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What an obscene picture! Thanks for sharing it. Where did it come from? Is it staged or 'real'? I was visiting schools once, courtesy of the local Arts Dept, and I asked one class if they had ever read anything written by me. 'Yes, sir,' one boy politely stood up. 'We did your poem last week.' Andrew On 29/09/2007, TheOldMole <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > http://web.ncf.ca/ek867/ball.howl.jpg > > Jon Corelis wrote: > > A long time ago I read somewhere the following story, told by someone > > who had taught English at West Point. > > > > In the time of this story (I'm not sure if it's still the same,) the > > method of instruction at West Point classes was that the professor > > would call students in turn in class. The student when called would > > stand at attention and the professor would ask the student a question. > > When the question had been answered and discussed, that student would > > sit down, and the professor would call on another. > > > > Well, it seems that at one point the class were studying Keats's "The > > Eve of St. Agnes," and the professor, wanting to be sure that all the > > students at least understood the narrative, was calling on each of the > > students in turn, asking each of them to describe in their own words > > what was happening in the poem. > > > > About halfway through the class, the professor called on one student > > who stood to attention and said, "Sir!" The professor asked him to > > please tell the class, in his own words, what was going on in the > > poem's 23rd stanza. The student said, "Sir! As the woman entered the > > room, simultaneously a large South American mammal exited through the > > door, Sir!" > > > > The professor, unable to credit his hearing, asked the student to > > repeat his answer, and it was the same. "And how," asked the > > professor, "did you arrive at that interpretation?" > > > > "Sir!" answered the student, "I verified the animal's name in a > > reference book, Sir!" > > > > The first line of stanza 23 of Keats's "The Eve of St. Agnes" is: > > > > "Out went the taper as she hurried in ..." > > > > > > -- > Tad Richards > http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/ > http://opusforty.blogspot.com/ > -- Andrew http://hispirits.blogspot.com/ http://www.inblogs.net/hispirits http://www.flickr.com/photos/aburke/