On Extracting

 

defenestration - noun - (formal/humor) - the action of throwing someone out of a window

(informal) the action of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority (Google)

If you have been following this blog recently, you already know that I've been engaged in reading Nabokov's Pnin, a novel that is so articulate that even I (someone with a master's in English) have been persuaded to utilize the dictionary for clarification regarding words that I haven't seen used in a while or haven't seen used at all. Nabokov uses defenestration to provoke laughter although it is not a human that the protagonist Pnin extracts via the window; it is a soccer ball. In all of your years of frustration, how many times have you been tempted to commit defenestration? Most likely, you have discarded things via windows before? Maybe you were once caught in the act of doing something reprehensible and had to resort to defenestration to feign innocence? Hmmm. Defenestration may be more common than you think.

In the early 1980s, I found myself teaching English in an urban high school known for its obstreperous youths. I lasted a year in the position, which I considered quite miraculous, considering how many  unlawful behaviors I had witnessed. On one occasion during my period 3 class, I caught a boy smoking marijuana while I was giving a lecture on metaphors and miscellaneous tropes. Being that I had gone to school in the 1970s, I was not naive when it came to recognizing specific odors, particularly the smell of pot. I rushed back to where the culpable culprit was sitting to secure the evidence when he resorted to defenestration. The joint spread its wings and flew out of the window, but not on its own accord. Naturally, I wanted to use defenestration (the formal definition) to dispose of him, but he managed to do that to himself. Although the means was lost, his end was somewhat unfortunate as the next day, he quit school and joined the army. As a result of my "inability to manage a classroom," the school board voted to use defenestration (the informal definition) to rid itself of me. Which was fine as I was planning a jump out of the window myself. Self-defenestration does not always lead to death if your classroom is on the first floor, which it was. The following year, I was teaching at a Catholic high school (all girls) on the second floor of the building, which worked out well. 

The takeaway from this is simple: at times, we all get the urge to participate in defenestration, either the formal or informal definition. When it comes to extracting, we either act or are acted upon. It is probably a good idea to stay away from windows in skyscrapers, though, as you never know what you or someone else might be thinking :). 

Be safe. 

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