There is, on the whole, nothing on earth intended for innocent people so horrible as a school. To begin with, it is a prison. But in some respects more cruel than a prison. In a prison, for instance, you are not forced to read books written by the warders and the governor. . . .In the prison you are not forced to sit listening to turnkeys discoursing without charm or interest on subjects that they don't understand and don't care about, and therefore incapable of making you understand or care about. In a prison they may torture your body; but they do not torture your brains.

Summary

This quote suggests that the speaker, potentially a student or someone with a negative experience, views schools as equivalent to oppressive institutions. The comparison to a prison highlights the lack of freedom and the feeling of being confined. The criticism extends to the enforced curriculum, where the speaker does not appreciate being subjected to uninspiring and unengaging content. Additionally, the quote emphasizes the mental torture inflicted by schools, contrasting it with the physical torture found in prisons. Overall, this explanation suggests a disillusionment with the educational system and its approach to teaching.

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