Using Quotes Is Such A Cliché
(I’m in my sophomore year of high school in English class and our class is peer editing an essay on a novel about an author. Sometimes our teacher helps the students edit our work, as is the case when my essay is returned. She has told me not to use a cliché which I used to end my essay.)
Me: “[Teacher] told me not to use this cliché at the end of my essay.”
Friend: “Hold on a sec.” *flips through the book for a few minutes* “Read this.”
Me: *reading the story* “I had an English teacher in college once who told me never to use clichés. But the thing about clichés — sometimes they describe a situation perfectly.” *laughs* “Should I go show this to [Teacher]?”
Friend: “Yeah, you totally should. She might get a little mad, but it will be worth it.”
Me: “I don’t know; she might get mad.”
(After a few minutes of this I finally decide to go show her the quote.)
Me: “You told me not use this cliché in my essay, but—” *reads the quote*
Teacher: *stammers* “That doesn’t apply to this situation!”
(Not wanting to get in trouble I sit back down, but my friend and I continue looking for quotes to argue with my teacher for the remainder of the year.)
