In the essay, "I Just Wanna Be Average" by Mike Rose, I find it incredible the amount of determination the author had as a child. Most people in the same type of conditions would have quit school in their early years. There was so much abuse from his teachers. Most of his former teachers would end up in prison or shot by a parent in our time. To make matters worse, the author not only had to endure verbal abuse but physical abuse as well. From the beginning of this essay, I was able to recognize a strong appeal to emotions in the manner the essay was written. As I read about his former teachers I was trying to decide who the worst one was. His English teacher, Mr. Mitropetros, was not even qualified to be a teacher, actually, none of them were qualified to be teachers. Brother Dill, who supervised his homeroom was "a troubled and unstable man who also taught freshman English." His physical education teacher was "a stubby ex-lineman who had played old-time pro ball in the Midwest" was also terrible. However, the title of the worst teacher goes to, the Spanish teacher Mr. Montez.
"The teachers had no idea of how to engage the imaginations of us kids who were scuttling along at the bottom of the pond." To me, this is strong statement. An unskilled teacher can unknowingly hurt a kid for the rest of his life and derail him from getting an education. I find it amazing how a word in a phrase can all of the sudden change the life of a boy. "I just wanna be average." These words, spoken by the author's friend, were the ones that changed his life forever. His struggle has not been to be average; he has been trying to be the best he can.
What I find really cool about this essay is that even though the author lived in a really tough situation, he never gave up trying to learn. He managed to hang on until his savior came to his rescue. "Jack MacFarland couldn't have come into my life at a better time." Unskilled teachers almost lost the boy to the labyrinth of life; but an excellent teacher saved him from a hard life that was waiting for him, had he not received an education. This essay is definitely a roller coaster of emotions. I really enjoyed it.
Felipe I also enjoyed the Rose piece. I think he really illustrated the idea of genius being attainable masterfully. I think he really captured the struggle of not only the students but the teachers as well. I also agree that Rose is an excellent example of endurance in overcoming obstacles.
ReplyDeleteFelipe, I really liked that last note, "The roller coaster of emotions" it pinpoints the authors appeal on pathos, or emotions! I also like your take on the endurance of the author through such a difficult school, but especially how effected he was by the comment of his class mate of just wanting to be mediocre. Words obviously have a profound impact on us especially when they have such a strong appeal.
ReplyDeletei have this essay for assignment ugg , and is 2020 and this discussion was 2009, woow how many years
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