56.3. How does Miss Hurd affect both Gage's understanding of English and his appreciation of his origins?
From the text:
"I was soon under Miss Hurd’s spell. She did indeed teach us to put out a newspaper, skills I honed during my next 25 years as a journalist. Soon I asked the principal to transfer me to her English class as well. There, she drilled us on grammar until I finally began to understand the logic and structure of the English language. She assigned stories for us to read and discuss; not tales of heroes, like the Greek myths I knew, but stories of underdogs – poor people, even immigrants, who seemed ordinary until a crisis drove them to do something extraordinary. She also introduced us to the literary wealth of Greece – giving me a new perspective on my war-ravaged, impoverished homeland. I began to be proud of my origins."
The Teacher Who Changed My Life
