- Explain how the juxtaposition of this quote with the role of the student addresses intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
The contrast between two completely different lifestyles highlights the fact that students are accustomed to doing something for external rewards rather than doing things intrinsically- or doing things because you enjoy them.
Students are raised in an environment where their lives are controlled. This inevitably leads to their lives being so structured like following commands like "Get to class on time, do your homework, stay out of trouble, get good grades" on a daily basis. These people are dehumanized in the sense that they aren't given a sense of reality because in the real world, people do not follow such structured rules; they make choose their own paths and live the way they please to. A poet's task is to do what they feel because they genuinely enjoy it. They have the lucky opportunity of expressing themselves and at the same time "shape the world". These are the people that are the future of the world; the philanthropists in societies across the world that make altruistic choices that change peoples' lives for the better. Students are not given a chance to explore what they truly feel and desire to do which is what truly sets them apart from a poet who gets to act upon intrinsic motivation.
All in all, the author juxtaposes the different ways of life between a poet and a student to explain the difference between genuine actions and actions that are done to get something in return. It is necessary to understand that students have a more structured life and a poet has a free life. It is natural to then see how intrinsic and extrinsic differentiate when taking into account Rushdie's quote.
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