Why English 156 Wasn't Easy, Part XI

"The Dog Ate My Flashdrive And Other Tales of Woe" by Carolyn Segal

Read here: http://my.ece.ucsb.edu/York/Bobsclass/134/Handouts/The%20Dog%20ate%20my%20disk.pdf

Somehow you just think more of professors--all that time in graduate school for learning and reflecting--and hours spent contemplating the depth of the universe (because none of them had a job while in college, right?).

"Do you think she's a good writer?" The English instructor challenges me.

I already called--this dear English professor who's essay we are reading--"callous" and "narrow-minded" for poking fun at students who use a suicide in the family as a way to extend time given for writing assignments.

After all, no one ever dies from suicide.

Case in point, my yoga teacher at the adult school cancelled class for a week because her boyfriend died in an accident. How would she feel if I sent her an email saying, "Stop! I know you're lying. You're just trying to get out of showing up to class--and for attention!" Not only would my letter be extremely rude, but also very cruel to discount her pain like that.

Back to, do I think she's a good writer? No, I'm thinking, She's an idiot. Just because you know grammar rules and how to spell doesn't make you a writer--much less a good one. But I don't say that because I don't want to seem like an obnoxious ass, any more than I already do. So, I simply respond, "In what way?" Put the ball on his court.

But the English instructor wants to highlight her positive qualities, and talks about her organizational skills.
After all, can't I see the talent of her writing, even ignoring the subject matter?