In the article “Hidden Intellectualism” written by Gerald Graff, Graff target college students to inform them about a hidden intellectualism that can be found in our everyday society. In the article Graff draws attention to the many types and ways different people can identify with intellectualism. He argues that people are intelligent in several ways and just need to learn how to plug the intellectualism they enjoy into a school-like setting during classes.
He exemplifies this by using his own intellect within sports and such as an adolescent.While being very analytical of sports team movies, and the toughness he and his friends engaged in, he was unknowingly before now trained to be intellect in a class room and other school subjects. In figuring all this out Graff only had to plug it into his school work. Graff uses descriptive detail, blunt similarities, and his own basic understand and experiences to convey his thoughts of hidden intellectualism to his collegiate audience. Graff uses many logical appeals throughout the article to fully push the ideal of hidden intellectualism.
In the opening paragraph Graff tells us of how “we associate those streets smarts with anti-intellectual concerns”. Graff explains that young persons who are impressively street smart do not do well in school, and in return schools and colleges overlook the intellectualism potential of the street smarts kids. This appeals to readers logically because people know as sad as the matter is it is true most times street smart kids are intellectual within what they know, instead of being intellect in school which is Graffs point in Hidden Intellectualism.Colleges and school do not give those “street smart” kids a chance in schools and simply over look them even though they have all the need to be taught how to make an intellectual approach in schools. Another logical approach Graff takes at the audience is by explaining how “if we encouraged them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather than the ones that interst us”.
(pg. 98) In this section of the article Graff tells readers that young students would learn to be more intellectual if they got to choose that the wanted to be intellect in instead of teachers pushing students to be intellect in other things which ther are not interested in such as; Plato, Shakesphere, or the French Revolution. Graff also makes the statement that, “Real intellectuals turns any subjects however lightweight it may seem into a grist for their mill through…out of the righest subjects.This statement makes the point that if students were first trained to be intellect in something they they liked then they would know how to be true intellectuals and plug that format into any subjects and be intellect about that subject.
Also Graff grabs the audiences attention thorugh logic by making the statement. “ When Marrilyn Monroe married the playwright aurther miller in 1956 after divorcing retired baseball star Di Maggio the symbolyis triumph of geek over jock suggested the way the wind was blowing”.Graff makes this point primarily to show the audience that being intellect is okay and does not make you a geek. Thorughout Graffs article about Hidden Inttelcetualism he makes numerous emotional appeals to the audience is to bring home his points about finding intellectualism in various places. When Graff is arguing why students aren’t very intellect anymorein todays societyhe says, “People would rather be socially accecepted than to be known as booksmart”.
He argues this point by using his own personal expierneces from his adolescence.He explains to the audience that when he was younger in his growing up neighborhood they had the clean cut boys like him and the hood who were like neighborhood bullies. Graff quotes in his article “On the other hand I was desperate for the approval of the hoods…and for this purpose it was not all good to be known as booksmart. ” (pg. 299) Graff uses his own personal expierneces to reall drive home his point he makes finding intellectualism in the students.
These points are true because it is the human way to want to be socially acceoted by your peirs.Humans have norms that naturally must be obtained. Social acceptance and friendships are norsm for all people to have. This makes Graff points to be very true because young students will do whatever it takes to be socially accepted by their peers. Being booksmart when students are younger is not socially accepted by others.
This is wht stidents wil hide their booksmart from others just to be accepted and will not excersise their intellectualism as adolecsecents.This proves Graffs point once again becuasse of the desire for social acceptance as an adolescence, which makes intellectualism, or booksmart seemingly dissaperar. Another point Graff entertains in his article ins the fact that most all colleges and schools will simply over look streetsmart students because of their social backgrounds. Its sad but true to say most colleges and school only judge and interview students skin deep. Streetsmart kids are still intellect as people just not as student.
