Oliver Robinson

Critical Interpretation

Sentences

– Pg. 226. “The article attempts a theoretical contribution as well, and

assesses student work in the light of a theoretical approach to social

class.”

– -Here Anyon is telling the reader how the findings are all about social class

and are purely theoretical. As a reader this does not give off the

confidence an authors may have in their piece of writing. Anyon also uses

the word “attempt” as if she is unsure whether or not these fifth graders

will show any evidence to back up her social class theories.

– Pg. 227. “A person’s social class is defined here by the way that a person

relates to the process in society by which goods, services, and culture are

produced.”

– Anyon is giving her definition of social class so that later in the essay she

can refer her findings back to this model. After seeing the children relate

to certain things in the classroom, Anyon used this definition to be able to

show how the different class of school teaches the students. To a reader

this may be seen as Anyon’s definition so that her analysis can be

legitimized.

– Pg. 229. “Social class is a lived, developing process.”

– This statement can sum up why Anyon is choosing to observe children to

find out about social class. Anyon knows it is a lived process so that the

children in the different classes will act and be taught different. The
 second part of that sentence however makes the reader wonder when

does development stop? If these children are only in the fifth grade it

would not be right to assume they will never develop into a higher class.

And developing process means that one day, with a few adjustments, a

child in the working class schools could develop into a child that fits right

in with the middle and higher class settings.

– Pg. 231. “However, the examples of school work which follow will suggest

characteristics of education in each social setting that appear to have

theoretical and social significance and to be worth investigation in a larger

number of schools.”

– In this sentence what Anyon says is that although her findings matched

her predictions there is no way of definitively determining whether or not

social class is determined in schools. I am glad that this statement does

not appear at the end of the essay otherwise it would have been a waste

to read. Anyon clearly states that in order for a true test to be conducted

more schools need to be involved. Even then it is not clear.

– Pg. 237. “Their questions are tolerated, and usually answered

perfunctorily.”

– I believe in this sentence Anyon is being too harsh on the teachers

response. She is referring to the middle class school teacher’s ability to

interact with her students. This is merely an opinion of a teacher’s

response. Anyon is creating these statements so that, from a reader point

of view, it seems the higher the social class the better the teachers. There

is no evidence to prove this, and even before the essay Anyon describes
each teacher as one of the best and having taught for no less than four

years.