The reasoning behind Nynaeve's actions is pointed out quite clearly:
"That's why I broke the rules. I thought they were just arbitrary. I couldn't remember why I wasn't supposed to run, so in the face of seeing people die, it seemed silly to walk."
"My goal in this test was to prove that I deserve to be Aes Sedai. Well, then, I could argue that the lives of the people I saw were more important than gaining that title. If losing my title is what would be required to save someone's life—and if there were no other consequences—I'd do it. Every time."
"I wonder if," Nynaeve said, "we sometimes put the White Tower—as
an institution—before the people we serve. I wonder if we let it become a goal in itself, instead of a means to help us achieve greater goals."
"Would you have me choose between a foolish oath and the fate of the world?""
The Aes Sedai claim to serve a higher purpose but most of the time they live in their ivory tower and bicker amongst themselves. Calmly obeying orders is great...if the one who gives the orders has a clue. Nynaeve has proven many times she can cope with extreme situations.
Of course she can, she defeated Forsaken. She does it when she knows and believes in this higher purpose. For a real world analogy - many soldiers would die for their country but wouldn't risk their lives by becoming mercenaries.
No, if there is a tangible goal Nynaeve can choose. It's arbitrary rules she has a problem with. For instance she doesn't go rescue Mat from Ebou Dar or she goes to the WT in Book 2 instead of staying around Rand to help him. If she were that incapable of seeing the bigger picture she would never go fight and would just go around healing people. The whole point is that while trying to save everyone might be too idealistic to work in the real world, sacrificing everything for the sake of an ideal (the WT) can backfire too, especially if this ideal is very far from perfect. A balance needs to be struck.
"That's why I broke the rules. I thought they were just arbitrary. I couldn't remember why I wasn't supposed to run, so in the face of seeing people die, it seemed silly to walk."
"My goal in this test was to prove that I deserve to be Aes Sedai. Well, then, I could argue that the lives of the people I saw were more important than gaining that title. If losing my title is what would be required to save someone's life—and if there were no other consequences—I'd do it. Every time."
"I wonder if," Nynaeve said, "we sometimes put the White Tower—as
an institution—before the people we serve. I wonder if we let it become a goal in itself, instead of a means to help us achieve greater goals."
"Would you have me choose between a foolish oath and the fate of the world?""
The Aes Sedai claim to serve a higher purpose but most of the time they live in their ivory tower and bicker amongst themselves. Calmly obeying orders is great...if the one who gives the orders has a clue. Nynaeve has proven many times she can cope with extreme situations.
The point of the test is to prove that the woman can remain calm and achieve a higher purpose in the face of extreme stress, which Nynaeve cannot do.
Of course she can, she defeated Forsaken. She does it when she knows and believes in this higher purpose. For a real world analogy - many soldiers would die for their country but wouldn't risk their lives by becoming mercenaries.
The fact that Nynaeve wants to rescue children and other suffering people when she's exposed to them makes her a serious risk to a higher purpose.
No, if there is a tangible goal Nynaeve can choose. It's arbitrary rules she has a problem with. For instance she doesn't go rescue Mat from Ebou Dar or she goes to the WT in Book 2 instead of staying around Rand to help him. If she were that incapable of seeing the bigger picture she would never go fight and would just go around healing people. The whole point is that while trying to save everyone might be too idealistic to work in the real world, sacrificing everything for the sake of an ideal (the WT) can backfire too, especially if this ideal is very far from perfect. A balance needs to be struck.
This message last edited by Onarishma on 09/12/2010 at 03:29:22 PM
Nynaeve's stupidity and the test for Aes Sedai
07/12/2010 08:27:05 PM
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Way to totally misunderstand the chapter
07/12/2010 09:39:08 PM
- 1563 Views
I second this
07/12/2010 10:10:24 PM
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your bold is stuck. *NM*
07/12/2010 10:21:22 PM
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Agrees *NM*
09/12/2010 03:27:53 PM
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On the whole, the test is innappropriate IMO
07/12/2010 09:40:08 PM
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nice post
08/12/2010 09:20:02 AM
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Isn't it implied
08/12/2010 02:16:58 PM
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no they were students together
08/12/2010 05:33:17 PM
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No, Lanfear was older than Lews
08/12/2010 07:21:45 PM
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Where on earth did you get that from?
08/12/2010 08:41:16 PM
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Re: Where on earth did you get that from?
09/12/2010 10:27:20 AM
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Re: Where on earth did you get that from?
09/12/2010 03:56:32 PM
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I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time
09/12/2010 04:34:23 PM
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Re: I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time
09/12/2010 05:43:40 PM
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I think skill with Saidar is easy enough to judge as it's a simple matter to see the skill
08/12/2010 05:37:27 PM
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I think the greens should have been on Nynaeve's side as well
08/12/2010 06:18:16 PM
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Problem is they are Aes Sedai and thus more likley to be political rather than rational! *NM*
08/12/2010 08:52:00 PM
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Re: nice post
09/12/2010 01:23:50 PM
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On the matter of strength
09/12/2010 08:51:36 PM
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Strength was "prized" in the AoL ... but lack of strength was not a negative
12/12/2010 01:41:08 AM
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Yes. How dare she not conform with every other fucking mindless stupid WT Aes Sedai *NM*
07/12/2010 11:36:52 PM
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Status is not an end in itself. *NM*
07/12/2010 11:52:37 PM
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They're not really stupid...
08/12/2010 01:00:20 AM
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Not saying they are. It's just that most AS that we've come across
08/12/2010 02:20:05 AM
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They're constantly outsmarted by a teenage girl that has spent most of her life in a damn farm.
08/12/2010 10:32:50 AM
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Bah...
09/12/2010 10:56:24 AM
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I did not say all Aes Sedai are stupid, I said all WT Aes Sedai are stupid.
10/12/2010 09:19:52 AM
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You are not only wrong in your call,
08/12/2010 04:39:44 AM
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Re: You are not only wrong in your call,
08/12/2010 09:13:37 AM
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if that is the purpose of the test
08/12/2010 01:34:45 PM
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minor disagreement
08/12/2010 05:27:51 PM
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Yes, but you can be not-panicked and not calm of body
08/12/2010 06:38:56 PM
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not really the same thing as what the AS are getting at though
08/12/2010 09:02:05 PM
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that's retarded, imo
09/12/2010 12:21:27 AM
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Oh it's totally stupid!
09/12/2010 04:37:14 PM
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No I know why she took the job. I just don't understand why she got it
09/12/2010 04:52:34 PM
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I think Elaida just smarmed up at the right time, Morgase was very young then
09/12/2010 05:52:29 PM
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Oh. Well, I'm sorry then.
08/12/2010 06:48:50 PM
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I think it has already been established that the purpose of the test is to ensure that
08/12/2010 09:59:18 PM
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Yeah, but how does that work?
08/12/2010 10:24:35 PM
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Somewhere in the sub-conscious they know what they're doing is important to them.
09/12/2010 12:20:47 AM
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Even so, it wouldn't work.
09/12/2010 03:32:55 AM
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I think if this thread has established anything it's that the test is severely flawed. *NM*
09/12/2010 09:24:48 PM
- 464 Views
Another headless chicken example.
09/12/2010 12:30:02 AM
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the headless chicken is just such a lovely metaphor for panic *NM*
09/12/2010 04:48:11 AM
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Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then.
09/12/2010 12:07:15 PM
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You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right"
09/12/2010 02:59:50 AM
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Re: You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right"
09/12/2010 09:26:21 AM
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That's not the dilema
09/12/2010 05:23:19 PM
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One of those few times where I completely agree with Cannoli. Give over Sidious. You're wrong.
09/12/2010 09:55:20 PM
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That's not what it's really about
10/12/2010 05:44:12 AM
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This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
09/12/2010 03:46:31 AM
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Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
09/12/2010 09:40:09 AM
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Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
09/12/2010 02:04:02 PM
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Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
09/12/2010 11:26:40 AM
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One of those few times where I completely agree with fionwe1987. Give over Sidious. You're wrong.
10/12/2010 03:53:25 PM
- 1054 Views