Substitute Ideas Essay, Research Paper
What separates adults from children? Don’t think of the obvious, age or height. Be creative. What do most adults lose the ability to do? We stop imagining and exploring unusual possibilities. All too often adults are tied down by rules; rules of probability, of logic or fact. Remember when you were a kid? Anything was possible, rules of logic didn’t apply, didn’t confine you and if you found an adult who was able to dream with you or even shock you with their perspectives of fact, then you had found a hero. In Charles Baxter’s short story “Gryphon” Mr. Hibler’s fourth grade class finds such an adult; the substitute, Miss Ferenczi. Not every student chooses to see Miss Ferenczi as a hero, but Tommy does. As a substitute teacher Miss Ferenczi intrigues, encourages and dares Tommy to stretch his mind and think for himself.
Before we can understand Tommy’s fascination with Miss Ferenczi, we must know who Tommy is. Where does he come from? What forces shape his world? Tommy is nine years old. He has been raised in a small town where everyone knows each other. Tommy knows this town inside and out. When riding on the bus Tommy sees no surprises; he knows “every barn, every broken windmill, every fence, every ammonia tank, by heart” (103). Life is very predictable. In fact, life is so predictable that when Mr. Hibler becomes ill, the class knows that the substitute teacher would come from “a pool of about four mothers.” (6). Every aspect of life in Five Oaks, Michigan (6) was conventional, expected and truly boring.
Therefore Tommy is intrigued when a stranger enters the classroom and introduces herself as the substitute (13). Tommy observes Miss Ferenczi as she whimsically draws a tree on the black board (8), he listens to his fellow classmates as she is declared to be an alien of some sort (10) and he is slowly pulled into Miss Ferenczi’s world as he listens to her talk about her family (14). Miss Ferenczi wins Tommy’s loyalties during the spelling quiz. Tommy is unable to spell the word “Balcony”(41) correctly and is frustrated with the situation (41). Miss Ferenczi whispers to him that she “[doesn’t] like that word either” (42). Then she goes on to enlighten Tommy with the insightful wisdom that “if you don’t like a word, you don’t have to use it” (42). With one simple remark, Miss Ferenczi empowers Tommy and teaches him a life lesson, to keep trying or to find a different way to achieve your goal. This life lesson is learned simply because Miss Ferenczi does not correct Tommy; instead she quietly steers him in a different direction.
Miss Ferenczi teaches reading from the book “Broad Horizons” (14), and uses every opportunity to broaden Tommy’s horizons. She not only teaches the basics, math, reading, and spelling, but Miss Ferenczi includes lessons of magic and love (90) and lessons about life, death and God (94). Miss Ferenczi tells the class that she “[knows the] children like to hear these things,…and that is why I am telling you” (93). By sharing her insight on subjects beyond the normal classroom topics, Miss Ferenczi encourages Tommy to seek out information thereby broadening his horizons. When discussing Egypt, Miss Ferenczi shares her personal story of a trip to Cairo where she saw a creature that was half lion and half bird (65). Miss Ferenczi tells the class “that this monster was called a gryphon” (65). Tommy wants to believe Miss Ferenczi, but he has doubts. So, once he arrives home, he goes to the dictionary and looks up “Gryphon”(88). He is thrilled to read the definition: it’s true, there really is such a creature (88). The fact that Tommy went home and did research on his own is of great importance. Tommy is faced with the ritual memorization of facts that all students endure. From multiplication tables (18) to facts about insects (139) Tommy is required to memorize the correct answer; learning is not a choice. With Miss Ferenczi Tommy chooses to learn. He decides to go home and expand his mind.
Once Tommy begins to seek out or verify information he is able to think for himself. Tommy is no longer afraid of the unknown or of questioning what he has been taught. The idea that “[six] times eleven, …is sixty-eight”(18) isn’t upsetting. Tommy realizes that the world won’t stop turning if a fact is substituted with an idea. He is simply doing what Miss Ferenczi told him to do when she said, “[you] are free to think what you like” (40). This newfound freedom allows Tommy to be uninhibited by fear when Miss Ferenczi reads tarot cards. When a child, Wayne, who is filled with fear and doubt gets the “Death card”(125) he panics and tells the principle. When Tommy learns of Miss Ferenczi’s removal from school he thinks for himself and reacts with violence (136). No longer predictable Tommy has learned Miss Ferenczi’s lessons well.
Miss Ferenczi will be remembered by all who encounter her for all her various unique qualities. Some students in Mr. Hibler’s fourth grade class will remember the substitute from “Mars” (10). Other students will remember the teacher who predicted Wayne’s untimely death (128). Tommy will look in years to come and remember Miss Ferenczi as the teacher who taught him to be an individual, to question everything and to think for himself.
Другие работы по теме:
Innate Ideas Rene Descartes And John Locke
Essay, Research Paper Throughout the passage of time, philosophers have written and discussed many topics in philosophy. Sometimes, these philosophers agree on ideas or sometimes they make their own assumptions. There are two philosophers who had different ideas concerning where innate ideas come from and how we get these types of ideas.
Scarlet Letter 2 Essay Research Paper Timelessness
Scarlet Letter 2 Essay, Research Paper Timelessness is what separates masterpieces from the rest of literature. Classics like The Scarlet Letter transcend time, and that’s why this book is as relevant in today’s society as it was in the mid-19th century. Today’s teenage parents are often faced with the same problems that plagued Hester and Dimmesdale.
Eyewitness Testimony Essay Research Paper Eyewitness TestimonyEyewitness
Eyewitness Testimony Essay, Research Paper Eyewitness Testimony Eyewitness testimony is a controversial issue that separates people into two groups, those that support eyewitness testimony and those that do not. When an eyewitness identifies an individual as the person who committed the crime, the evidence can be very convincing.
Frege Against Idealism Essay Research Paper Frege
Frege Against Idealism Essay, Research Paper Frege vs. Idealism In a nut shell Idealism is the position that IDEAS, not objects, are the basis of reality. So for idealists the meaning of an expression is the idea associated with that expression. For example, if one were to think of a lamp , then under the idea theory of reference the visual image that we pull up would be the meaning of the expression lamp .
They Know Essay Research Paper Out of
They Know Essay, Research Paper Out of my love for you is conceived only pain However that gives me some pleasure Your face reflects the night of a full moon
English Class 009 Essay Research Paper I
English Class 009 Essay, Research Paper I am taking English 009 to benefit me in the future. It gives me the skills I need to succeed. I would be able to write a paper; because of the writing skills I have learned in English 009. From studying hard, my grammar could be improved. I would be offered a teaching position as a substitute teacher for English because of my experience in English 009.
Defining Modernity Essay Research Paper When I
Defining Modernity Essay, Research Paper When I think of modernity I think of change. Modernity is the act of how and why things progress, move forth and new ideas emerge throughout history. It is also the effect of these changes. Such changes can be seen from about 1400 to now. It is these changes that have occurred that allow us to live in a post modern society.
Lawgrtt Essay Research Paper The Constitution of
Lawgrtt Essay, Research Paper The Constitution of the United States and Madison’s Federalist Paper 51 draw upon the philosophy of John Locke, as expressed in his Second Treatise of Government. Madison and the framers of the Constitution looked to Locke’s ideas for justification and guidance. The Preamble of the Constitution reflects the intentions of its authors and shows the influence of Locke’s ideas.
College Algebra I Essay Research Paper Quetion
College Algebra I Essay, Research Paper Quetion: y= -3x , y + 3x=2 Answer: substitute y= -3x in for the “y” in y + 3x=2 y + 3x=2 -3x + 3x=2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing Drafts Essay Research Paper In his
Writing Drafts Essay, Research Paper In his essay, Writing Drafts , Richard Marias explains how to begin writing the first draft and get to final draft of the writing. He says when you first begin writing your first draft you should list the points you want to cover and list the main points. This process can have any writer hours of starting and stopping time.
No-Calorie Powder May Substitute For Food
’s Fat Essay, Research Paper No-Calorie Powder May Substitute for Food’s Fat George E. Inglett of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Biopolymer Research Unit in Peoria III invented a no-calorie fat substitute called Z-Trim.
War Of 1812 Essay Research Paper Our
War Of 1812 Essay, Research Paper Our government has gone through many changes. Our founding fathers had different ideas of how or government should be. Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong centralized government while Thomas Jefferson wanted a Democratic form of government. Today the government is a blend of both ideas.
Ishmael By Daniel Quinn Essay Research Paper
The story of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is certainly one of the most compelling and interesting books I have ever read. It is not surprising however that it is also a very controversial story nonetheless. I did enjoy the ideas that Quinn offered as explanation for how we, ?the Takers? came into being even though they do formally challenge everything that we?ve learned as far as religion, culture, etc.
Hume Truths Essay Research Paper Hume separates
Hume Truths Essay, Research Paper Hume separates his distinction of truths of into two categories. They are Relation of Ideas (ROF) and Matter of Fact (MOF). Hume states Relation of Ideas
Ideas Have Consequences Essay Research Paper Ideas
Ideas Have Consequences Essay, Research Paper Ideas have consequences. This is a statement that can be proven, whatever time period you look at. As far back in time as history books go, great people and nations have had seemingly great ideas, which when implemented, resulted in mass disaster.
Stalin Essay Research Paper Rule Under StalinIn
Stalin Essay, Research Paper Rule Under Stalin In one point in Russia a man with the name John Stalin ruled. He was supposed to be a great ruler. He had many ideas for the country, which before his rule was run in the worst of ways.
Thomas 2
Thomas & Hobbes Essay, Research Paper Thomas Hobbes, a mathematician, and John Locke, a philosopher both had great ideas on human society. Hobbes had a more pessamistic outlook on on human nature. Locke saw men living in a state of nature which was basically reasonable an cooperative. In my opinion hobbes ideas on human nature as being competitive prove more true.
Trancendentalist Ideas Essay Research Paper Transcendentalist IdeasThe
Trancendentalist Ideas Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalist Ideas The great transcendentalist had ideas and thoughts that were, at the time, thought to be crazy. Both Emerson and Thoreau focused on not being a follower and doing wheat you believe is right. Self-Reliance, Civil Disobedience, Walden, and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail all show this idea, which all transcendentalists had at that time.
Enlightenment Essay Research Paper PhilosophersIdeas of enlightenment
Enlightenment Essay, Research Paper Philosophers Ideas of enlightenment have been seen across the world for centuries now, but the first real movements started around 1669. With the majority of its great thinkers in Europe, particularly England and France, enlightenment became a great philosophic movement marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas.
American Revolution Essay Research Paper Q
American Revolution Essay, Research Paper Q: Explain why Japan reacted to western ideas by adopting a policy of isolation. How did this reaction to outside influences effect Japans development over the next few centuries.
Bureaucracy Essay Research Paper Bureaucracy has many
Bureaucracy Essay, Research Paper Bureaucracy has many components and characteristics to it that both help and hurt it. The most obvious characteristic is the size of bureaucracy. The size of this organization both helps and hurts in the effectiveness of government.
Hume And Descartes On The Theory Of
Ideas Essay, Research Paper Hume and Descartes on The Theory of Ideas David Hume and Rene Descartes are philosophers with opposing views about the origination of ideas. Descartes believed there were three types of ideas
Reflection Essay Essay Research Paper My Reflection
Reflection Essay Essay, Research Paper My Reflection EssayBeing the billionth paper that I wrote in this class, I thought my observational essay was pretty good. It had decent wording in it, consisted of many different techniques of writing, and was just overall well written.To write this paper, I started a week in advance.
The Dead Child Essay Research Paper An
The Dead Child Essay, Research Paper An overview of the short story “The Dead Child” The Dead Child written by Gabrielle Roy is a story about how an young inexperienced substitute teacher helps her students to deal with the death of their peer-Yolande. The story takes place in a small Metis villege in Manitoba on a summer day in June during The Great Depression.
Truth And Belief Essay Research Paper Truth
Truth And Belief Essay, Research Paper Truth and Belief James is a believer in the pragmatic theory of truth. He draws a relationship between the good and the true. The true is not an separate entity from good, but is one of the species of good.
The Enlightenment Writers Essay Research Paper The
The Enlightenment Writers Essay, Research Paper The Enlightenment Writers The central ideas of the Enlightenment writers were similar to, yet very different from, those of the writers of earlier periods. Four major
Animal Cell Essay Research Paper Animal CellThe
Animal Cell Essay, Research Paper Animal CellThe model cell that you are looking at is an animal cell. The model is labeled with all of the typical organelles within a cell membrane. The following words are parts of the cell structure and the different jobs each one performs:Cell Membrane- phospholipid-protein bilayer; separates cell content from the environment.
Fractional Distillation Essay Research Paper Crude Oil
Fractional Distillation Essay, Research Paper Crude Oil Crude oil is made frm dead animals under the sea which were compressed between layers of impermeable rock in sedimentary rock. Fractional Distillation Fractional distillation takes place at an oil refinery. The
Writing Creatively Essay Research Paper Writing CreativelyCreative
Writing Creatively Essay, Research Paper Writing Creatively Creative writing is used to help regular expository writing become more interesting. You can use creative writing to do many tasks to help compose your paper. For instance, use this technique to select and narrow down your chose of topic. You can also generate and ideas, research ideas, and organize the ideas into a thesis.