A metacommentary can be defined as a term used to describe narratives that directs the reader’s attention to the purpose and position of the text. According to Graff et al., Metacommentary is a way of a reader commenting on their claims and telling others how to and how not-think about them (129). It can also be illustrated as a way of helping readers understand what the author is saying. Therefore, we can say that Metacommentary prevents readers from getting confused when developing their papers. Therefore, this paper aims to analyses the Metacommentary used by Graff in his article “Hidden intellectualism” and also explore how effective he has studied the TS/IS templates.
In the article, “Hidden Intellectualism,” Graff argues that schools should always encourage the student to write about subjects that interest them. However, passion about the subjects does not necessarily mean that they will write about them. Still, they can benefit more on analytical and reflective writing subjects that matter to them (Graff 248). From the point above, Graff uses Metacommentary to help the reader realize the implications of his ideas that they had not initially realized that it exists. His position makes the audience realize that being a street smart is crucial to students than being book smart. This is because children get to practice what interests them.
The author has successfully used the Metacommentary to bring out his point on book smart versus street smart. I agree with him when he argues that society promotes an anti-intellectual, while at the same time, it views intellectualism as smart. He demonstrates how we can apply intelligent book knowledge on smart street situations. Graff individually, dwells more on sports because most of the children love sports. Therefore, it is evident from the text that Graff’s use of Metacommentary has been successful in convincing the audience that being street smart is advantageous as compared to the book smart. He has successfully used his standard views and the views of other authors to prove his point.
Birkenstein, Cathy, and Gerald Graff. They Say/I Say The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. WW Norton & Company, 2018.