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PT How was Anakin educated if he was a slave?

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by Lucy G, Apr 4, 2018.

  1. Lucy G

    Lucy G Jedi Youngling

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    Mar 4, 2018
    This is quite a random question but how did Anakin receive education as a young boy if he was a slave and didn't go to school. He can speak perfect Basic, and is basically a mechanic and pilot (of podracers at the time). I assume his mother taught him how to speak, but considering she's not a teacher and they spent their days working, how did he get to this level, and where did he learn all the stuff about mechanics and building/fixing things?
     
  2. Anslyder

    Anslyder Jedi Padawan star 1

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    Mar 8, 2018
    You don't need education to know how to speak. We all know the basics for speaking before we went to school.

    And he is a naturally born genuis who taught himself from working with machines and fixing stuff.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
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  3. Sara_Kenobi

    Sara_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 7

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    Sep 21, 2000
    I think that Anakin had a special talent when it came to fixing or building things. As for education, it was likely his mother who taught him what he needed to know.
     
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  4. Huttese 101

    Huttese 101 Sam Witwer Enthusiast star 7

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    Jan 19, 2016
    Well, since Watto ran a starship scrapyard, maybe he was taught to build/fix things as part of his work there as a slave. Like podracers and droids, since there were pod parts and droids in the shop. That always made the most sense to me.

    That, and of course, as Qui-Gon noticed and Shmi confirmed, Anakin always had a supernatural gift.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
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  5. DARTHLINK

    DARTHLINK Force Ghost star 4

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    Feb 24, 2005
    Simple, Watto and Shmi taught him. Just because Anakin was a slave doesn’t mean he couldn’t get some basic education to do what Watto needed him to do.
     
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  6. DarthTalonx

    DarthTalonx Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 12, 2014
    Trust me you don't want to ask such questions about an ST character then haha.

    As for Anakin, I think he had his mother. Maybe he learnt to develop his skills at fixing things from working at the parts shop.

    As for speaking Basic, and Watto's language, that would simply be down to speaking both from a child to both his mother and his owner. Note, he is not shown to speak any other language, or droid language at this point in time.
     
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  7. firesaber

    firesaber Jedi Master star 4

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    Mar 5, 2006
    I agree. There is nothing to indicate that Anakin's slavery was anything akin to the European/early American slave practices regarding treatment, reading etc.
     
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  8. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 6, 2016
    What education did the Jedi give him if, after ten years training, he was oblivious to the fact that the Republic he's sworn to defend was a representational democracy.
     
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  9. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001
    He knew that is was a democracy. He just believed in what Palpatine told him, that the system was flawed and corrupt, and a dictatorship was the better way to go.

    How did you learn to speak? Who taught you to read? Who taught you to write? I dunno about you, but I learned all these things from my mom by the time I started school when I was six.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2018
  10. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

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    Nov 25, 2003
    I think this probably falls into the unexplained bucket of things we're just supposed to look past, like, "why doesn't anyone in SW go to the bathroom?" or "where did the funding for all of Red Skull's Hydra army come from?" or "how does everyone who drives a car in Walking Dead always happen to have gas in the vehicle for it to run?" or "how do the villains in the Dark Knight Trilogy always know where to be and what is going to happen at each moment, and never seem to need to eat or sleep?" or "how are people who wander in the desert in movies able to go so far for so long and not be burning red with sunburn?"
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2018
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  11. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 30, 2015
    Not even in the same category. It makes perfect sense that Anakin learned to speak, read and fix/build things from his mother, Watto and his friends. This has been addressed many times on this thread. Where do we see Anakin in chains? Where is all his spare time taken from him? When is he beaten? While it's still slavery it's of a very different kind from real-life medieval or colonial times. Anakin had a FAR better life than some slaves on Earth.
     
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  12. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    In the AOTC & RoTS novels it's made clear that while Watto was vastly kinder than Gardulla, he still dished out beatings.

    Having a bomb that'll make him explode when he runs away, means Watto doesn't need chains.
     
  13. DARTHLINK

    DARTHLINK Force Ghost star 4

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    Feb 24, 2005
    Basically, Watto is actually pretty nice for a slave owner (though the beatings and the whole ‘bomb in neck that’ll explode if you escape’ thing does put a dampener on things.) He’s not sadistic (as in he doesn’t randomly torture Anakin or Shmi for grins), he does reward both Anakin and Shmi for good labor. Of course he’d want Anakin to learn how to read/write. Of course he’d want Anakin to learn a trade or two, or else he’d be perfectly useless to Watto. I think the film shows that Watto doesn’t view Anakin as some dumb animal on two legs. If anything else, Anakin’s slavery was based off of ancient times. “We conquer you either via war or pirate raid, now you work for us.”
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2018
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  14. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Legends did have Shmi's arrival in slavery being via capture by pirates.
     
  15. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 6, 2016
    No. He mentions nothing about corruption. He proposes representational democracy as if it's a novel idea he just came up with. Padme embarrasses him by telling him that's what the Republic is. It's only after he learns this from Padme that he proposes an alternative that he doesn't understand either. In order to save face.

    The point is he betrays the same knowledge and understanding of the world around him as if he were a nineties youth who got all his education from watching mtv. Rather than someone raised and educated by an elite society.
     
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  16. MWPP294

    MWPP294 Jedi Youngling

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    Apr 3, 2018
    LOL.
     
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  17. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

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    Nov 25, 2003
    so...I think it would be important on this thread to clarify; what exactly do we mean here by education? Are we talking math, reading, science, social studies, etc.? Or simply building, walking, speaking and motor skills and the like?. To me, the former DOES require actual teaching to learn (i.e. Anakin would likely not have learned multiplication from his friends, or things of that sort). Anakin was 9 at the time, and based on how things are taught to my 7 year old, it would IMO require much more time than Shmi would have if she herself were to teach him ALL that. Maybe she wasn't in chains per se, but she was still a slave. Let's face it she was no soccer mom who worked part time at bath & body works. The latter however, I agree can be learned by surroundings, but IMO would be coined more as "development," rather than straight up "education." I know some might feel that's semantics, but I see a difference between those two categories of learning.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2018
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  18. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 30, 2015
    I don't think we are talking formal education here but ACTUAL useful skills, which Anakin is shown to have. Math, social studies...? Honestly, who would have needed those in the GFFA?? Or how about literature or philosophy? I don't think Anakin knew much about those. We never hear him quoting the GFFA equivalent of Shakespeare or compare the theories of Kant to those of Laozi or Nietzsche. Did he really need that knowledge to be successful and effective as a Jedi or pilot/swordsman? Nope, he got on pretty much without any of that theoretical stuff. In a universe where droids are EVERYWHERE, who in their right mind would voluntarily study math?:D
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2018
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  19. CT-867-5309

    CT-867-5309 Chosen One star 7

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    Jan 5, 2011
    Actually, he speaks some other language to Sebulba.



    Indeed. Watto doesn't own a farm, he has little use for that kind of labor. He needs a slave that is adapted to his environment.

    One thing for the thread to think about: what were the reasons Americans didn't want slaves to learn to read? Because it could lead to desire for equal rights and rebellion. Reading could lead to reading abolitionist writings. Writing could lead to communicating these ideas to other slaves. A huge population of slaves could band together. The situation on Tatooine was different. I don't get the sense that it had a massive slave labor population, that there was any significant abolitionist movement, or that "rights" had any meaning at all.

    I mean, I doubt Anakin would come across any abolitionist writings on Tatooine. The Republic already has anti-slavery laws, Padme is surprised at the existence of slavery on Tatooine. Any abolitionist writings would be history, it wouldn't be a current popular movement trending on holo-twitter. Even if Anakin did come across it, it wouldn't make a difference. He's already looking for a way to find the explosive transmitter inside him, so he's already looking for a way to escape.
     
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  20. Darthbane2007

    Darthbane2007 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 31, 2007
    In dealing with people and beings from different parts of the galaxy, Watto would need Anakin to be able to speak proficiently and be knowledgeable about things...
     
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  21. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

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    Nov 25, 2003
    Although I [face_laugh] at your 'who would study math with droids around' comment, I still think SOME education would be necessary. I mean, a jedi still has to be able to add and subtract, you know? Sure he doesn't need to know Shakespeare, but I would imagine the need to read is essential, even in the GFFA. Especially as a Jedi-we even see jedi reading in the films. I would agree he probz got on on Tattooine without all that, but IMO he would definitely have not be able to function as a Jedi without basic math, reading and strategy skills-things that can't be learned just by being street savvy, but rather with at least some formal teaching.

    Now-I'm perfectly willing to just accept that he learned all that in his Jedi training at the temple. So there we go. But the thread topic was about his time as a slave, and the results of that in terms of his education, and along those terms, I feel he'd be 'behind' as far as the expectations of the knowledge 9 year old jedi younglings would have in these subjects. That's all I'm saying.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2018
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  22. StartCenterEnd

    StartCenterEnd Jedi Grand Master star 3

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    May 2, 2006
    Who says slaves aren't educated? What use is a slave who knows nothing?
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2018
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  23. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 30, 2015
    As I said, obviously he did get some education, only not in a classroom. Who said in 9 years Shmi, Watto and whoever he was in contact with couldn't have taught him anything at all, which would quite obviously have included some basic math?
    The use of a slave is to work for you for free. How much knowledge a slave should have depends entirely on the situation and what kind of work he should do. Anakin was very good at fixing or building things and racing. I don't think Watto cared very much beyond that. Also, we will never really know what would have happened to Anakin if Qui-Gon didn't happen to find him.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2018
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  24. Anslyder

    Anslyder Jedi Padawan star 1

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    Mar 8, 2018
    He would probably start a rebellion and free the slaves in Tatooine. Then, he would travel around the galaxy and work as a pilot.

    I'm pretty sure sooner or later the jedi and Palpatine would find out about him, but only one of them would be smart enough to try to win him over to their side. Though, I believe with his mother raising him it would be harder for Palpatine to turn him to the dark side and Anakin would have Luke's story where he would become the Galaxy's last hope after the Jedi were killed.

    You know, I actually would love if Lucasfilms start "what if" line which it can be either novels or comics.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2018
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  25. DARTHLINK

    DARTHLINK Force Ghost star 4

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    Feb 24, 2005
    ^ Pretty sure the whole ‘bomb in his neck’ thing would prohibit any sort of rebellion. All Watto would have to do is push the button and Anakin’s attempt at being the Tatooine Spartacus ends very messily.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2018
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