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Why We Hate The Smart Kids Analysis

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Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids is written in first-person point-of-view that gives the reader insight on why the majority of the population “Hate the Smart Kids”. This argumentative essay talks about why the majority of the population makes fun of the intelligent students in school and turn their backs on them. The tone that Grant Penrod gives off is his sympathy towards the intelligent students who are basically being bullied. This bulling of intellectuals is mainly receiving verbal abuse. As Penrod said, “Unfortunately, it represents just one statement along countless similar sites and positing, a veritable cornucopia of evidence attesting to society’s distaste for intellectuals” (755). The authors purpose is to pursued and inform students to stop bulling the intellectuals and start improving their own …show more content…

The major details that Penrod is trying to get across is that even though some school dropouts became successful, and wealthy, not all dropouts make it. Penrod states that “In the eyes of an ever-watchful public, just the existence of such amazingly affluent yet striking uneducated individuals would seem to call into question the necessity and even legitimacy of intellectualism” (756). Basically what Penrod is trying to get across to his readers is that the all-seeing public gain their influences by observing those whom are wealthy dropouts. Penrod backs up his major details, by stating his minor ones. One that sticks out is in the beginning of the argumentative essay when Penrod talks about Mountain View High School (MVHS). Using MVHS, Penrod uses the football team and the Science team as an example. The school itself celebrated MVHS football team for winning the Arizona state championship, while the Science team won the Science Bowl and got no recognition for it. By using the minor details, Penrod enforces his idea of intellectuals being put

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