We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom… really, all we want is to enroll in the University of Upstate New York's Rugged Wilderness program.
In The Last of the Mohicans, different systems of wisdom and knowledge are pitted against each other in the forests of upstate New York. Nature is prized as the best teacher, and survival knowledge proves to be way more useful and wisdom-filled than book learnin'.
Questions About Wisdom and Knowledge
- What type of knowledge is most prized in the world of The Last of the Mohicans?
- To what extent can white men access Native American forms of knowledge?
- How does David Gamut respond to Hawkeye's mockery of formal education?
- Do you consider the character of Tamenund to be wise? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
In the world of the novel, Hawkeye is the wisest character because of his skills in the forest.
In the world of the novel, survival skills and wisdom are portrayed as separate entities: you can be wise without being skillful, and vice versa.