"In Praise Of The F Word"

The thesis that that Mary Sherry focuses on in her essay In Praise of the F word is basically the whole first paragraph of her paper. She talks about how eighteen year olds are semiliterate because they have never been required to prove that they are just as capable of graduating and maintaining an education, as the rest of their more literate classmates. Sherry then goes on to say that many students graduate high school with a diploma they didn’t rightfully deserve, because they didn’t truly understand what was being taught to them. Thus later creating problems for them in the workforce, when their employers realize they are illiterate.

I feel that although Sherry does acknowledge the fact that all students are different, and that some come from a more rough background than others, she fails to completely portray the reasons as to why these students fail in the first place. Sherry mostly says that people coming from harder and more challenging backgrounds than others, should be able to pass a class just like everyone else. And although this is true, she doesn’t really go into detail about it.

The “F” word in which this essay is referring to is not that “F” word we automatically think of as “the bad word”, but instead it refers to flunking and or failing. I think that yes by referring to failing and flunking as the “F” word, it does create an increase in effectiveness, because it gives off a negative connotation. Everyone knows failing and flunking is bad, and so is the actual “F” word, so by grouping them together it makes sense.

Sherry’s audience is primarily high school and college students. The audience could also be the educators and parents that she holds semi-responsible for the students being illiterate. The audience would be receptive to the “F” word, because automatically we think of something negative, and negative ideas draw attention. So yes the audience would be receptive, because they are drawn in by the curiousness of what the “F” is.

I’m not really sure about this last question. But I feel that Sherry would be qualified, because she is an educator herself, and she sees first hand just how illiterate some students really are. I think her way of thinking is accurate for the most part, but I do think her idea is still a little far fetched, because students need to be frightened not just by the “F” word, but also by the idea that they will fail.