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From: barth@tellab1.UUCP (Barth Richards)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: science fiction
Message-ID: <754@tellab1.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-Jan-86 11:26:38 EST
Article-I.D.: tellab1.754
Posted: Fri Jan 10 11:26:38 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jan-86 02:56:25 EST
Reply-To: barth@tellab3.UUCP (Barth Richards)
Followup-To: net
Distribution: net
Organization: Tellabs, Inc., Lisle, IL
Lines: 49
Keywords: science fiction

A professor of Modern English Literature was teaching a class at the
university, in which he had just concluded three weeks of lectures on
science fiction. He had assigned readings by some of the best of the
genre, and had lead some fascinating and in-depth discussions with his
students on the works of Herbert, Asimov, Clarke, Wells, and several other
noted authors of science fiction, even Douglas Adams.

To conclude the course's segment on science fiction he assigned the class a
paper, on any topic they wished having to do with science fiction. The next
week, after the papers had been turned in, the professor was grading them
and came across this paper:

   There once was an Israeli border guard named Issac. Across the border
   from Issac, Rassif, a Arab border guard, had his post. One night,
   Rassif snuck over the border and killed Issac.
   
   When Issac's commander found out what had transpired the previous night,
   he was furious, and the next night, he and his squad staged a raid in
   which several Arab border guards, including Rassif, were killed.

   This, of course lead to Arab reprisals, which in turn lead to
   Israeli reprisals, which in turn...ad infinitum.

Well, the professor read this paper, and being utterly confused, reread it,
shook his head in disgust, and wrote a large "F" in red ink on it, and then
moved on to the next paper.

The next day, at the end of class, he handed back the papers, and as he was
preparing to leave, the student who received the "F" approached and asked
to speak with the professor.

"I don't understand why you didn't like my paper," the student said.

"It's very simple," the professor replied. "You were assigned to write a
paper on science fiction. This paper has nothing whatsoever to do with
science fiction."

"I must disagree," said the student. "I think that the paper explained the
very basis of Zion's Friction."



				 Barth Richards
				 Tellabs, Inc.
				 Lisle, IL

				 "If god's up there,
				  then we're his excrement."
                                 -Ron Gessin