Mike Rose I Just Wanna Be Average Summary

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Mike Rose is an educator. He studied the literacy and struggles of working class America. The narrative of his experience as student of working-class status gives him a considerable amount of ethos. As for his argument, I feel is the direct opposite of this selections title, ‘I Just Wanna Be Average’. Rose begins his narrative with his accident that leads him to his discovery. Having to fight like those whose destiny has been chosen gave him the perspective of those who strive just to be average. The reader was able to see through the different lenses of the working-class education. These lenses come in the form of actual human beings. There’s Mike Dweetz and Billy Hawtz. They are the stereotypical relationship of a bully and their victim. Except they’re subconsciously fighting for their freedom. …show more content…
Ted Richard was the philosopher that questioned everything, although his grades were poor. Ken Harvey was the lense that galvanized Rose’s understanding and argument against being average. Ken Harvey stated in a religion class that he “just wanna be average” (Rose 3). In the following paragraph Rose goes into further analysis of what exactly Ken Harvey meant. Rose describes the feeling of your “average” working class. He utilizes hyperbole and says Ken Harvey is suffocating. He is suffocating under the weight of be categorized and being expected to be average. All this while undergoing puberty. “If you’re a working-class kid in the vocational track... you’ll be defined by your school as ‘slow’...” (Rose 3). As a child of working class there are prescriptive expectations of who you are and who you will be. These expectations are forced through the curriculum. Instead of being taught these children are “occupied” and “trained”. These kids have the options to float by and be distracted by their thoughts or to be pressured to fulfill what society decides is average for them based on their socioeconomic
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Summary Of I Just Wanna Be Average By Mike Rose

The article “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose shares a story of his time in vocational school, which is the lowest level of education. Even though he was put in vocational school by accident, he decided to stay. Here, he met many different students and talked about their personalities and traits. Although the students in the vocational school are delinquents, he was able to see through them and realized that they are more than their words and behaviors. Rose’s ways of thinking really changed…

Words 371 - Pages 2