In this particular play, two hitmen were waiting on instructions about who they were supposed to kill. After a while, the dumbwaiter started delivering food orders, which confused both the hitmen as well as the audience, as there was no food or even a working stove in the room. I won't tell you how it ended in case you ever get a chance to see it, but trust me when I tell you that it has one of those endings that causes you to replay the entire play in your head to figure out the moment when the end makes sense.
Sometimes, things don't make sense until the end. We ended our first unit of AP World History last week. Over a period of a few weeks, we read and took notes at home over a few chapters and then used class time to try and make connections across these various parts of history. Many students may have wondered, much like many audience members in the play I attended, what the point was. Why do I have to take these notes at home? Can't the teacher just teach me? Why do I need to make this Venn diagram of explorers? There is more to history than the details. The details have their place, which is why you need to do reading assignments and take notes. Making the connections can be a little more difficult to do on your own, which is why we spend time in class with that part. But hopefully, at the end, during the test - it all starts to make sense.
Some people may not have been over the moon when they saw their test grade. But I have a suspicion that the next end - the next test - will be better. Why? Because you've seen an ending now. You know what types of questions to expect. The mystery and anticipation are gone. Don't give up. One woman in the audience of The Dumb Waiter got up and walked out RIGHT BEFORE THE BEST PART. She decided that it would be better just to bail rather than waiting it out to see if it paid off. Don't walk out. Don't give up. The best part may be coming your way soon.
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