Hidden Intellectualism – Gerald Graff
Question: Gerald Graff’s essay is about how we associate “book smarts” with intellectualism and “street smarts” with anti-intellectualism. What is the most effective part of his argument? (Quote, paraphrase, and summarize the article to prove your stance—use intro tags and correct MLA in text citations for all three. Engage with the article often, but don’t forget your own opinion/voice. Include a works cited page, too.)
Thesis: Gerald Graff provides an important lesson on how intellectualism of each individual should be determined, he achieves this by explaining hidden intellectualism and providing personal examples to support his argument, he provides an explanation of how people are different and how intellectualism differs, through this understanding individuals are able to lead a better life.
I. Introduction
a. Introduce the article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff and give a brief information about the author of the paper. Describe the way intellectualism is associated with young people differently, provide the difference between being “book smart” and being “street smart”.
b. Thesis: Gerald Graff provides an important lesson on how intellectualism of each individual should be determined, he achieves this by explaining hidden intellectualism and providing personal examples to support his argument, he provides an explanation of how people are different and how intellectualism differs, through this understanding individuals are able to lead a better life.
II. Background
a. Provide a brief detail about the article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff and the date that the article was published.
b. Provide a discussion about the intention of the author, this will look at the reasons that prompted the author to write the paper. The way trying to explain intellectualism and different forms of intellectualism that individuals need to have. The purpose of the paper will also be discussed, the author had a purpose of writing the paper and the achievements which are to be met by the paper. To make sure that people do not associate “street smart” with anti-intellectualism as it is the case (Argument-Centered Education, 2018). Provide an explanation about the context of the article and the contemporary society, how having different views on intellectualism affects the way people are perceived in the society.
c. Give my opinion on the issue of hidden intellectualism. Intellectualism should not only be associated with academic interests. Teachers need to exploit the non-academic interests of students who seem to be “street smart”, their form of intellectualism need to be understood and exploited.
III. Why we need to understand hidden intellectualism
a. Offer an explanation to differentiate between being “street smart” and being “book smart”. This way, it will be easier to have an understanding on the hidden intellectualism.
b. Provide an explanation on the need to understand hidden intellectualism and the way that the education system will benefit from the understanding.
c. The interests of students need to be understood, in as much as students are asked to focus on the academic interests, there is need to allow students who have other interests to explore their interests.
IIII. Argument for allowing students to pursue their interests
a. By understanding hidden intellectualism, teachers are able to focus on both academic and non-academic interests of their students. For the students who have academic interests, they can be encouraged to pursue the interests and achieve academic excellence. For students who have non-academic interests, teachers need to focus on their interests and ensure that they work towards achieving their success (Argument-Centered Education, 2018). For instance, students who have interests on sports need to focus on the sports with the help of their instructors so that they can achieve their targets.
b. Students will be more comfortable. By understanding hidden intellectualism and allowing students to focus on their interests, students will be more comfortable working towards achieving their goals.
c. The students will be more prepared to take on the real world challenges since they are focused on their interests and are not under any form of pressure. Associating “street smart” students with anti-intellectualism means that such students are under pressure and in most cases, they are not able to achieve the intellectualism that the society needs them to achieve.
V. Argument for adverse effects of not allowing students to pursue their interests
a. Most people may not be able to achieve their goals. By not focusing on their interests, it becomes challenging to set goals and achieve them.
b. Confusion may arise on setting the targets and goals of an individual. One may be torn in between focusing on his or her interests or the pressure that is being mounted from the society. For instance, in the article “Hidden Intellectualism,” Graff states that “I grew up torn, then, between the need to prove I was smart and the fear of a beating if I proved it too well; between the need not to jeopardize my respectable future and the need to impress the hoods.” He had a conflict of choice because there was no proper understanding of the hidden intellectualism.
c. It is quite hard to understand individuals and the different interests that they represent. By being street smart, most people might be said to be anti-intellectual, while those that are book smart are said to be intellectual, this is a misconception that is misleading.
VI. Conclusion
a. Restate the thesis statement
b. Provide support for the need to understand the hidden intellectualism and how it helps in the development of the lives of individuals