Gerald Graff's Disliking Books

In "Disliking Books" Gerald Graff informs the reader of his troubled childhood with literature. Like many students, Graff disliked reading books, and when he did read books, it would mainly be comic books and sports novels. He informs the reader that it was not until college where he fully began to appreciate literature. He pursued a major in English in order to push himself beyond wanting to read books of his personal leisure. And like many students, Graff struggled to read the dull, boring books, often giving up on reading them because they were too difficult. Graff became fascinated with reading when he had to write his term paper on the ending of "Huckleberry Finn", where he found fascination with reading the book and others like it. The main purpose of this narrative would be that anyone can learn to love literature. It just takes a topic like debating the ending of "Huckleberry Finn" to spark and interest in reading, like it did for

“Hidden Intellectualism,” an excerpt from They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff, explains the importance of having diverse intellectualism and helping the kids with street smart intellectualism turn it into academic growth. The author’s claim in this excerpt is that school and colleges are missing out on an opportunity of helping the street smart kids grow their intelligence into good academic work. The significance in the author’s claim is that the students who believe they don’t have much of an opportunity in school or other things related to academics, realize they do.

In “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, the author speaks about how schools should use students’ interests to develop their rhetorical and analytical skills. He spends a majority of his essay on telling his own experience of being sport loving and relating it to his anti-intellectual youth. He explains that through his love for sports, he developed rhetoric and began to analyze like an intellectual. Once he finishes his own story, he calls the schools to action advising them to not only allow students to use their interest as writing topics, but instead to teach the students on how to implement those compelling interests and present them in a scholarly way. In perspective, Graff’s argument becomes weak with his poor use of ethos, which he tries to build with his own anecdote but, through the same means he is able to build his pathos and in the last few paragraphs, with his use of logic he prevents his argument from becoming dismissible.

The issue being debated in the article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff is street smarts versus book smarts. Gerald Graff is an English professor at the University of Illinois and has written many books. The author claims that people are better off if they are more street smart than book smart. The authors is very persuasive using real life examples. I although disagree with this claim. I think that you need an equal mix of both street and book smarts.

"Making kids read books they are not mature enough to understand makes them hate reading for the rest of their lives"(Mullen 1). People have argued that high-school students are not mature enough for Huckleberry Finn and will find the book offensive. However most teens are

Although the argument against reading this is strong, many neglect to realize how influential and important The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was in our country. This famous work of America literature has already taught students a great deal about their past, and the importance of believing in what you feel is right. For Huck, saving Jim was the right thing. The moral and lessons behind this novel have a much greater influence than any offensive language presented. After reading this novel, I strongly believe that books such as this should be taught in the classroom despite

One of the biggest points of the book is the outlawing of books. This is because books almost all have opinions and they were written in a time where people voiced their opinions and weren’t

College has always been a process that introduces students to academic challenges that are not present during high school. So when my professor assigned Gerald Graff's essay, "Hidden Intellectualism", I thought this was his thesis. “Missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work." (Graff 142) I thought that this was his thesis because it explains the main idea of the essay but I assumed its purpose because of where it’s placed. I am so used to reading an essay in high school where the thesis is located right in the first paragraph. So naturally that is where I look for it. However, with more reading I knew that the following is the thesis, not only because it discusses the main topic, but

Many people read books and they are often so quick to judge the little details that describe an action, thought, and event that take place in the story. However, if we want to learn about the past and how it has influenced today’s world, we have to be prepared for whatever comes up. If we, as people, get offended and avoid reading famous written works from long ago, how will we be able to learn more about literature? Although “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” uses disrespectful language and contains immoral actions that should not be performed by anyone, it should not be banned because it is one of the few books that teach the audience a lesson that is still relevant in today’s society and allows us to

In the essay, Disliking Books at an Early Age, Gerald Graff talks about his transition from being displeased and uninterested in literature, to having intellectual discussions about it and even teaching it. He did not begin to enjoy reading until he had discussions about the books that he read, which showed him a different perspective. Overall, his essay explains how readers can only enjoy literature if they turn it into a social activity by freely interpreting and discussing the pieces they have read.

    Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most controversial novels the North American Continent has ever produced.  Since its publication more than a hundred years ago controversy has surrounded the book.  The most basic debate surrounding Twain's masterpiece is whether the book's language and the character of Jim are presented in a racist manner.  Many have called for the book to be banned from our nation's schools and libraries.  Mark Twain's novel is about a young boy who was raised in the south before slavery was abolished, a place where racism and bigotry were the fabric of every day life.  The novel is the account of how Huck Finn, who is a product of these

Year after year The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel takes place in the south during the year 1845. With his abusive father, and no mother, Huck is left feeling lonely, and as if he has place to call his home. So he decides to leave town, and on in his journey where he encounters a slave he’s familiar with, Jim, who is also running away. This story captures their relationship and growth as they face many obstacles on their way to freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn satirizes people’s greed and violent behavior by mocking the stereotype of southern hospitality.

Mark Twain referenced various topics of controversy in Huckleberry Finn. One of the main points was the ongoing conflict between blacks and whites. Another one was the difference of educated and non-educated people. The last point was the stereotypes society held then. Mark Twain mocked prejudices and beliefs of society by showing the blacks vs. whites conflict, the educated vs. non-educated, and the stereotypes.

 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered by many to be the greatest American novel ever written.  Despite this praise, Mark Twain’s masterpiece has never been without criticism.  Upon its inception it was blasted for being indecent literature for young readers because of its lack of morals and contempt for conformity.  Modern indignation toward Huck Finn arises from its racist undertones, most notably Twain’s treatment of the character Jim.  As is the case with many canonized yet controversial books, the biggest conflict revolves around the inclusion of Huck Finn on required reading lists of public schools throughout the country.

Emily Silvia Summer 2014 Honors English Assignment Racism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by well-known author Mark Twain, one of the main themes is racism. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in a time when slavery is an issue and people of African American decent are looked down upon. During this time period slaves were often abused, not allowed to be educated and had no freedom.