How Funny is that?
Mr. Rowe
Junior Honors English
26 January 2014
How funny is that? James Thurber is an American author who has a very unique sense of humor, using events and references from his childhood. On December 8, 1894, self-described “night of the wild portent”, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Mary Thurber gave birth to their second child, James Grover Thurber, in Columbus Ohio. He came into the world with one older brother named William. He later had a younger brother named Robert. No one knew at that time that Thurber was going to grow up to be one very funny writer… but one never knows. When he was young his father worked many different jobs and went through many periods of unemployment, but for the most part Charles Thurber led the hum-drum life of a civil clerk. His middle son was going to have a very different kind of life. In 1901, the Thurber family moved to Falls Church, Virginia which was near Washington D.C. As a child, James and his two brothers got their early education at Sullivant Elementary school in Columbus. For the most part they were just regular little boys living their little boy lives. These youngsters must have been some wild ones though, because when he was nine, there was an accident. Thurber’s older brother William shot young James in the eye with a toy bow and arrow during a game of “William Tell”. It was something that affected his future because throughout Thurber’s life, he slowly lost the vision in both eyes. If he were to look back on it (no pun intended) he may not have played that game. Speaking of games, it has been said that his mother was quite the practical joker and often pulled pranks on her family and friends. This may be part of the reason he became such a humorist. In 1908, James begins the next step of his education at Douglas Junior High School. Thurber attended East High School in Columbus, Ohio and excelled at literature. Sadly, due to his blindness, he was not very good at science labs or gym classes. He made up
Junior Honors English
26 January 2014
How funny is that? James Thurber is an American author who has a very unique sense of humor, using events and references from his childhood. On December 8, 1894, self-described “night of the wild portent”, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Mary Thurber gave birth to their second child, James Grover Thurber, in Columbus Ohio. He came into the world with one older brother named William. He later had a younger brother named Robert. No one knew at that time that Thurber was going to grow up to be one very funny writer… but one never knows. When he was young his father worked many different jobs and went through many periods of unemployment, but for the most part Charles Thurber led the hum-drum life of a civil clerk. His middle son was going to have a very different kind of life. In 1901, the Thurber family moved to Falls Church, Virginia which was near Washington D.C. As a child, James and his two brothers got their early education at Sullivant Elementary school in Columbus. For the most part they were just regular little boys living their little boy lives. These youngsters must have been some wild ones though, because when he was nine, there was an accident. Thurber’s older brother William shot young James in the eye with a toy bow and arrow during a game of “William Tell”. It was something that affected his future because throughout Thurber’s life, he slowly lost the vision in both eyes. If he were to look back on it (no pun intended) he may not have played that game. Speaking of games, it has been said that his mother was quite the practical joker and often pulled pranks on her family and friends. This may be part of the reason he became such a humorist. In 1908, James begins the next step of his education at Douglas Junior High School. Thurber attended East High School in Columbus, Ohio and excelled at literature. Sadly, due to his blindness, he was not very good at science labs or gym classes. He made up