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I Just Wanna Be Average

262 Words2 Pages

In “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose, a student describes his admiration of an unlikely idol, his high school English teacher Jack MacFarland. The way Rose initially defines his newly found idol creates a full, vivid image of the type of man Jack was. He seemingly transports the reader into this time in his life. The text has a subtle bohemian feel, thanks to the words we’re given to describe main character, Mr. MacFarland. Rose recalls, “He was a beatnik who was born too late.” (98) I think an underlying theme of this story is to never underrate or discredit someone’s power of influence based on the amount of formal education they’ve received or their physical appearance. Throughout the story, Rose recalls times in which he was immensely

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