Obstacles of Intelligence The definition of intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.” Chaim Potok has created many incredibly intelligent characters in his novel The Chosen. These characters have many trials they must overcome. Some must overcome sickness, or possible overcome losing a dear friend, even one may be helpless to what his father wants. Nevertheless, they overcome these obstacles. There are three specific characters that demonstration brilliant intelligence; David Malter, Reuven, and Danny. David Malter is known for his intelligence. He is a teacher, writer, and often speaks at various rallies. Overall he seems to be a role model for many who see him and hear his words. But he is a busy man and thinks that if he works hard enough he will gain access into heaven. This results in his health dwindling due to that lack of sleep. He works day and night prepping for different events that will occur. “I saw my father only on Shabbat. He was gone in the mornings when I woke and he returned at night when I was asleep. He was filled with fiery excitement, but it was clear he was wearing himself out” (Page 236). In the end, although it seems his work is wearing him down he also seems to enjoy it toughly. Like his father Reuven contains a vast amount of …show more content…
In fact, they often study more than the average student. Anton Chekhov once said, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” Intelligence does not come naturally I it is molded by many things. David Malter, Reuven, and Danny work time and day studying and from what the book The Chosen says. In addition, they do not get easily distracted. This is because they love their work and the feeling the get when they complete it. They have a passion for learning. Often one thinks of learning of a burden that takes time away from pleasurable things but in the right mindset learning would be
In his novel The Chosen Chaim Potok uses vision as a motif to show the reader that someone’s perception of things can change. In the novel, vision symbolizes the ability to see the world. The importance of perception is shown throughout the book. One of the main examples of this is after Reuven leaves the hospital. He says that “everything looks different”, but he doesn't mean this literally.
In Chaim Potok’s novel, The Chosen, Reb Saunders, who is Danny’s father, is a very interesting and wise man. His techniques and beliefs for raising his son is strange and unorthodox but it is what he believes will help grow his son’s soul. He is not your typical father and being Jewish plays a role in his decisions. In the book we see how his actions are used and end with fruitful results. Reb Saunders grew up in a “small town in southern Russia” and was raised in the Jewish Orthodox customs.
Do parents tend to push their children into a specific career path? In the novel The Chosen by Chaim Potok, David Malter and Reb Saunders have affected both Reuven and Danny’s way of life. The story starts out with Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter meeting. Later in the novel, Reuven learns that Danny’s father does not talk to Danny and Danny learns that David Malter has a strong relationship with Reuven. As the novel progresses, David and Reb influence the future path for their sons such as David’s Zionism affecting Reuven, Reb’s method of raising Danny, and both Reb and David influencing Danny and Rueven’s future occupations proves that parents can influence their children in both positive and negative ways.
They learn many things about themselves and the world through their friendships with other cultures, the war, and the many obstacles they traverse through. Danny, Reuven, and Mr. Malter portray brilliancy far beyond being smart in school. A noble character known for his immense knowledge is Danny. Danny is a young man that has always been one to do well in school and with his religious assignments.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” A person’s character defines them. In Chaim Potok’s book The Chosen, the reader gains an understanding of the character qualities of Reuven Malter. Reuven proves himself a kindhearted young man through his behavior towards Danny Saunders as well as many others.
To choose or to be chosen; which is better? The gift of choice is something not bestowed upon everyone, and this is especially true for the main character of Chaim Potok’s The Chosen. The novel describes the life of two boys, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, one of which has been granted the freedom to choose his own destiny, and the other has already had his life mapped out since the day of his birth. Throughout his childhood and much of his adolescence, Danny struggled between the life he wants and the one chosen for him by his father, Reb Saunders, the rabbi a Hasidic congregation. As the eldest son of his family, Danny has been born into the position of the future rabbi of his temple, however, he yearns for something much different.
Dweck explains this in better detail when she says, “… the belief that intelligence is fixed dampened the students’ motivation to learn…and made them want to quit after a setback”. She also shows us the other side, when intelligence is thought to be developed, students are exposed to a passion for learning and are more determined with presented with a
In "Blue-Collar Brilliance" Mike Rose Shares his perspective on how education is not Intelligence. He lets us know how growing up he was around a bunch of Blue-Collar workers himself, and how intelligence is not based on the education you have but what you can Develop on your own from just being open minded. He explains to use how blue-collar jobs take a toll on both body and mind. He believes that you don't need to be taught things to develop intelligence that your intelligence comes from within. He shared the different stories of blue-collar workers life that he experience such as his mother and his uncle to help us see that even if you don't have a high education and a college degree you can still become a successful.
Intrinsic factors critically considered when people think about the main components of success. However, Malcolm Gladwell, a famous writer, contradicts this tendency through the book, Outliers. The book, Outliers insists that extrinsic factors define success rather than the intrinsic ones. Nonetheless, Gladwell himself goes against the topic of Outliers in his assertion: “if you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires (Gladwell, 2008).” The assertion implies that individuals could achieve success only with those intrinsic factors.
Seeing Through Another’s Eyes In Chaim Potok’s book, The Chosen, blindness is a reoccurring theme throughout the book. The first example of blindness is Danny and Reuven live within five blocks from each other for fifteen years and have no idea that the other person exists. Because the boys have such a different culture, they live in their own world and are blind to each other.
Intellectualism is the factor of being intellect or intelligent. The idea of what it means to be educated can be interpreted many different ways by different people. Some think it’s having a 4.0 and going to Harvard, while others believe in the idea of having common sense. In the essay, “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff reflects how lack of education is viewed negatively in society. On top of that, a question also lies what it means to educated.
Intellectual development is how one learns, the seven IQ’s. The seven IQ’s are, words smart, number smart, picture smart, body smart, sound and rhythm smart, people smart and self smart. Out of the seven IQ’s I believe Simon is word smart, people smart and self smart. I think he is these smarts because of the following example in the movie.
Final Draft We all have stories and memories tied to songs that have become a part of who are. Remember the violins playing in the background while watching a sad movie or the song that helped you through difficult times or the song you and your friends sang while attending a concert? Whether it’s on the television, the radio, in a movie, in the car, or at a sporting event, music is everywhere. Feeling the rhythm of music brings us so much joy and excitement but playing musical instrument is even more fulfilling because it has many benefits.
Intelligence can be depicted as the ability to carry on abstract thinking. People like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are widely known for their intelligence; however, how do you measure the amount of intelligence they hold in their minds? If you study something for days, are you becoming more intelligent, or just memorizing a subject? Could a child be more intelligent than a wise old man? Does age determine intelligence?
The first attempts of defining intelligence can be found in the Ancient world, where philosophers as Plato or Aristotle initiated the unfinished research on this topic. Since then, many people have postulated their own theories not only about what intelligence is but about its components too. From Aristotle’s definition of the intellect in De anima as “essential nature activity [...] it alone is immortal and eternal . . . and without it nothing thinks” to Cattel’s (1987) view of general intelligence as a conglomeration of over 100 abilities working together in various ways in different people to bring out different intelligences, trends in intelligence viewpoints have varied immensely. This variability in theories and tendencies makes very hard to make a unique definition of intelligence, and even harder to describe the factors that compose it.