Satire: 20th Century Style

This CWRU/Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning course began on March 24th.  Three novels are being discussed: Brave New World by Huxley, A Clockwork Orange by Burgess and Sinclair Lewis’ Main Street.  The Lifelong Learning program is really extensive, offering numerous courses in locations throughout the Greater Cleveland area.  The Satire course is being offered on Mondays for 8 weeks at the Rocky River Public Library.

There are 9 students, 7 women and 2 men, 1 of the men is a retired executive of a company my first lawyer boss represented – what a small world that some one from a past life should be in that class. One man and 3 women of the 9 are 90+ years old.  At 76 I may be the youngest in the class.

First day the instructor asked us to go around the circle introducing ourselves and to include an interesting , little known fact about ourselves.  First was the 90+ year old man.  I know his age because he told us but that wasn’t his little known fact.  Years ago he had been in a little theater production with a famous movie star.  He described that experience building up to the reveal – the name of the famous movie star.  And OMG, he forgot the movie star’s name.  So he said “he was short and pudgy and had black hair” but those clues didn’t help.

The next woman – I think she is only 87 years old – introduced herself.  And in the middle of the third person’s speaking he raised his hand and said “Peter Lorre.”  Now you young readers probably are thinking “Peter who?”   Peter Lorre is probably most known for his part in the movie “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”  He died shortly after his last movie “The Patsy” in 1964.

Over here in Cleveland our retired people just keep active and learning forever.  No sitting at home in a rocking chair.  These lovely people comb their hair, get dressed up and go to the library to discuss literature. That is how we roll in Cleveland.

If you don’t believe it, just ask Betty White.