Summary Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff

Gerald Graff, a highly regarded English teacher at the University of Illinois at Chicago, writes this essay “Hidden Intellectualism” as1 an adaption from his book published in 2003 Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. Throughout the passage he argues that there are forms of intellectualism that surpass our societies views of being smart, and that our education system is not providing everyone with equal rights to use their skills. Gerald Graff’s is correct in his point of view because there are actually some young people who do not do well academically but excel in extra-curricular activities such as sports. These individuals may be said to possess a form of intellectualism that is concealed. This essay will critically

The first positive aspect is that it enables the reader to gain knowledge and understanding of the meaning of intellectualism, its merits and demerits. Graff therefore achieved the goal of imparting insight and awareness on intellectualism as a subject. On the contrary, there are some points argued by Graff, which are rather disagreeable. For instance, the essay gives an implication of intellectualism being undoubtedly beneficial but fails to give reasons supporting the fact. Different people have different interests, which imply that what applies to one individual may be inapplicable to other people under similar circumstances. Too much of the author’s personal experience ahs been presented in the essay. Graff’s personal experience can not be termed as a general pattern. On a similar note, the author’s personality development took place in the 1950s, and the current realities are to some extent different from the realities that were relevant fifty years down the line. The factors that influenced Graff as an adolescent may have a varying influence on adolescents of the current era. A website, teachforus.com, stated that “because of this generation to vivid technology like the TV and the smartphone, kids have changed in general. Needing a more open an enjoyable classroom setting, rather than a static lecture” (Teachforus). Perhaps Graff’s could have talked more about his

Therefore, it would be beneficial to encourage any form of intellectualism rather than what our system has put in place where only the students who are good at memorizing outsmart the rest of their peers. Graff promotes the idea that a child who is street smart can become intellectually smart. He is wrong here, if someone really likes cars, and can list off the specifications for any car in the market, that does not necessarily mean that he will become good at taking tests on cars. Graff is correct in a lot of his theories, but the last one stated above. He should get more evidence and support to show what he means by someone could get smarter by doing the things that interest them. Like personal records beyond himself, or scientific research. Graff states his point and encourages the reader to go out and do what they think they are interested in, and that in turn will help them grow as an intellectual