My English class today was talking about Active and Passive voice. My TA taught simply that in that class, we should always use active. One kid asked her when it would be a good time to use passive, and she was a little stuck. My teacher liked the question so much that he posed it to the class. Kids came up with answers like, "Well, maybe on a research project," or, "Maybe when looking back on an event," to which my teacher only noncommittally agreed to. Then silence. Meanwhile, my brain's going, "Oh, like in The Cold Equations, and other stories like it. No one's saying anything. Maybe I should speak up. No one else is...". So, I spoke up.
"In literature, passive voice is used to create distance between the reader and the subject." I said, full of confidence.
"What?!" My teacher cried, using his usual 'where'd my student learn that' exclamation.
"I should have put that in my powerpoint," the TA said in awe.
"Sorry," I mumbled, not pleased that such a big deal had been made out of it and that the entire class was now staring at me. My cheeks flushed and I could feel her heart pounding.
Later, my teacher mentioned that he has written a book, and is working on getting it published. "But it keeps getting rejected," says he.
I decided then and there that I want to be published, if only so that I can go up to a teacher I disagree with, hopefully one of the English-teaching persuasion, and proclaim snidely, "Yeah, but I'm published," in a 'beat that' sort of way. Doesn't that sound fun?!
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