Rhetorical Analysiso of The Article 'Hidden Intellectualism' by Gerald Graff

The article Hidden Intellectualism by Graff is rhetoric that highlights why colleges and schools have failed to link life-related intelligence to academic intellectual abilities. Thus, the author was inspired to create the topic and explore some of the contentious issues based on why colleges belittle competencies of street smart. For instance, Graff accentuates that street smarts are associated with anti-intellectual concerns and that educational stakeholder emphasizes philosophical and literature underpinnings devised by prominent philosophers and authors (Graff 369). He suggests that tutors should focus on encouraging learners to explore subjects that fit their interest rather than those that interest the supervisors and teachers (Graff 370). The title Hidden Intellectualism elucidate something unnoticed whereby intellect is offered much focus to the detriment of emotions. The choice of words exemplifies that intellectual prospects can be established in various social settings.

Graff illustrates his stance using his passion for sports and hatred over books in the late forties. He mentions that he thought that he was typically anti-intellectual; even so, later in life, he realized that his preference did not encompass anti-intellectualism paradigm. The analysis of sports, movies, and dynamics he experienced with acquaintances shows how students could effectively plug their life knowledge into school works (Graff 371). Besides, the essay reflects the dilemma that young people meet as they strive to strike a balance between impressing peers that engage in interesting activities and working towards achieving the long-term goals, academic endeavor. For instance, the author recalls he was desperate to gain the approval of the “hoods” (working class) as he encounters them daily in the neighborhood and playing field. The class rejected and segregated those that wished to portray their academic intellectual prowess (Graff 371). In other words, Graff conveys the message that it is right to be intellect and no matter how a decision seems ambivalent like that of Marilyn Monroe leaving baseball star Di Maggio for playwright Arthur Miller does now make one ambiguous.

Graff logically exemplify the need to have intellectual knowledge being classroom whereby he narrates discussion on sports and toughness. He recalls the role of reading sports magazines and books that enabled him to recognize the origin of intellectual life. Most important Graff highlights the sense of making a constructive argument by weighing various forms of evidence, assessing the generalization and particulars, reflect their viewers of others and engage in conversations about concepts. The background knowledge equipped Graff with an understanding of approaches to propose a generalization, respond to counterargument, and restate the thesis of the argument. The perspective heightens the role of rationalism in which reason serves as the primary source and measure of knowledge.

The text provides an understanding of pedagogical educations models that are based on rationalism theories that provide a logical reason why educators to exploit what students already know to assist them in learning from experience as Graff learned from sports articles. Besides, teachers should recognize when to apply one or combinations of theoretical frameworks to create an appropriate learning environment. For instance, Graff advocates for a system in educators to embrace anything that learned perceive as enjoyable and absorbing including sports and entertainment. Schools could use the opportunity to capitalize on conflict and drama that the intellectual world practices via sports.

Graff validly infers that the decision his school to distance these gratifications limited his ability to link sports and academic worlds that could have enabled him to cross form a culture to the other (374). It can be deduced that Graff comprehensively helps readers make sense non-academic interest plays the role of overcoming boredoms and alienation they experience in class works. allowing them to explore subjects they feel worth satisfying their heuristic does not necessarily imply that it will erode pedagogical objectives; rather, educators should modify them to integrate academic eyes.

What’s more, it is impressive to realize that sportsbooks and magazines served as means of enabling the author to develop capabilities on undertaking intellectual operations including composing sentences used in writing this particular essay (372). The theme of the triumph of reasoning over the acquisition of knowledge emerges from the arguments integrated into the essay as the author implies that colleges focus on instilling knowledge in mind of students without embracing their ability to make logic reasoning when concluding the concepts delivered during class sessions.

A reader could understand from the concept individuals stand to gain from subjects that conform to their interest. His interest in reading articles regarding sports revealed that it is compounded by challenging arguments, integrate statistics, analysis of problems, and debates that he cared about, unlike schools that disregard these critical learning aspects (Graff 373). The essay demonstrates ways in which street smarts supersede books smarts within our culture. Street smarts satisfy intellectual desires more scrupulous than the culture of the school that appears to be incredible and inadequate (Graff 373). The statement drives the point that humans have a way of soliciting social approval by their peer by exercising the existing norms. It also sends the message that student strives to acquire social acceptance as they emphasize their intellectual competencies which do not reflect the norms of others. At this point, the title of the essay becomes more comprehensive in that students would prefer covering tier book smart from others by purposely hiding their intellectual prowess when interacting with their fellow teenager or adolescents. In other words, Graff argues that schools work isolates students from the community or activities such as sports and public activities that foster constructive arguments reading intellectual culture.

Colleges and schools are liable for failing to reveal to students that the real world is beyond school life as it is highly organized. He illustrates the perspective using components of the world of sports, interpretation, and assessment of texts, comprehension of rival theories and understands the views of the opposing teams. Graff outlines the potential weakness of school competitions that disregards achievement through making arguments; instead, teachers embark on grading learned based on their level of vast reading and information (Graff 373). This kind of achievement fails to notice the need of the student to embrace achieving goals as communities and creating meaningful bonds with their peers.

Educators underestimate the role of sports in cultivating literacy training. Graff believes educators should not view sports as a rival to academic endeavors; rather perceive the activity as a conduit of academic achievements. He supports his views by illustrating students would write a comprehensive paper on the research that fits their interest other than reflecting on works of Plato and Shakespeare. Embracing student interest in various social aspects including fashion and entertainment fosters their analytical and reflective competencies, which is essential in understanding the dynamics of the wider culture. Besides, the standpoint of the author indicates an intellectual person should engage in critical thinking, study, and reflect societal issues. His point of view suggests that intellectual knowledge should be evoked by the human mind rather than sensory knowledge that some teachers and tutors embrace.

Colleges that perceive street smart as anti-intellectual hinders knowledge development through critical thinking in which students are not encouraged to express the highest level of quality in a fair-minded approach. Much emphasis on theoretical knowledge hinders them to reflect rationally, empathically, and reasons other than merely passing their exams. Academic intelligence should demonstrate that an individual can generate abstract theories and ideas. Graff provides a rational argument that subject that interest students could modify their critical thinking abilities about various problems, content, and subjects that relate to human nature. The ability is defined by an individual self-directed, self-monitored, self-disciplined and self-corrective thinking that he applied as he pursued his interest in sports.

Graff also demonstrates that the framework contributes to empowering an individual to communicate effectively and solve the problem amicably by arguing that real intellectual convert any subject by engaging thoughtful questioning of concepts (370). Hence, it is fair that he blames his schools for disregarding the essence of viewing sports and entertainment worlds as the foundation for enabling students to represent and organize intellectual culture. For instance, Graff suggests that this subject could reliably help students exploit the game like aspects of sports and entertainment to solicit public spectacle (373). The argument of the section emphasizes the fundamental nature of intellectual culture in which individuals expresses an understanding of diverse forms of writing that mediate contemporary concepts regarding the cultural change, education, and politics. This type of knowledge is critical in establishing a sense of truth and application of logic among students.

Graff conveys the message that students develope the sense of objective aim of acting truthfully, embrace aesthetic value, appreciate moral values of society, understand why people value religious norms, explore transcendental value, and humanistic concepts when they pursue their subject of interest. The world requires people to think beyond concepts discussed in class, as there is a need to interact with diverse people. Teachers and college lecturers must foster their social skills as they prep them to excel academically. They need to view the world as a place that comprises of people with different ideas and perspectives that would prepare them to integrate with people of different backgrounds in various setting including religious institutions, workplaces, and neighborhood.

Overall, the essay serves to enlighten readers that aspects of gratification can potentially contribute to expanding the intellectual skills of students. Learners stand to acquire intellectual substantial reflective skills if their supervisors and teachers value their interest and strike a balance between the interest of students and schoolwork. In other words, the student stands to develop a strong interest in achieving their academic obligations in which educational stakeholders develop class units that integrate elements of entertainment, sports, cars and various related topics. Education settings should acknowledge that students would join the wider society upon completion of their studies. The text indicates the essence of classroom learning should be reinforced by an understanding of real-world norms and values practiced by society, as educational settings should serve as a framework for reinforcing societal cohesion.