Summary Essay
Patrick Wyszynski
Doctor Todd Bruce
ENG 111-68
5 October 2014
Hidden Intellectualism: A Summary During my lifetime, I’ve been referred to as “book smart” once or twice. For many years I thought this was preferable to the less flattering “street smart” label. However, Gerald Graff, a professor of English and education at The University of Illinois at Chicago, argues in his writing Hidden Intellectualism from his 2003 Book Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind that these terms can cast a haze over the true nature of an individual’s intelligence. In other words, Graff emphasizes that an individual’s intellectualism should not be judged solely on the individual’s performance or interest in exclusively school-related subjects. It’s easy to relate to subjects that are enjoyable. Sports, art, and pop-culture are just some of the many topics that appeal to many, and can yield thoughtful debates and worthwhile conversations. However, the subjects that we are encouraged (if not forced) to study and talk about in school can be considered dull and uninteresting by many individuals like myself. Graff writes, “...they [students] would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather than ones that interest us.” (Graff 381). Magazines like Sports Illustrated and People can help students formulate intellectual thoughts and debates, especially since it is easier to relate to these topics than Shakespeare or Chaucer. Graff gives us a background to his personal experience that helps as a basis for his argument. Growing up as a kid, he was naturally smart but wanted to hide it out of fear. Although he grew up on a middle class block in Chicago, Graff lived very close to what he describes as “working-class ‘hoods’” (Graff 382). The young Graff was forced to balance proving his teachers and family that he was smart, and at the same time not allowing himself to get
Doctor Todd Bruce
ENG 111-68
5 October 2014
Hidden Intellectualism: A Summary During my lifetime, I’ve been referred to as “book smart” once or twice. For many years I thought this was preferable to the less flattering “street smart” label. However, Gerald Graff, a professor of English and education at The University of Illinois at Chicago, argues in his writing Hidden Intellectualism from his 2003 Book Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind that these terms can cast a haze over the true nature of an individual’s intelligence. In other words, Graff emphasizes that an individual’s intellectualism should not be judged solely on the individual’s performance or interest in exclusively school-related subjects. It’s easy to relate to subjects that are enjoyable. Sports, art, and pop-culture are just some of the many topics that appeal to many, and can yield thoughtful debates and worthwhile conversations. However, the subjects that we are encouraged (if not forced) to study and talk about in school can be considered dull and uninteresting by many individuals like myself. Graff writes, “...they [students] would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather than ones that interest us.” (Graff 381). Magazines like Sports Illustrated and People can help students formulate intellectual thoughts and debates, especially since it is easier to relate to these topics than Shakespeare or Chaucer. Graff gives us a background to his personal experience that helps as a basis for his argument. Growing up as a kid, he was naturally smart but wanted to hide it out of fear. Although he grew up on a middle class block in Chicago, Graff lived very close to what he describes as “working-class ‘hoods’” (Graff 382). The young Graff was forced to balance proving his teachers and family that he was smart, and at the same time not allowing himself to get