What’s So Funny?
In 1990, during a performance of my stage play, I kept focusing myself on one particular member of the audience. While everybody else laughed, there she sat, staring at the floor, with her fingers in her ears. I’ll never forget her look of discomfort. That woman was my mother. I wish I could say her reaction that evening was an incident, but it was one of many I remember when I was first starting out as a playwright.
Although I’d established myself as a humourist, my mother never found me or my work particularly funny. We loved each other deeply, of course, but she was my hardest critic. “Is Drew really that funny?” she’d ask family members. To make matters worse, the feeling was mutual (相互的): though our social circle swore that she was funny, I never saw it. How could she be funny? My mother was supposedly very funny in her first language, Anishinaabemowin, but I didn’t speak it. One of the characteristics of the language is that it is structured for maximum amusement.
For a while I was convinced I would never make her laugh. Then, in 2005, I succeeded. I had published a book called, Me Funny. In it were dozens of essays deconstructing (解构) the humour in Anishinaabemowin. They cracked her up so much that she looked at me and declared, “Wow, that was funny!” I remember being relieved and very pleased.
In 2009, my mother passed away. I was in charge of planning the funeral along with two cousins. Because my mother was a shy woman, I can guarantee she would have found our group effort quite embarrassing. During the funeral, amidst the tears, family member after family member got up and recounted things she had done and said over the years. To my surprise, I found myself laughing. More and more stories about her surfaced. We laughed as we remembered her.
I couldn’t see my mother’s forest for my own trees. I wish I could have shared those laughs with her while she was alive, but I’m glad I finally made the connection.
21. The author’s mother didn’t laugh when watching his play because ________.
A.she wasn’t interested in stage plays | B.she felt uncomfortable at the theatre |
C.she couldn’t understand his humour | D.she had difficulty following the plot |
22. What finally helped the author understand his mother’s humour?
A.The release of his book. | B.The stories about his mother. |
C.The audience’s feedback. | D.The social circle’s comments. |
23. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.To express his sorrow. | B.To explain his humour. |
C.To show his achievements. | D.To remember his mother. |