[stylist] The Neighbors: A Parable

[Tessa]

Chris,
LOL though wise old teacher is rather a cliche, I like the ending, have to say I've read both moby dick and cooper, yep moby dick was boring LOL, it's been about 30 years since I read cooper so would have to reread it I did enjoy it at the 
time. It's a nice twist the way you've ended it with the teacher commenting negatively on the classics and the student being rather shocked, usually it's the other way around. 
Anyway a fun read.
Tessa

----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Kuell  via stylist  <stylist at nfbnet.org>
To: his'Writers' Division Mailing List'"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016 12:37 am
Subject: [stylist] The Neighbors: A Parable

>
>
> 
> The Neighbors: A Parable
> 
> The wise old teacher handed back the paper to his student, who scowled when
> she saw all the red corrections.
> "You don't know everything," she snapped. "My Mom and my friends love my
> stories."
> "Of course they do," he agreed. "My goal is to help you do even better."
> The unhappy student sat pouting with her lower lip out, incomprehension
> obvious on her face.
> 
> "Once there were two neighbors," her teacher said. "Neighbor A was walking
> down the street and noticed that neighbor B was building a new deck on the
> side of his house. Having some experience in deck building, neighbor A went
> over for a chat. What he saw distressed him. Neighbor B's idea was sound,
> but his work was sloppy.
> As he approached, neighbor B looked up from his work and said, "What do you
> think?"
> Being a kind man, neighbor A said, "I love the wood you picked, and I think
> the size is just right. But, I can't help but notice that you didn't use
> footings, and those two by fours aren't strong enough to hold up all that
> weight."
> Neighbor A glared in response. "What the hell do you know?" he said. "I've
> never seen you build a deck before."
> "Actually," neighbor A said. "I've built over 40 decks. I've made a pretty
> good living at it. And, I've helped many of my friends with their decks, so
> I do know what I'm talking about."
> "Yeah, right," neighbor A retorted. "I don't need no advice. I know what I'm
> doing. I paid for this deck, and it's a damn good deck."
> Neighbor A just smiled and continued on his way. A week later when he walked
> by again, Neighbor B's deck was a pile of lumber strewn against the lawn.
> And neighbor B sat in the middle of the mess with a big, proud smile on his
> face."
> 
> "That story was stupid," the student said.
> "Perhaps," her teacher said. "Just think it over, and maybe it will make
> sense."
>   "Let me ask you something," the student slid her big glasses back up her
> nose. "You ever read Moby Dick?"
> "I'd rather get a root canal," the teacher replied. "That book was so boring
> I only wish it covered how to tie a slip knot so I could hang myself."
> "How about that other guy, ya know, the Last of the Mohicans. James Fanny
> More Cooper. Ever read his stuff?"
> "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "I think Mark Twain said it best-Cooper is
> guilty of verbose writing, poor plotting, glaring inconsistencies, overused
> clichés, cardboard characterizations, and a host of similar offenses."
> "Yikes," the girl said. 
> Her teacher just smiled and moved on to the next student.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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