Gerald Graffs Hidden Intellectualism - 1503 Words

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 Graffs essay, Hidden Intellectualism, I thought this was his thesis. â€Å"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†¦show more content†¦During my very first session, Adam didn’t know exactly what a thesis statement was. His professor had made remarks on his paper that he needed a stronger thesis. Wyatt his tutor made sure he understood tha t a thesis needs to be your big idea or your general claim, by stating, ‘Your thesis should be your main statement†. Your thesis must answer a question without having any counter arguments. With that being said, Adam understood that day that he needs to find his general claim in his paper. He did that by revising his essay and finding his big idea. He asks himself a question regarding what his essay is about and that would be part his thesis. If you don’t have a claim for your paper, it makes it difficult to comprehend what exactly you as a writer is trying to get across. A thesis should also be written with the reader in mind with a road map they could follow along easily. A road map is basically the direction you want your reader to take when reading your essay. You want your thesis to start at the beginning and power forward clearly to the end. No detours, no circles. If you write with the reader in mind you are more likely to communicate successfully. The read er should not waste the effort that would go into understanding the substance of the writing, in order to guess what the writer intended to mean. You have to lead the reader inShow MoreRelatedHidden Intellectualism : An Analysis Of Gerald Graffs Hidden Intellectualism701 Words   |  3 Pagesthat one who is so intelligent about so many things in life seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work. This is how Gerald Graff’s essay titled â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism begins. Although this is not Graffs personal belief, he is approaching us with a common stereotype. After reading Graffs article I would say that I agree with him from beginning to end. Gerald Graff begins with differentiating between â€Å"book smarts† and â€Å"street smarts. Book smart is defined as a person who is intelligentRead More Gerald Graffs Hidden Intellectualism Essay1644 Words   |  7 PagesCo-author of â€Å"They Say/I Say† handbook, Gerald Graff, analyzes in his essay â €Å"Hidden Intellectualism† that â€Å"street smarts† can be used for more efficient learning and can be a valuable tool to train students to â€Å"get hooked on reading and writing† (Graff 204). Graff’s purpose is to portray to his audience that knowing more about cars, TV, fashion, and etc. than â€Å"academic work† is not the detriment to the learning process that colleges and schools can see it to be (198). This knowledge can be an importantRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Gerald Graffs Hidden Intellectualism890 Words   |  4 PagesWhy don’t schools take advantage of a student’s so-called â€Å"street smarts†? Why weigh down students with heavy textbooks when they could be learning from resources that they enjoy? This is exactly the argument Dr. Gerald Graff makes in his article Hidden Intellectualism, where Graff attempts to convince teachers to broaden the scope of school curriculum to accommodate street smarts and m ore popular topics. To persuade teachers that this method of teaching is effective, Graff uses personal anecdotesRead MoreLangston Hughes Theme for English B and Gerald Graff’s Hidden Intellectualism882 Words   |  4 PagesLangston Hughes â€Å"Theme for English B† and Gerald Graff’s essay â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† portray racial separation and intellectual isolation, respectively. Hughes’ essay is poetic justice, and Graff’s is a call to arms. Hughes’ is short and to the point and is simply what it is, no arguing or convincing, just raw thought. Graff’s is highly intellectual; offering examples and reasoning, and it could even be seen as a not-quite-finished plea to the nation to reevaluate our education system. But theRead MoreHidden Intellectualism : Hidden Intellectualism729 Words   |  3 PagesHidden Intellectualism Avery Mears  Abstract When it comes to the topic of hidden intellectualism, most of us will readily agree that a lot of students are seen to have an issue with it. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of is it the students fault. Whereas some are convinced it is, others maintain it is at the fault of the teachers or professors. Gerald Graff has his argument that in many cases book smarts can be hidden in street smarts. I believe that kids that struggleRead Moreâ€Å"There Must Be Many Buried Or Hidden Forms Of Intellectualism1360 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"There must be many buried or hidden forms of intellectualism that do not get channeled into academic work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Graff 22), this said by non-other than Gerald Graff himself within his article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†. This quote being his overall main point of the entire article. Graff meaning that students can be intellectual even if they feel like they aren’t a book smart student. Graff argues th at students who are street smart could also be intellectual. Within Graff’s article, there are a few argumentsRead MoreHidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff Analysis787 Words   |  4 Pages In Gerald Graffs short essay, â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† he explains people are intelligent in their own unique way, but educators must help adolescents convey their intellects into a classroom setting. Graff targets students, teachers, and administration to educate them about a hidden intellectualism that can be found outside a classroom setting. Schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts channel them into good academic work; Gerald GraffRead MoreRichard Graff s Hidden Intellectualism871 Words   |  4 PagesUndiscovered Intellectualism: An Amendment to Hidden Intellectualism In Hidden Intellectualism, Gerald Graff seeks to expose what he believes to be a fundamental issue in today’s schools and colleges. He brings attention to â€Å"street smarts†, students who are intelligent about so many things in life, yet their potential is overlooked because the things they are knowledgeable about are not things we associate with educated life such as cars, sports and video games. He claims that students are moreRead MoreHow Tv Makes You Smarter1532 Words   |  7 Pagesnourishing.† In a statement made by Graff in â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†; â€Å"What doesn’t occur to us, though, is that schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work. Nor do we consider one of the major reasons why school and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts with anti-intellectual concerns.† I think that Johnson would completely agree with Graff’s statement and would back it up with researchRead MoreHidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff1237 Words   |  5 Pages In Gerald Graff’s essay Hidden Intellectualism he aims his writing towards schools, universities, teachers and the academic community. He responds to the situation of; teachers, schools and colleges overlooking intellectual potential of â€Å"street smarts†. His purpose in this essay is to acknowledge the readers that that there are different types of intellectualism and to point out flaws in the academia. The message Graff is trying to convey is that schools and teachers need to approach education in