing and his peers view their education in America as a means to bring benefit to China, as seen in the interest of their patrons and their own ambitions.
The West as Model and Mentor
The chapter highlights the influence of American educators like Hammond and Brown, and the decision to pursue Western education as a path to personal and national advancement.
Family and Personal Sacrifice
Yung Wing and Wong Foon make personal sacrifices, leaving their homeland and facing financial uncertainties to pursue their educational goals.
Characters to notice
- Yung Wing
Narrates his time at Monson Academy, deciding to stay in America for further studies and aiming for Yale.
- Wong Shing
One of the three Chinese students; returns to China in 1848 due to poor health.
- Wong Foon
Fellow Chinese student; decides to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, later becoming a distinguished surgeon.
- Rev. Charles Hammond
Principal of Monson Academy, a Yale graduate and admirer of Shakespeare, who inspired students with a love for literature.
- Miss Rebekah Brown
Preceptress at the academy, a Mt. Holyoke graduate, who later became Mrs. McClean and supported Yung Wing during his college years.
- Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Phoebe H. Brown, Yung Wing's landlady, described as a remarkable New England woman and author of a well-known hymn.
Key passages
“He had the faculty of inspiring his pupils with the love of the beautiful, both in ancient and modern literature.”
He had a talent for instilling in his students an appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of both classical and contemporary writing.
Describes Rev. Hammond's teaching style.
“Like Dr. Arnold of Rugby, he aimed to build character in his pupils and not to convert them into walking encyclopedias, or intelligent parrots.”
Similar to Dr. Arnold of Rugby, he focused on developing his students' character rather than making them into mere repositories of facts or imitative speakers.
Highlights Hammond's educational philosophy.
“I threw all my anxieties to the wind, trusting to a wise Providence to care for my future, as it had done for my past.”
I cast aside my worries, relying on a benevolent fate to guide me as it had before.
Yung Wing's attitude towards his uncertain financial future.