Trial by Fire

INCIDENT:
In a way I think of graduate school as trial by fire. The student is placed in a situation where in most cases they need to learn a new body of literature, attend graduate classes that they may or not have background in, and design and perform research. There are expectations on the part of the department, the advisor, and the student. And I suspect that those expectations don't always align.

"No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed." - Christabel LaMotte (Possession: A Romance; A.S. Byatt)

MORAL:
When you begin graduate school you don't want to appear stupid, but ironically that is probably the time that you are going to ask ignorant and naive questions. There are opposing forces at work. You want to impress and live up to your advisor's expectations, but at the same time there is a reason you are in graduate school in the first place (If you could easily go out and do research without guidance and instruction, then you don't really need to be in grad school now do you?). But recognizing this ultimate irony is not enough to overcome the feelings of inadequacy. It is hard to ignore the mounting pieces of evidence and even harder to recognize any contradictory information.