Excerpt

Excerpt from The University of Hard Knocks, by Ralph Albert Parlette

Then we had a "doings." Everybody did a stunt. We executed a lot of
literature that day. Execute is the word that tells what happened to
literature in District No. 1, Jackson Township, that day. I can shut my
eyes and see it yet. I can see my pupils coming forward to speak their
"pieces." I hardly knew them and they hardly knew me, for we were
"dressed up." Many a head showed father had mowed it with the
sheepshears. Mother had been busy with the wash-rag--clear back of the
ears! And into them! So many of them wore collars that stuck out all
stiff like they had pushed their heads on thru their big straw hats.

I can see them speaking their "pieces." I can see "The Soldier of the
Legion lay dying in Algiers." We had him die again that day, and he had
a lingering end as we executed him. I can see "The boy stood on the
burning deck, whence all but he had fled." I can see "Mary's little
lamb" come slipping over the stage. I see the tow-headed patriot in
"Give me liberty or give me death." I feel now that if Patrick Henry
had been present, he would have said, "Give me death."

There came a breathless hush as "teacher" came forward as the last act
on the bill to say farewell. It was customary to cry. I wanted to yell.
Tomorrow I would get my money! I had a speech I had been saying over
and over until it would say itself. But somehow when I got up before
that "last day of school" audience and opened my mouth, it was a great
opening, but nothing came out. It came out of my eyes. Tears rolled
down my cheeks until I could hear them spatter on my six-dollar suit.

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The University of Hard Knocks by Ralph Albert Parlette

Context of the Source

Ralph Albert Parlette (1869–1951) was an American humorist, educator, and writer known for his witty, nostalgic, and often satirical depictions of rural life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The University of Hard Knocks (1916) is a semi-autobiographical collection of essays and sketches reflecting on his experiences as a young, inexperienced teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Indiana.

The excerpt describes the chaotic yet endearing "last day of school" program, where students perform recitations ("pieces") of famous literary and patriotic works—often poorly executed but full of earnest enthusiasm. The passage blends humor, nostalgia, and subtle critique of rural education while capturing the raw, unpolished charm of small-town school life.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. The Performance of Education vs. Real Learning

   • The students are not truly engaging with literature; they are executing it—like a sentence. The word "execute" is deliberately harsh, suggesting that the recitations are mechanical, forced, and perhaps even violent to the original texts.
   • The teacher (Parlette himself) admits that the students barely understand what they’re reciting ("they hardly knew me, for we were 'dressed up'"), emphasizing the performative, superficial nature of their education.

2. Rural Simplicity and Earnestness

   • The descriptions of the students’ appearances—hair cut with sheepshears, collars sticking out like straw hats—paint a picture of rustic, homemade preparation. There’s a warmth in the way Parlette recalls their awkwardness, suggesting affection rather than mockery.
   • The recitations themselves ("The Soldier of the Legion," "Casabianca," "Patrick Henry’s Speech") are grand, dramatic pieces that contrast comically with the children’s likely halting, over-the-top deliveries.

3. The Teacher’s Dual Role: Authority and Vulnerability

   • The teacher is expected to deliver a tearful farewell speech (a tradition), but instead of crying out of sentiment, he’s overwhelmed by the relief of finally getting paid.
   • His emotional breakdown—where words fail and tears flow—is both humorous and poignant. It reveals the pressure on young, underprepared teachers in rural schools, where expectations (performative emotion) clash with reality (exhaustion and financial relief).

4. Nostalgia and Irony

   • Parlette looks back with humor, but there’s an undercurrent of fondness for these imperfect moments. The exaggerated deaths of literary figures ("The Soldier of the Legion lay dying… again") and the absurdity of a "tow-headed patriot" reciting Patrick Henry’s speech highlight the gap between grand ideals and rural reality.
   • The line "Give me liberty or give me death… I feel now that if Patrick Henry had been present, he would have said, 'Give me death.'" is a perfect example of ironic humor—suggesting the recitation was so bad that even the original speaker would prefer death to hearing it.

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Literary Devices

1. Hyperbole & Exaggeration

   • "We executed a lot of literature that day." – The word "executed" is a darkly humorous exaggeration, framing the recitations as a kind of literary murder.
   • "Tears rolled down my cheeks until I could hear them spatter on my six-dollar suit." – The image of tears sputtering audibly is an absurd, exaggerated detail that heightens the comedy.

2. Irony & Sarcasm

   • The contrast between the lofty subject matter (patriotism, war, sacrifice) and the children’s likely clumsy deliveries is ironic.
   • The teacher’s emotional speech is supposed to be heartfelt, but his tears come from relief at getting paid, not sadness at leaving—subverting expectations.

3. Imagery & Sensory Detail

   • Visual: "Collars that stuck out all stiff like they had pushed their heads on thru their big straw hats." – A vivid, humorous image of rural fashion.
   • Auditory: "I can hear them spatter on my six-dollar suit." – The sound of tears adds a tactile, almost slapstick element to the scene.
   • Tactile/Emotional: The "breathless hush" before the teacher’s speech creates tension, only for it to dissolve into farce.

4. Allusion & Intertextuality

   • The recitations reference well-known poems and speeches:
     • "The Soldier of the Legion" (from "The Dying Soldier" by Felicia Hemans)
     • "The boy stood on the burning deck" (from "Casabianca" by Felicia Hemans)
     • "Mary’s little lamb" (by Sarah Josepha Hale)
     • "Give me liberty or give me death" (Patrick Henry’s famous speech)
   • These allusions serve two purposes:
     • They highlight the limited, repetitive curriculum of rural schools.
     • They create humor by juxtaposing grand literature with the children’s likely awkward performances.

5. Colloquial Language & Dialect

   • Phrases like "we had a 'doings'", "dressed up", and "mother had been busy with the wash-rag" mimic rural speech, adding authenticity and humor.
   • The informal tone makes the scene feel intimate and personal, as if Parlette is recounting the story orally.

6. Juxtaposition

   • The grandeur of the literature vs. the simplicity (or incompetence) of the performers.
   • The expectation of a tearful farewell vs. the teacher’s relief at getting paid.

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Significance of the Passage

1. Critique of Rural Education

   • The excerpt subtly critiques the rote memorization and performative aspects of 19th-century schooling, where students recited famous works without necessarily understanding them.
   • The "execution" of literature suggests that the system was more about discipline and tradition than genuine learning.

2. Humanizing the Teacher

   • Unlike idealized portrayals of teachers as wise and composed, Parlette presents himself as flawed, emotional, and even a little selfish (thinking about his pay). This makes him relatable and human.
   • His breakdown—where he can’t speak and instead cries—is both funny and touching, revealing the pressures of teaching in such an environment.

3. Nostalgia for Imperfection

   • The passage celebrates the messy, imperfect, but deeply human moments of rural life. The students’ awkwardness, the teacher’s emotional outburst, and the overall chaos are remembered with fondness, not disdain.
   • This aligns with Parlette’s broader style, which often finds beauty in the mundane and humor in the struggles of everyday life.

4. Humor as a Coping Mechanism

   • The exaggerated, self-deprecating humor serves as a way to cope with the challenges of teaching. By laughing at the absurdity, Parlette (and the reader) can appreciate the experience without bitterness.

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Line-by-Line Breakdown of Key Moments

1. "Execute is the word that tells what happened to literature in District No. 1, Jackson Township, that day."

   • The word "execute" is brutal—it suggests that the students didn’t just recite literature; they killed it. This sets up the tone: the recitations were more about endurance than artistry.

2. "Many a head showed father had mowed it with the sheepshears. Mother had been busy with the wash-rag—clear back of the ears! And into them!"

   • The imagery here is both humorous and affectionate. The "sheepshears" and "wash-rag" evoke a no-nonsense, practical upbringing. The idea of scrubbing "into" the ears is exaggerated but paints a picture of thorough (if rough) parental care.

3. "I can see 'The Soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers.' We had him die again that day, and he had a lingering end as we executed him."

   • The soldier’s "lingering end" suggests the recitation was drawn-out and dramatic, possibly with exaggerated pauses or mistaken lines. The humor comes from the idea that the students are re-killing a already dead literary figure.

4. "I feel now that if Patrick Henry had been present, he would have said, 'Give me death.'"

   • This is the funniest line in the passage. Patrick Henry’s famous demand for liberty is undercut by the implication that hearing the recitation would be so unbearable that he’d prefer death. It’s a perfect example of bathos (a sudden drop from the sublime to the ridiculous).

5. "I had a speech I had been saying over and over until it would say itself. But somehow when I got up before that 'last day of school' audience and opened my mouth, it was a great opening, but nothing came out."

   • The teacher’s prepared speech fails him, highlighting the gap between practice and reality. The "great opening" (his mouth) producing nothing is a visual gag.

6. "Tears rolled down my cheeks until I could hear them spatter on my six-dollar suit."

   • The detail of hearing tears is absurd and exaggerated, turning an emotional moment into something almost cartoonish. The "six-dollar suit" also hints at his modest salary, adding another layer of meaning—his tears might be as much about financial relief as emotion.

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Conclusion: Why This Passage Resonates

Parlette’s excerpt is a masterclass in humorous nostalgia. It captures the chaos, earnestness, and imperfection of rural education without mocking its subjects. Instead, it finds warmth in the absurdity and dignity in the struggle. The passage is significant because it:

• Demystifies teaching, showing the human, flawed side of educators.
• Preserves a moment in time, offering a window into late 19th-century rural school life.
• Uses humor to critique, gently poking fun at rote learning while still honoring the effort behind it.

Ultimately, the excerpt is funny, poignant, and deeply human—a celebration of the messy, unpolished moments that make life (and education) memorable.

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Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s use of the word "execute" to describe the students’ recitations serves primarily to:

A. highlight the disciplined precision with which the students delivered their lines.
B. underscore the teacher’s authoritarian control over the classroom’s literary activities.
C. evoke a sense of reverence for the classical texts being performed.
D. contrast the grandeur of the literature with the students’ rural simplicity.
E. suggest a violent, almost destructive relationship between the performers and the material.

Question 2

The line "I feel now that if Patrick Henry had been present, he would have said, 'Give me death'" functions as:

A. a literal critique of the students’ mispronunciation of Henry’s famous speech.
B. an expression of the teacher’s frustration with the students’ lack of patriotism.
C. a humorous exaggeration emphasizing the painful inadequacy of the recitation.
D. a historical revision implying Henry’s speech was originally delivered poorly.
E. a metaphor for the teacher’s desire to escape the oppressive environment of the schoolhouse.

Question 3

The teacher’s emotional breakdown during his farewell speech is most effectively interpreted as:

A. a calculated performance designed to elicit sympathy from the students’ parents.
B. an authentic outpouring of grief over leaving his beloved pupils.
C. a moment of professional failure, revealing his lack of preparatory skill.
D. a release of complex emotions—relief, exhaustion, and performative expectation—colliding at once.
E. an ironic commentary on the rural tradition of forced sentimentality in education.

Question 4

The passage’s tone is best described as:

A. cynical, with a biting condemnation of rural educational standards.
B. sentimental, idealizing the simplicity and purity of country life.
C. affectionately ironic, blending humor with fondness for the scene’s imperfections.
D. detached and clinical, observing the events with academic objectivity.
E. melancholic, dwelling on the inevitability of time’s passage and lost youth.

Question 5

Which of the following literary techniques is least prominent in the passage?

A. Hyperbole, as seen in the exaggerated descriptions of the students’ appearances and performances.
B. Juxtaposition, contrasting the grandeur of the recited texts with the children’s awkward deliveries.
C. Allegory, where the "execution" of literature symbolizes the broader decline of rural American values.
D. Colloquialism, using informal phrases like "doings" and "dressed up" to evoke rural speech patterns.
E. Allusion, referencing well-known poems and speeches to create humorous or ironic effects.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The word "execute" carries connotations of violence and finality, suggesting the students’ recitations were not just poor but actively destructive to the original texts. This aligns with the passage’s tone, where literature is treated as something to be endured rather than appreciated. The narrator’s choice of this verb—rather than "recite," "perform," or "deliver"—implies a hostile, almost aggressive relationship between the performers and the material, reinforcing the idea that the recitations were more about mechanical repetition than engagement.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The passage undermines any sense of precision; the recitations are described as clumsy and prolonged ("a lingering end").
• B: The teacher’s authority is not the focus; the word "execute" critiques the act of recitation itself, not the teacher’s control.
• C: Reverence is absent; the tone is ironic and irreverent toward the "executed" literature.
• D: While contrast exists, the primary effect of "execute" is its violent connotation, not just juxtaposition.

2) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The line is a classic example of hyperbolic humor. By imagining Patrick Henry—whose original speech was a rousing call to arms—preferring death over hearing the recitation, the narrator exaggerates the performance’s inadequacy to comic effect. The joke relies on the absurdity of the comparison, underscoring how painfully poor the delivery must have been.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: There’s no indication the students mispronounced the speech; the humor lies in the quality of performance, not errors.
• B: The teacher’s frustration isn’t the focus; the line targets the recitation itself, not the students’ patriotism.
• D: The passage doesn’t revise history; it uses Henry’s speech as a foil for humor.
• E: While the teacher may feel trapped, the line is about the recitation’s quality, not his desire to escape.

3) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The teacher’s breakdown is a multivalent moment: his tears could stem from relief (finally getting paid), exhaustion (the stress of the performance), and the performative pressure to cry (a "customary" farewell tradition). The passage suggests these emotions collide, making his reaction neither purely genuine nor entirely performative but a complex, human response to conflicting feelings.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The breakdown is described as unintentional ("nothing came out"), undermining the idea of calculation.
• B: His tears are tied to relief ("Tomorrow I would get my money!"), not grief.
• C: While it could reflect failure, the passage emphasizes the emotional overload rather than incompetence.
• E: The moment is more personal than a broad commentary on rural traditions.

4) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The tone is affectionately ironic: the narrator pokes fun at the scene’s absurdities (e.g., the "executed" literature, the teacher’s breakdown) but does so with warmth and nostalgia. The humor isn’t cruel; it celebrates the imperfections of rural life, blending critique with fondness.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The tone isn’t cynical; there’s no bitterness, only amused observation.
• B: Sentimentality is undercut by irony (e.g., the teacher’s tears are partly about money).
• D: The narrator is deeply involved in the scene, not detached.
• E: Melancholy is present but secondary to the humor and affection.

5) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct:Allegory is the least prominent technique. The passage doesn’t use the "execution" of literature as a sustained symbol for broader cultural decline; it’s a localized, situational critique of a single event. The other techniques (hyperbole, juxtaposition, colloquialism, allusion) are all clearly present and functional.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Hyperbole is central (e.g., tears "sputtering" on the suit, the soldier’s "lingering end").
• B: Juxtaposition drives the humor (grand texts vs. rural deliveries).
• C: Colloquialisms like "doings" and "dressed up" ground the scene in rural speech.
• E: Allusions to Hemans, Henry, etc., are frequent and purposeful.