Some Thoughts Concerning Education · Character

Your Son

The reader's own boy, invoked directly as Locke argues against Latin themes and verses — a stand-in for every gentleman's heir sent off to grammar school.

supporting

Also known as your son, himself

First appearance: Some Thoughts Concerning Education

As a supporting figure in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Your Son is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The gentleman's son who benefited from the educational method described, showing a love for learning and desire for more instruction.

In the storyDedicationOpen this moment free

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Locke addresses the father through this son, urging him to insist that the boy not be set to making declamations or verses, since the design is merely to understand a Latin author, not to breed an orator or poet. The son's fate at school is the father's to negotiate, and Locke presses the point that a thousand to one the boy will never deliver a Latin speech once he leaves. He matters because he makes the argument personal: this is not abstract pedagogy but your child, your choice.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Your Son sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Your Son in Some Thoughts Concerning Education

Character Web

10 connections

A slice of how Your Son sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Family
Professional
Other

Character groups

Educational Subjects and Examples
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when Locke shifts from private, humble correspondence to a public…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Children
family · positive
Your son is a specific child among the general group of children, often used as an… How this plays out →
A Child
family · ambivalent
The Great Masters
professional · ambivalent
The Great Masters
professional · ambivalent
A Child
family · ambivalent

Children
Your son is a specific child among the general group of children, often used as an example for parental concern.
A Child
A child is compared or contrasted with your son to illustrate general principles of child-rearing.
The Great Masters
The great masters are responsible for teaching your son, often with mixed results according to the narrator.
The Great Masters
The great masters are responsible for teaching your son, often with mixed results according to the narrator.
A Child
A child is compared or contrasted with your son to illustrate general principles of child-rearing.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Your Son in Some Thoughts Concerning Education

In the story

Your Son appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Dedication
The gentleman's son who benefited from the educational method described, showing a love for learning and desire for more instruction.
Some Thoughts Concerning Education
Locke advises parents to give their son few rules and to enforce them consistently, using gentle reminders rather than harsh rebukes.
When Grammar Should Be Taught?
Your son is the intended pupil who should study Latin history, Tully's Offices, and civil law to become a virtuous and well-behaved young man.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Your Son unlock in the free preview.

See Your Son in Some Thoughts Concerning Education

See Your Son in Dedication