Analysis of the Short Story “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter
In the short story, “Gryphon”, the author, Charles Baxter, writes a story about a fourth-grader named Tommy who gets a strange substitute teacher, Miss Ferenczi, who tells “substitute facts” in order to expand students’ minds and make them wonder more (Baxter 253). The setting of the story is mainly in Tommy’s fourth-grade classroom at Garfield-Murray School in Five Oaks, “a rural community” in Michigan (Baxter 251). It takes place from October to December during the late 1900’s (presumably early 1980’s). Due to Miss Ferenczi’s strange persona, the main character Tommy, Carol Peterson, Wayne Razmer, Carl Whiteside, and many other classmates are taught in an unconventional form, which gives …show more content…
He taught “substitute facts” much like Miss Ferenczi. In a way, Miss Ferenczi is an exaggerated portrayal of himself. Charles Baxter’s “experience made him realize that a teacher can enter a classroom and teach anything — facts or substitute facts — without anyone knowing the difference” (Bily). Teachers are meant to pass along their knowledge to students. This knowledge can be facts, opinions, or anything in between. Students see teachers as authority figures in and outside of the classroom. At a young age, students expect and assume that everything taught in the classroom is a fact. This is the case for Tommy and his classmates who have so far been raised with a narrow mindset and are not used to learning about things that don’t have a definitive answer. An example of this mindset is when Miss Ferenczi allowed for six times eleven to equal sixty-eight. The students would not accept any other reasoning other than six times eleven equaling sixty-six. Miss Ferenczi tells the class, “When your teacher, Mr. Hibler, returns, six times eleven will be sixty-six again, you can rest assured. And it will be that for the rest of your lives in Five Oaks. Too bad, eh?” (Baxter
In the short story, “Gryphon”, the author, Charles Baxter, writes a story about a fourth-grader named Tommy who gets a strange substitute teacher, Miss Ferenczi, who tells “substitute facts” in order to expand students’ minds and make them wonder more (Baxter 253). The setting of the story is mainly in Tommy’s fourth-grade classroom at Garfield-Murray School in Five Oaks, “a rural community” in Michigan (Baxter 251). It takes place from October to December during the late 1900’s (presumably early 1980’s). Due to Miss Ferenczi’s strange persona, the main character Tommy, Carol Peterson, Wayne Razmer, Carl Whiteside, and many other classmates are taught in an unconventional form, which gives …show more content…
He taught “substitute facts” much like Miss Ferenczi. In a way, Miss Ferenczi is an exaggerated portrayal of himself. Charles Baxter’s “experience made him realize that a teacher can enter a classroom and teach anything — facts or substitute facts — without anyone knowing the difference” (Bily). Teachers are meant to pass along their knowledge to students. This knowledge can be facts, opinions, or anything in between. Students see teachers as authority figures in and outside of the classroom. At a young age, students expect and assume that everything taught in the classroom is a fact. This is the case for Tommy and his classmates who have so far been raised with a narrow mindset and are not used to learning about things that don’t have a definitive answer. An example of this mindset is when Miss Ferenczi allowed for six times eleven to equal sixty-eight. The students would not accept any other reasoning other than six times eleven equaling sixty-six. Miss Ferenczi tells the class, “When your teacher, Mr. Hibler, returns, six times eleven will be sixty-six again, you can rest assured. And it will be that for the rest of your lives in Five Oaks. Too bad, eh?” (Baxter