Classifying Thinkers (A summary of William S. Golding's "Thinking as a Hobby")

We don't really know how to define intelligence. However, this does not discourage some people from categorizing others according to their intelligence or lack of it. In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby", author William S. Golding does exactly this. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.

According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.

Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.

The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.

One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!

Answer the questions:

1. Circle the thesis statement. How does Golding classify people?
The thesis statement is “In his essay, ‘Thinking as a hobby’, author William S. Golding does exactly this”. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.

2. Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
First body paragraph: According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers.

Second body paragraph: Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator.

Third body paragraph: The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers.

3. How does the author describe 90 percents of the population? The remaining 9 percent? The final 1 percent?
The author decribes the 90 percents of the population as grade-three thinkers who are docile. They only follow orders and obey other people's wishes without learning to think for themselves or distinguishing truth from lies. Grade-two thinkers, who can see corruption in the world and are less likely to be influenced by a dictator, make up the remaining 9 percent. The final 1 percent are described as grade-one thinkers that know how to seek truth apart from being able to witness corruption. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge in addition to being creative and imaginative geniuses.

4. Underline the examples used in the third body paragraph to describe "Grade-one thinkers."
Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein.

5. What is the writer's opinion of Golding's essay? In which paragraph do you find this opinion?
The writer thinks that Golding’s belief that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators is not true. Instead, he feels that the common sense and compassion of a normal person is sometimes sufficient to decide whether a community is taking the path towards civilization or barbarism. This opinion can be found in the fifth paragraph.

6. What support (facts, examples) are used in the conclusion to argue the writer's point of view?
The number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.

Cohen F Robert and Miller Judy "Reason to write- Strategies for success in academic writing"
Oxford University Press