Newland College – Aline’s memoir

14 Jan 2016

In MYP 3 & 4 Language and Literature, students are exploring the genres of personal essays and memoirs. In particular, students are understanding how writers draw from their personal experiences to create and interpret the world around them. As a memoir is a snapshot of a writer’s life, they can express innocence, tragedy and humour.  Aline’s memoir below brilliantly captures the comic side of domestic dining.

“Why are you calling her a dog?” I asked, wondering why they would refer to her as a dog.

“Don’t worry,” they told me, “just give your plate to her and you’ll see what happens.”

I did what I was told and gave her my plate. She put the cutlery aside and brought the plate close to her face. She stuck out her tongue and started to lick the plate. She moved the plate around so she could lick everything that was left. Surprised by what she was doing I looked across the table to see my brother, Sam, just as surprised as me. We were both trying to figure out why she decided to lick a plate.

Sam and I glanced at each other with confusion and a little bit of disgust. We were both thinking the same thing so I was happy that I wasn’t the only one who thought this was a strange behaviour. Does she always do this when she comes to visit? I thought to myself. Are they used to this kind of behaviour? Is she trying to be funny?

One by one everyone passed their plates along the table until she was left with a pile of plates in front of her. She put the cutlery to the side of the plates and grinned eagerly at the leftover food. What was she planning? She picked the first plate up and brought it close to her face. She stuck out her tongue and once again started licking the plate. Moving the plate around as to get every little speck of food. I looked around the table and saw that there were no more plates. Feeling relieved I got ready to leave when she picked up the pot that was in the middle of the table and stuck her face in it. With no surprise she licked the whole pot clean.

From that moment on it was official, the dishwasher had been replaced by a tongue.

“She does this all the time when she comes over. She picks up our plates when we’ve finished eating and licks them until they’re clean. Just like a dog.”