Do you believe intelligence can only be measured by either being “street smart” or “book smart”? Author Gerald Graff was faced with the realities and hardships surrounding this inquiry. Upon reading the article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, Graff managed to discuss the negative effects of measuring intelligence by these means. Graff begins establishing his credibility by detailing personal stories and experiences, citing compelling facts, and successfully implementing strategic emotional appeals throughout his article. As the text progresses, readers can identify Graff’s usage of rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and language. Gerald Graff’s ultimate goal was to erase the hurtful stereotypes surrounding labeling individuals …show more content…
Throughout his text, readers identified phrases and words used in today's current time. He managed to archive phrases used during his adolescent years and smoothly integrate them into today's current era of language. While there were places where his tone was more serious, there were also places where his tone was as if he was talking to us as a well-known friend. His descriptive words paint a picture of his childhood, almost as if we lived through his experiences. The various descriptions enhance his argument by managing us as readers to see his perspective from his point of view. The selection of wording helped readers understand the piece better and more effectively. Graff used tactical wording such as “academic eyes” rather than simply stating eyes, this profound usage of wording made his text more interesting but also descriptive. The language demonstrated throughout the article was symbolic not only for the topic but as well as the argument. The terminology “street smart” and “book smart” has been around for centuries, Graff’s portrayal of this phrase was well worked and incorporated into his writing and used in a way to help his claim. The overall construction of language throughout the text encouraged and persuaded readers to take Gerald Graff’s …show more content…
His way of constantly using these rhetorical strategies made him seem credible yet sincere. His personal experience with the argument’s issue evoked emotions that were used in a way of persuading the readers towards his stance. His variations of tones, language, and strategies made his argument clear and effective. Readers were able to be persuaded towards his stance by making us want to act towards diminishing the labels “street smart” and “book smart”. His wording resonated with many readers, stories like these are common to most people. The effectiveness of these strategies supported his argument and made the readers advocate for change. Graff’s usage of pathos, in the beginning, swayed readers to trust him as an author by evoking emotions of sympathy towards him. Later, in the story, Gerald Graff incorporates logos by having his argument be supported by facts. His own inclusion of personal stories tugged on the emotional strings of the readers and helped persuade them toward his stance. Gerald Graff’s goal was to eliminate the hurtful stereotypes surrounding the labeling of individuals through intelligence and debunk the myth of being “street smart” or “book smart”. Ultimately through the strategies analyzed, many can agree that Graff managed to effectively achieve his
In the essay “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff he discusses the difference between “book smarts” and “street smarts” as they pertain to intellectualism (Tannen & Graff:2010 p.198). We are taught that being street smart means to have the knowledge to handle difficult or dangerous situations in life, and that being book smart means that you are well educated academically. Graff explains how schools and colleges may be at fault for not channeling such street smarts into academic work. We do not consider that one of the major reasons why colleges and schools overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts, is the fact we associate street smarts with anti-intellectual concerns. He proceeds to explain how students do not need to read challenging writings to become intellectual themselves.
Graff/Birkenstein’s book has a very colorful front cover. Thinking blobs are yellow, orange, blue and green that are filled in with a quote, the authors and title. The back of the book also has these thinking bubbles but they are filled with reviews of people who have read this book. Graff and Birkenstein are the authors of this book who are also husband and wife, who both work at the University of Illinois. Gerald Graff
Leonid Fridman writes about the disrespect and ridicules smart people get for how they live and how it greatly impacts our country's future. Smart people are bullied and then in a lot of cases thought
and yet still, it has become prevalent to relinquish ones desire to be educated so one may conform to the habits of the culture around them. The corruption of mankind is the concept that being intelligent makes you arrogant and off-putting when in reality, becoming literate and informed can open more doors and present more opportunities than every before! In Gerald Graff’s, “Disliking Books”, Graff describes his academic and intellectual upcoming through his experience from literature in school. Despite his environment and the culture around him, Graff found clarity in class discussion and fascination in literature.
In Gerald Graff 's essay “Hidden Intellectualism” starts of by talking about the stereotype of being so called “street smart” and and being “book smart” and how in school when you see someone who is street smart but doesn’t do go in school get a bad wrap. People look at them as a waste because they can’t apply there intelligences that they have and use it towards school, so people view them as not the right kind of smart because they are not a A student in school. Graff then goes on to say that maybe it is not the students that are the problem with how they do in school but maybe it is the school that have missed or overlooked the intellectual potential that kids with street smarts have. Graff also says that we only view the educated minds through schooling as the right way and schools and colleges look at kids who do not like school and don’t do well as anti-intellectual people.
James Fallows’, “How Actual Smart People Talk about Themselves,” is an opinionated article that discusses about the qualities the author believes truly smart people possess. Fallows publicly shares his ideas in how smart people behave, establishing the target audience to be individuals who are interested in becoming intelligent, or to those who wish to find out whether or not they are truly smart. Since The Atlantic, which is biased in favor of liberals, published the article, the majority of the target audience can be assumed to be supporters of the left wing. Although the article’s content strongly relates to the topic of intelligence, Fallows mainly prioritizes in criticizing US president Donald Trump’s recent twitter post where Trump described
“Hidden Intellectualism,” by Gerald Graff starts off with an older argument between being book smart and street smart. Throughout the reading, Graff uses his own life experiences to critique the education system today. Points made focus on the idea of overlooking the intellectual potential of those who come across as being, “street smart”. Different authors cited in the reading to show how to accept another’s different intellectual. However, we realize that people who come across as being intellectual weren’t always labeled as that.
Mike Rose disagrees with the assumption that “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education” (Mike, 247). Formal education does not always measure the level of intelligence of a person. Education as something people can gain not only in school, but every day of their lives. We should be learning from our experiences, and apply this knowledge to our everyday lives. Wisdom should not be looked at as just
The reading "Hidden Intellectualism" by Gerald Graff reflects views on being "street smart" and "book smart." He explains that society tends to associate people who are intelligent on solely being "book smart" and performing well in academics, rather than being street smart. He goes on to further explain that students perhaps can be intelligent on topics that interest them. Graff opens up the reading by giving his own personal experience on feeling torn between trying to prove that he was smart yet fearing that he was overdoing it. He was trying to prove that he learned just as much about the real world by reading his sports books and magazines as he would have if he had read the classic works of literature like most students in school.
“Hidden Intellectualism” is a short article written by Gerald Graff. It talks about how teens who are street smart have a difficult time being smart at school. Graff blames schools for not tapping into student’s street smart and converting it to book smart. Ever since the beginning we see smart kids as nerds or geeky but everyone praises the athletic guy who plays sports. Through the beginning of the article Graff has an confusion of what is more important, being tough or being smart.
Brains vs Brawns: A Summary In Gerald Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism,” Graff explains that having “street smart” (244) does not mean one is not intelligent. Graff mentions schools and colleges might be the reason for why students are missing an opportunity to be both academically smart and street smart at the same time. Graff implies that knowledge comes in many different forms (246). Graff argues for the use of non- topics in a school setting, because the non-academic topics start healthy competition and bring students together.
Although his writing can be engaged to an audience who reads the situation the boy is encountering with his neighbors ,but to analyze themselves instead of another person. Therefore the intended purpose of this writing is to not analyze or criticize how a person live, but to analyze themselves , as they could be living their life differently such as being greedy. ”You should look at yourself. I mean really look at yourself ” .Therefore the author notifies the audience of the situation he was in throughout his life,through the use of emotional appeal using personal experiences in his life and humor
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.
Gioia uses pathos to make the readers feel bad and worried about the future of society, “The significance of reading has become a persistant theme in the business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example, sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century, aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not ‘linear, logical, analytical talents,’ author Daniel Pink states, but ‘the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative.’ When asked what kind of talents they like to see in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination, creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top” (Gioia). By showing the negative effects of the lack of literature in society, it causes the readers to feel sorrowful and make them want to assist the author in helping improve the problem. With ethics he makes the readers side with him by showing that he cares about the world’s future and doesn’t want the society to suffer.
After experiencing himself being in the anti-intellectualism for loving sports magazine and not school books, for sure he knows that this did not make his “street smart. His argument successfully started with what others had to say about “street smart” and was followed up with his point of view. After having read this essay, I can truly agree with Graff that individuals may in effect have hidden intellectualism in them. Given the opportunity by education to demonstrate their abilities in literature in subjects that interested them will put them in a high academic level of education. The layout of the essay is professionally written, Graff took his professionalism and education experience to effectively write this debate and successfully point out what others point of view was and how he successfully he contradicted the others point of