Summary Of Beyond The Culture Wars By Gerald Graff
In his book “Beyond the Culture Wars: How teaching the conflicts can revitalize American education” Gerald Graff, describes his experience in his youth of disliking books and the discourse of literature. The excerpt “Disliking Books” from that book shares the story of Gerald’s experience with early education to his collegiate experience which then later inspired him to become a literature professor. Through sharing his experiences in his youth and at college Graff shares the added value that can come through adversity and education.
Born into an educated middle-class Jewish family in an ethnic area of Chicago, a rougher side of town. Graff early on realized that education on an elementary level and intelligence, would cause him physical harm and to be best avoided. He could not immerse himself into the subject matter of his books, no matter what the subject. Literature, history, even the “Hardy Boy’s, could not interest Gerald, the only thing he enjoyed his comic books and sports magazines. His father was frustrated with his lack of interest in literature, and always would try to encourage more force Gerald to read even walking him in his room to try to read a book on Magellan.
…show more content…
It would be unacceptable for him to fail in college in his family’s eyes. Even with his good grades Gerald still failed to finish many assigned classics like, the Iliad and Passage to India. As his education furthered Graff realized that his disinterest in books sprung from with an inability to discuss the ideas and the concepts of the literary works. what was he to say about the literary works and why” this fear of sounding hallowed, still and stupid in
Analysis Of Gerald Graff's Disliking Books
281 Words | 2 PagesGerald Graff grew up loathing books which is ironic because he majored in English. Graff is an English professor at the University of Illinois and wrote the essay “Disliking Books.” Graff received his PhD in English and American Literature from Stanford University. He feels that his childhood struggle with reading gives him an advantage as a teacher to help his students who struggle in reading.
A Summary Of Gerald Graff's Disliking Books
543 Words | 3 PagesA Summary of Gerald Graff’s “Disliking Books” Gerald Graff’s disliking books starts off as him declaring that his early fear of reading made him a better teacher to his students. It seems he had a lot of pressure put on him to read from his father who would push him to read, but Graff never became interested in reading likely because it felt forced if he was to enjoy reading it would have to come naturally. And though he speaks of his childhood in a sort of rough manner being a culturally mixed neighborhood and that the rougher working class children might beat him up if he was too peculiar or different or intellectual. He enjoyed the more practical pursuits in math and science rather than literature, as they would apply to everyday life and would make a good career field to go into, and when Gerald was child, boys who were bookworms were deemed "sissies" and beaten up.
Randy Pausch The Last Lecture Analysis
299 Words | 2 PagesWho are the Real Motivators? 1. In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, the author, looks back upon many of his precious memories. As a college professor, he find that various actions the students take relate to his past. For example, criticism helps.
Summary Of Gerald Graff Hidden Intellectualism
1069 Words | 5 PagesHe mentions that he hate books until he “became hooked, becoming a regular reader of Sport magazine in the late forties,[…] I was your typical teenage anti-intellectual—or so I believed for a long time. I have recently come to think, however, that my preference for sports over schoolwork was not anti-intellectualism so much as intellectualism by the means”(Graff 695). Graff is saying that even though students are not interested in reading or writing about what the teacher assigns them, that even though they are reading sports magazines and etc. That they are still becoming literate by reading articles that they enjoy and that most people would not view as learning. He also writes about how where he grew up it was not as important as being intellectual.
Misuse Of Knowledge In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
484 Words | 2 PagesFahrenheit 451 Knowledge comes with a price ,especially in the world of Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, books are a source of knowledge to the people, but it is difficult to understand the books if you don’t know how to read. This is especially true for Beatty, the captain of the firemen. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury depicts Beatty narrow-minded, intense, and hypocritical , to show a person’s misunderstanding of books leads him to misuse the knowledge that is given by books.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read Summary
807 Words | 4 PagesHer full use of strong language diminishes pieces of literature’s worth and questions their true significance. She claims this in a critical tone by stating, “Like most parents who have, against all odds, preserved a lively and still evolving passion for good books, I find myself, each September, increasingly appalled by the dismal lists of texts that my sons are doomed to waste a school year reading”(Prose, 176). She uses words like dismal to describe the book choices students would have to read according to the curriculum of the educational system. By using words like dismal, she expresses her feeling of disappointment towards the curriculum. She
Scholarship Boy Richard Rodriguez Summary
295 Words | 2 PagesRichard Rodriguez wrote “Scholarship Boy” to explain the range of conflicting emotions he felt over receiving an education while growing up at home with his immigrant parents. He enjoyed school and learned quickly, but soon he knew more than his parents could comprehend. He was ashamed of his parents for not knowing as much as he did and this drove him away from them and more towards his instructors and his books. Though his parents were proud of him, he struggled to feel anything but embarrassed of them and this affected how he viewed himself and the education he was blessed to have. When Gerald Gaff was young, he did not feel that books related to his life and that they, therefore, were not worth reading.
Hidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff Analysis
745 Words | 3 PagesAs a child, Graff talks about how he shared a hatred for books, but rather a passion for sports. Reading sports magazines was the only thing you’d catch him reading as he became hooked. In the education system, schoolwork isolated you from others whereas in sports, you can reach out to anybody and have conversation. He believed because of high interest in sports, he was a typical anti-intellectual, but he came to the
Percival Everett's The Appropriation Of Cultures
615 Words | 3 PagesPercival Everett’s short story entitled, “The Appropriation of Cultures” explores themes of irony and absurdity. The irony lies within each and every page. The story begins with Daniel, who is a young and successful black man with a degree from Brown University. He is also a musician and frequently played old tunes with a group of musicians. The story then shifts as white frat boys make suggestions of what the musicians should play, “One night, some white boys from a fraternity yellow forward to the stage at the black man holding the acoustic guitar and began to shout, ‘Play ‘Dixie’ for us!
Summary Of Disliking Books By Gerald Graff
635 Words | 3 PagesDisliking Books is an article written by Gerald Graff. In the article that Graff discusses his transformation from hating and fearing the whole spectrum reading any kind of serious books, to becoming a college professor. According to Graff, he was unable to relate to any books other than comic books, and sports magazines. Graff recalled that the ethnically mixed neighborhood that he grew up in put him in danger of getting beat up by the rougher children that considered bookworms to be sissys.
Fahrenheit 451: How Powerful Is Knowledge?
410 Words | 2 PagesHere, Faber is in his house telling Montag about how books bring life into the world. Faber is letting Montag know that books are important not because they are books, but because of their meaning. As difficult as they can be to deal with, the pores are the perfect imperfections needed to make the world great. Bradbury shows that books and knowledge are vital and that censoring books robs the world of individuality and freedom. “Give a man a few lines of verse and he thinks he’s the lord of all creation.
Comparing King's Essay, The Joy Of Reading And Writing
877 Words | 4 PagesAlthough he learned a lot due to books, he believes that each book teaches you a lesson. He believes that all bad books usually have a greater lesson to teach you than the good books. Books also thought him what he can and can’t do while writing. While reading books he learned “Good writing, on the other hand, teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the
Why Is Fahrenheit 451 Important
485 Words | 2 PagesIn the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury their society is lacking three elements that our society is also missing. Faber talks about why books are important. In our society we don 't appreciate books and their value. In Faber’s society they don 't read books, so Faber is telling both societies why books have quality and are important.
Political Revolution And Rebellion In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury
712 Words | 3 PagesIn the very controversial and eloquently written novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury there are some underlying themes of political revolution and rebellion. In an extremely critical, yet judgmental letter titled “You Have Insulted Me” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr to the chairman of a schoolboard responsible for banning a novel. Both “Fahrenheit 451’ and “Slaughterhouse-Five” have received harsh criticism and sanctions from both educators and others in positions of power that feel threatened by the diction inside of the books. The powerful figures use their power to oppress the masses with the use censorship or the act of prohibiting the ownership of use of the novel. The book and the letter both plead to for a change of mind in both the people and the powerful individuals in order to stop ignorance and to progress education among the masses.
Fear And Failure Analysis
1352 Words | 6 PagesFear and Failure: How I Earned an ‘F’ in English I can’t remember a time in my life when the shelves in my room weren’t overflowing with books. Over nineteen years, I curated a collection of books, such as references, plays, anthologies, etc. In addition, there are folders full of PDF files covering topics like the commodification of culture to the philosophy behind horror movies in my laptop. Reading and writing has always been a way to explore my love of learning.
More about Summary Of Beyond The Culture Wars By Gerald Graff
Analysis Of Gerald Graff's Disliking Books
281 Words | 2 PagesA Summary Of Gerald Graff's Disliking Books
543 Words | 3 PagesRandy Pausch The Last Lecture Analysis
299 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of Gerald Graff Hidden Intellectualism
1069 Words | 5 PagesMisuse Of Knowledge In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
484 Words | 2 PagesI Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read Summary
807 Words | 4 PagesScholarship Boy Richard Rodriguez Summary
295 Words | 2 PagesHidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff Analysis
745 Words | 3 PagesPercival Everett's The Appropriation Of Cultures
615 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Disliking Books By Gerald Graff
635 Words | 3 PagesFahrenheit 451: How Powerful Is Knowledge?
410 Words | 2 PagesComparing King's Essay, The Joy Of Reading And Writing
877 Words | 4 PagesWhy Is Fahrenheit 451 Important
485 Words | 2 PagesPolitical Revolution And Rebellion In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury
712 Words | 3 PagesFear And Failure Analysis
1352 Words | 6 Pages