¶ … Close Reading of "Look at Your Fish"
Samuel H. Scudder composed "Look at Your Fish" in 1874. The piece is a narrative and anecdote of Scudder's first encounter with Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz. Agassiz, at the time of their meeting, was an accomplished zoologist working at the Harvard University Lawrence Scientific School. Scudder was an entomologist who studied under and was mentored by Agassiz during his time at Harvard. "Look at Your Fish" is Scudder's recollection of his first day in Professor Agassiz's course and the first class exercise in which Professor Agassiz assigned to the class. "Look at Your Fish" is told in a chronological, linear fashion. There are a few groups for whom this piece is the intended audience. One audience could be college students; another group could be professors at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This piece would also be relevant to any teacher or anyone serving in a teaching and/or leadership role. Scudder's thesis is direct, yet it comes at the conclusion of the work. The writing has a basic formality in structure and formatting while it may be slightly less formal in its content. Scudder does not write to persuade his audience; readers infer from the tone that the author's intent is to share a moment in education that influence the author personally, professionally, and academically for years to come. Scudder successfully conveys a "teaching moment" he had with a professor because of his tone, organization, and succinct writing.
Scudder describes a non-traditional learning experience he had under Professor Agassiz. Through this experience Scudder learned the value of several things. He learned the value of patience and taking one's time. The solution to the problem or exercise that Agassiz puts before his class does not come instantaneously. Often, the attitudes of adolescents and young adults of advanced societies have lost touch with the concept of solutions coming over time. In the instantaneous, attention...
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