(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "A" is for "arrival")
Here’s a modest story of a guy who’s just returned from a long trip. The myth has it that he brought some little explosive packages with him.
“Manny, I can’t
tell you how happy I am to see you again.”
“And am I glad to see you! You’ve been gone so long I thought you went somewhere and fell in. What took so long?”
“And am I glad to see you! You’ve been gone so long I thought you went somewhere and fell in. What took so long?”
“Well, the roads
were in awful shape. And of course I stayed there quite a while; I wanted to
see everything I could.”
“Meanwhile, back
here, like the good agent I am, I’ve been working my tail off for you, lining
up interviewers, book publishers – the whole nine yards. Everyone's been awaiting your arrival.”
“Wonderful. I
have a lot to tell. Most people seem to have some funny ideas about that
country. I can straighten them out.”
“Terrific.
What’s the most important thing you learned, the thing you’d emphasize in an
interview?”
“Well, most
people in our land think of that place as ‘way around on the other side of the
world, a backward land of poverty and ignorance where there are many citizens
who don’t even speak Italian. I was
surprised to learn that in lots of things they’re genuinely very advanced. They have this
ancient culture, yet technically they’re a century or so ahead of us.”
“I see. That’s
great. But you know, maybe that’s not the point you should start out with. Our
folks don’t usually want to hear that there are other places better than ours.
What have you got in that package?”
“Oh, something I brought back with me; I thought everyone would find this of interest.”
“Oh, something I brought back with me; I thought everyone would find this of interest.”
“It isn’t – uh –
you know, sex toys, or anything like that? The Vatican really comes down hard
on that stuff.”
“No, no. These
are called firecrackers, a good example of something they invented.”
“I’ll bet
they’re delicious.”
“No, you don’t
eat them. They believe they fend off evil spirits so they use them at births,
deaths and birthdays, as well as during the New Year celebration.”
“Use them? How?”
“Use them? How?”
“Well, you set
fire to them and they explode.”
“They – explode,
you said?”
“Right. They’ve got what they call gunpowder in them and off they go with a big bang. When you’ve got a lot of them going off, the racket is tremendous.”
“And that’s it?
They just make a racket?”
“Yes, but that
racket is part of the celebration.”
“H’mm. You’ve really got me thinking. Suppose we were
to put a lot of that stuff, what you call gunpowder, not just in little
packages, but in huge packages. I bet you could blow up a building.”
“Well, actually,
I was sort of hoping this would be used just for peaceful purposes.”
“Sure, sure. But
there’s not much money in just making a racket. Don't let yourself be distracted. Think of the potential! We
should be able to use this gunpowder in rockets, cannons, guns – it will mean a
whole new era in warfare. You’ve done a great thing!”
“I guess so.
Though I was thinking more of peace…”
So here’s the quiz question: in
what century would the above conversation have taken place?
(The answer will be posted Saturday)
(The answer will be posted Saturday)
30 comments:
Well, I think Marco Polo, whose life straddled the 13th and 14th centuries. I'll go with the former.
Well done, Rog! Roger Owen Green has given us the right answer.
A bit of a twist, asking century, rather than individual. The one I'm thinking of could have had the conversation toward the end of the 13th Century.
Nineteenth century.
13th century?
Well it has to be Marco Polo in the 13th Century!
The correct answer has also come forth from Kathe W, rel and naturgesetz
This will be Marco Polo, and the century would be the 13th.
I'm thinking firecrackers first came from the Orient to Italy in 1292 so about the 13th century.
Karen S and Altonian have just provided us with the right answer.
Going back to rethink because I was sure I was right!
I read somewhere that Marco Polo brought some back from China so the conversation must have been in the mid 13th Century.
I think this conversation is before the Renaissance when the Vatican was dominant.
I'll go with 13th Century :)
Gunpowder use in cannons began then.
The correct answer from Anita and Old Egg.
I think it was a deleted Ape Scene in " 2001, ...turns out there were two Apes !
Sorry...posted comment on the wrong post. I'm guessing 13th.
No idea...since today is the 13th I'll just go with the thirteenth century♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/artsy-folks/
I have no clue.
My ABC WEDNESDAY
Marco Polo brought them back from China in the 13th century.
Chris J, Marie and Lmkazmierczak all have the right answer.
Well, the Chinese invented them and I will take a guess the 7th century.
16th Century when the writer Francis Bacon allegedly wrote a play for Shakespeare called 'Loves labours lost'.
the line appears with reference to 'the whole nine yards'.
That's the best I can do, still a bit puzzled though !
Regards,
Di. ABCW team
really not sure of the actual date though it came to the Old World in the 13th century. I think they didn't think of it for weapons until the 14 century and full scale weapons until the 15th century.
13th Century?
Tch ! I though my answer was a bit of a shot in the dark, well and truly stumped, can't wait to see the correct answer tomorrow
best wishes,
Di x
ABCW team,
The Blog of Bee and Sheilagh Lee have both given us the right answer.
I've had a re-think and could it be 1605 the year of Guy Fawkes Gun Powder plot, so the answer would be The Seventeenth Century ?
best wishes,
Di.
ABCW team.
I said 19th century because I was thinking of Nobel who invented dynamite. The last line `I was thinking more of peace` connected to gunpowder made me think of Alfred Nobel.
Well, I am glad that mystery is solved. Thanks Berowne
How wrong can one be ...twice !
felicitations my dear friend,
Di ..
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