De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period Art and Culture Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Paragraph)

Quote #4

The walls of the "instructors' room" were hung with many framed pictures--all water colors--done by M. Yoshoto. (22)

We think it's important to notice just how much Jean respects M. Yoshoto as an artist, though definitely not as a teacher. This is hilarious when we think of just how bad an art teacher Jean really is.

Quote #5

The tallest boy, in the foreground of the picture, appeared to have rickets in one leg and elephantiasis in the other--an effect […] that Miss Kramer had deliberately used to show that the boy was standing with his feet slightly apart. (31)

Jean can sure be mean, and it gives us an icky feeling inside. As a teacher, Jean has a responsibility to try to help Bambi fulfill her artistic goals, even if they might differ hugely from his. Jean becomes a parody of teachers who prefer belittling their students to teaching them.

Quote #6

I told them, individually, that they had absolutely no talent worth developing and that they were simply wasting their own valuable time as well as the school's. (61)

Again, it's terribly funny when we read it, but imagine being on the other end of those letters. We get the feeling that if Jean was treated similarly he would probably crumble, no matter how confident he is in his skills. Part of this is because he is grieving he fails to consider that others might be grieving too.