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Critical analysis of the novel huckleberry finn
Critical analysis of the novel huckleberry finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn analysis
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Disliking Books By Gerald Graff is about the authors own aversions, starting as a young boy, who grew up simply disliking reading books, for both academic and leisure purposes. Growing up in his neighborhood, it was highly disregarded for a boy to enjoy reading; they were looked at as “sissies” and had the potential to have been beaten up. He maintained this ideology all the way into his college career, where ironically, he majored in English. Although by this point he replaced his fear of being beaten up with the fear of failing his college courses, he was able to squeak by with doing his homework at the mare minimum. He felt as though he wasn’t able to quite relate, much less, enjoy the text. It wasn’t until his junior year he was finally able to find the spark he had been lacking all these years. It was over the controversial ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Some of the critics believe the story really ended when the boys basically stole Jim away and other believed it was actually when they learned that Jim had already been freed. Finally realizing that “reading and intellectual discussion might actually have something to do with my real life, I became less embarrassed about using the intellectual formulas” (Graff, Para 12). He then turned to more and more literary works to understand further of what reading critically can help you appreciate, even turning his lesson into his future profession as an English Professor.
Throughout Gerald Graff’s own personal struggle with reading books, he learned that reading critically while also engaging in critical and intellectual discussion could open a whole new world of personal connections he was never able to make before.
Growing up in his neighborhood he adopted to idea...
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...to do with his own personal life.
Throughout the next few years, following his first real experience of critical reading and discussion, he came to catch what he calls, “The literary bug” (His own interpretation of understanding the art of critical discussion and reading). Graff eventually chose the profession of teaching. He believed that everyone has the same chance to learn how to unlock the secret world of critical responses and reading. Graff wanted to instill the same process in his students that he once lacked. Many of the students he teaches seemed to have grown up as the same sort of “nonintellectual, non-bookish person I was” (Graff Para. 17), the same type of people who had a fear of books and dread of reading. His main goal as a teacher was to able to share the way he learned to open his mind to literature to the same kind of students that he once was.
In conclusion, the brilliant novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster is a fantastic novel that helps grasp the basic ideas and structure that makes up a work of literature. Foster’s laid-back attitude made a major contribution to the great tone of the novel, and made it easier to understand. Many connections were included in the novel, along with some great quotes. After reading this novel, I have a better idea of what to look for when reading a novel.
The journey begins at the heart of the matter, with a street smart kid failing in school. This is done to establish some common ground with his intended audience, educators. Since Graff is an educator himself, an English professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago, he understands the frustrations of having a student “who is so intelligent about so many things in life [and yet] seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work” (380). Furthermore, Graff blames schools for not utilizing street smarts as a tool to help improve academics; mainly due to an assumption that some subjects are more inherently intellectual than others. Graff then logically points out a lack of connection “between any text or subject and the educational depth and weight of the discussion it can generate” (381). He exemplifies this point by suggesting that any real intellectual could provoke thoughtful questions from any subject, while a buffoon can render the most robust subjects bland. Thus, he is effectively using logic and emotion to imply that educators should be able to approach any subject critically, even non-traditional subjects, lest they risk being labeled a buffoon.
He explains two different kinds of people in two different neighborhoods from his childhood: “On the one hand, it was necessary to maintain the boundary between “clean-cut” boys like me and working-class “hoods,” as we called them, which meant that it was good to be openly smart in a bookish sort of way. On the other hand, I was desperate for the approval of the hoods, whom I encountered daily on the playing field and in the neighborhood, and for this purpose it was not at all good to be book-smart” (266). This backstory he shares reveals not only his past, but it helps to give him a purpose for writing. Based on his personal experiences as a boy with two different kinds of “intellectuals,” he has firsthand seen both kinds of intellectualism in action, so he can easily argue for both sides, creating a complete argument incorporating aspects of each side. Furthermore, he specifically he mentions the terms “clean-cut” boys, and “hoods.” These simple quotes using slang terms from his neighborhood exemplify his situation and brings us back to his childhood, helping the audience visualize the situation he is coming from. Simultaneously, this invokes a reaction in the audience about each distinct term, making the audience think about Graff’s argument in relation to their own thoughts and connotations of each term. Therefore,
In chapter 15 “On Closer Examination” Graff discusses his purpose for writing both in literature and in general. Graff states that his purpose in writing is to respond to others views and writing, the “underlying motivation” helps readers engage and examine why what he say is important(185). Graff suggests that one should take a literature work to a discussion in order to see what people say about it, then this will influence and help one determine what to say about it(185). Graff suggests many templates in order to start the writing about literature. The key to start the writing is by discussing the work which will eventually make an argument about it. According to Graff, “literary criticism responds directly to the literary work, summarizing
In a world dominated by technology, reading novels has become dull. Instead of immersing into books, we choose to listen to Justin Bieber’s new songs and to scroll through Instagram posts. We have come to completely neglect the simple pleasures of flipping through pages and getting to finally finish a story. Sherman Alexie and Stephan King’s essays attempt to revive this interest in books that has long been lost. They remind us of the important role that reading plays in our daily lives. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” for instance, demonstrates how being literate saved the narrator from the oppressive nature of society. The author explains that even though he was capable of reading complex books at an astonishingly young
In the library she would alternate what types of books they would read. Whenever she would read to him she would read in a way that made you cling to every word the author wrote. In times like these, Rodriguez would become engaged in these books. “I sat there and sensed for the very first time some possibility of fellowship between reader and writer, a communication, never intimate like that I heard spoken words at home convey, but nonetheless personal.” (Rodriguez 228). During this part of Rodriguez’s life, his view towards books changed.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
It was then that Graff shifted the focus of his essay to himself. It would have been easy to continue to speak about the injustice the educational system had created against those who...
He demotes academic learning when he implies that Plato, Shakespeare, the French Revolution, and nuclear fission are not effective academic topics as we all thought. He does this when he compares academic topics with non-academic topics. Graff sets the article’s tone in the beginning by writing about our views towards non-intellectuals. Additionally, Graff continues to talk about the subjects and topics that create intellectuals. To illustrate this Graff mentions, “But they 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” (265). As has been noted previously, this also proves that Graff is in favor of non-academic learning by stating how we should be teaching at schools so that children become intelligent. Graff is trying to convince readers that society must change their teaching skills because children will only learn things that they like. He automatically rejects the idea of continuing teaching academic skills and does not provide a positive view towards
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to
No one could ever comprehend the hatred I had for reading- no one. Reading to me was just like being deathly ill, stuck inside, watching the neighbors play and know you couldn't join. On Monday morning I sat down in my teacher Mrs. Daniels class. I had a strange feeling reading would be an assignment coming up soon. I was dreading what I knew she was going to say next. “Class you will have 4 weeks to complete this book.” As I heard these words come out of her mouth I lowered myself into my seat like a turtle slowly going into its shell. I felt as if I was drowning and no one could save me until my life was over. Not only did I hate reading but I hated it even more when I was forced to. I thought in my head, “Why. Why make us read a dumb book that will do nothing but take away my social life.” Never did I know the book I was about to read would have such an impact
In perspective, Graff’s argument becomes weak with his poor use of ethos, in which he solely focuses on his own anecdote but, through the same means he is able to build his pathos and in the last few paragraphs, with his use of logic he prevents his argument from becoming dismissible. However, through the same means his pathos is built as his anecdote conveys feelings in the audience, making them more willing to listen. Graff, finally, gives a call to action to schools to use students’ interests to develop their skills in rhetoric and analysis, which reveals the logic behind his argument. The topic of how students are taught rhetoric and analysis brings interest, but with an average argument only built on pathos, a low amount of logos, and questionable ethos it can fall on deaf ears.
Foster, Thomas C. How to read literature like a professor. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds.” Making Arguments about Literature: A Compact Guide And Anthology. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins,.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 8th. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.