The Gift of Fire

by Richard Mitchell

Twenty-odd years ago, Richard Mitchell, a professor at New Jersey’s Glassboro State College, set out on a quixotic the rescue of the English language and the minds of those attached to the world by it. Donning cape and mask as “The Underground Grammarian,” Mitchell sallied forth upon his newsletter against the nonsense being spoken, written, and, indeed, encouraged by the educational establishment. (“One thing led to another,” as he tells it, “a front page piece in The Wall Street Journal, a proÞle in Time, and other such. Before it was over, The Underground Grammarian came to be, in the world of desktop printing, the Þrst publication to have subscribers on every continent except Antarctica.”) What began as a vivid catalog of ignorance and inanity in the written work of professional educators and their hapless students soon became an enterprise of most noble an investigation, via mordant wit and Þerce intelligence, of “what we might usefully decide to mean by ‘education.’” The results of Mitchell’s inquiries are as stimulating today as they were when Þrst articulated. His project remains a telling explication of how, through writing, we discover thought and make knowledge. It is certainly the most drolly entertaining.

Genres: Philosophy, Education, Nonfiction, Writing

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Richard Mitchell was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He received his higher education, for a brief time, at the University of Chicago, where he met his wife, Francis; then at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa; and Syracuse University, where he earned his PhD. in American Literature.

Dr. Mitchell came to Glassboro State College in 1963 and retired in 1991, but continued to teach part-time until Fall 2001.

In addition to his reputation as a masterful lecturer, and extraordinary teacher, Dr. Mitchell was a prolific and well known author. He first gained prominence as the writer, publisher, and printer of The Underground Grammarian, a newsletter that offered lively, witty, satiric, and often derisive essays on the misuse of the English language, particularly the misuse of written English on college campuses. Many of the essays have been collected and are still in print. Dr. Mitchell went on to publish four books: Less Than Words Can Say, The Graves of Academe, The Leaning Tower of Babel, and The Gift of Fire.

One member of the Glassboro College (now Rowan University) Physics Dept. said, "He has done more to advance the reputation of Glassboro State College than anything since the Lyndon Johnson/Aleksei Kosygin Summit Conference of June 1967."

Reviews

[Tess Mueggenborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands-down, this has been the single most influential book of my life. This book first made me think about education and what it actually means to learn, eventually leading me to become a "teacher" (though Richard Mitchell would cringe at that title!).

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A philosophical look at Reason, particularly in knowledge and education. Lots of wisdom and interesting observations. It is probably better than I realize but (1) I was under the misconception that this was a book about Thomas Paine - it is not, and (2) I have a horrible head cold and probably shouldn't be reading deep stuff anyway.

[Lane Pybas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read chapters of this book in a seminar class about the pursuit of the good life my first semester of college. Even though I only read excerpts of the book, I attribute it to restoring my love of learning and literature that high school had effectively squashed. I think it was so seminal to my intellectual development (for lack of a better phrase) because it articulated a position about institutionalized education that high-school-indoctrinated me thought educators would never dare express or advocate—that institutionalized schooling falls short of the true goals of education, which Mitchell writes are the ability to be good, the ability to tell rubbish from reason, and the ability to know and judge the self. Because the book served as one of my first “occasions of education,” perhaps it is fitting that I finally read it in its entirety during my last semester of college, after having spent a few years attempting to nurture what Mitchell calls a habit of education. I think it’s as wonderfully concise and thought provoking as I did four years ago, and I plan on returning to it whenever I get too disillusioned by what gets paraded around as true education. Mitchell’s arguments are also really affirming. He shows that everyone has the ability to live a thoughtful life; only some choose to go to that inner place more than others. And even if you rarely make the effort of going to that place, he posits as Socrates does that it is still better to know that you’re in a bad condition than to not know at all. Really under appreciated introduction to the philosophy of education and learning.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Schumacher's Guide for the Perplexed proposes the idea of the intellectual life and establishes its existence, The Gift of Fire takes the next step by examining that life and determining what to do with it. Likening the mind to a child that needs rearing, Mitchell examines the definition and purpose of real "education" in a profound but light-hearted tour of the mind.

[Jeremy Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ideas and philosophies that Mitchell brings up in this book go beyond the usual simplicity and idealist nature of philosophy that some folks aspire to. It asks some very serious, uncomfortable questions about we compare ourselves and our moral aptitude in comparison to generations before us. It asks many questions about the nature of education, where we may have gone wrong, and how we could potentially fix our path. Furthermore, Mitchell aggressively questions the use and shallow nature of peoples’ use of “we,” as an impossible statement that neglects the responsibility of the individual, while also making aspirations for change impossible to reach. Mitchell’s metaphors, explanations, and explications are approachable, resonant, and truly thought provoking.

[Travis Pullin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have 8 hours of time on your hands, a dictionary, and a doctorate, you might enjoy reading this book. It is a chore. The amount of mental energy I expended reading this book is absurd. It’s complicated for no other reason than being complicated - reading it is like constantly trying to solve for a calculus problem. Every word falls on exhausted, uninterested ears. I’ve never cared so little about Socrates or Prometheus!

Mitchell is obviously intelligent and is definitely a “thinker”. I can imagine some Philosophy aficionados out there would find this book an absolute delight. However, I prefer communicators that explain their points simply in way that anybody can understand. For me, this book a generous 2 stars.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not an easy read and doesn't have a definitive answer. At best the author shows that the best life is the one lived with reflection. It's not possible to avoid all of the maladies of life so go out there and once armed with true knowledge, make the best of it. It's a 30 year old book but still relevant today as the professor makes the distinction between education and learning as he advocates the latter while warning against the former.

[Nathan McClallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read in years, all things considered.

[Adam Udell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read.

[Tony Merritt]

Ok ok

[David Bruyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Mitchell at his best. A bit meandering, ponderous and agnostic, as Mitchell acknowledges that Reason demands moral responsibility and thoughtful reflection.

[José Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desactualizado, pero opina q la inexistencia jurídica es una idiotez así que basado

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended but was a sore disappointment. Mitchell is not given to deep insights. Also he is not a good writer--unclear, and somewhat of a rambler.

Mitchell imagines that his thinking dazzles, but it bores. It's mundane. There are a handful of sharp observations scattered throughout the book, but most of it is dull.

I can't imagine anyone getting much out of this.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone gave me this book when I finished college, presumably because they thought I would enjoy reading it. I did not.

The first strike against it was that the author is hyped on the front cover as “the Underground Grammarian” and one of the dust jacket endorsements states, “If English is saved, he will be one of its saviors.” Grammatical pedantry is one of my pet peeves, and “saviors” of English are consistently people who know nothing about it.

But, that isn’t what this book is about. This book is an attempt to shame modern liberals into becoming lock-step Platonists. The author claims to be helping people “learn to think” by re-programming them to think like people did 4,000 years ago. He uses rhetorical tricks to snicker at popularized versions of modern philosophical positions and the scientific method, and pats himself on the back for being smarter than everyone around him.

The one thing I can say for the book is that the resistance it creates in the intelligent people who read it will help them refine their arguments against this sort of nonsense.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to chew on in this one. Mitchell stops short of a proper understanding of spiritual transformation as the means to goodness in the individual, although he doesn't rule out something beyond mere human reason to effect such a change, but his discourse on the Land of We All and his description of philosophy as a quiet Q&A were a good corrective for me.

[Eric Buhrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instead of (or in addition to)"What would Jesus do?" ask yourself "What would Socrates do?" I have studied this and given away several copies to people I believe will benefit. Not so much about WHAT to think as about HOW to think.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent definition of you are what you think.

[Kevin Perrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic introduction into living an educated life.

[Doctor VanNostrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use of satire and irony aside, this book will make many demands of the reader. A generous dose of cultural literacy helps. Enjoyable and challenging.

[alexandra f · Rating 5 out of 5]

if I could force everyone in the world to read one book, it would probably be this one.

[Jeana · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth owning, this one. too bad it appears to be out of print.