"The Art of Eating Spaghetti"

“On Becoming a Writer” by Russell Baker is a great short story with an unpredictable ending. When I began reading the story I would have never guessed that the author would've eventually loved his high school English teacher, Mr. Fleagle. The story was interesting and it was easy to stay focused about what was going on in the story while I read. I enjoyed reading the short story especially because of the author's tone and use of irony. When the author constantly uses “prim” to describe his teacher and everything about the teacher, it shows his sense of humor and I really liked that. The short story about how Russell Baker decided to become a writer was unique. Most writers don't decide their careers from their high school English teachers congratulating them on one piece of material, especially an informal writing assignment titled “The Art of Eating Spaghetti”. It was ironic how the teacher, Mr. Fleagle, was supposed to be a very boring and uninspiring, but in the end ended up being on of the most influential people in Russell Baker's career and loved his improperly formatted essay. I liked how at the very end Baker says that after Mr. Fleagle showed how much he appreciated his work he ranked him among the finest teachers in the school. I believe this shows how much teacher's approval really influences a student's self-esteem. Russell Baker always knew in the back of his mind that he wanted to pursue a career in writing, but he was never a hundred percent sure. When Mr. Fleagle absolutely loved his essay, Russell Baker gained a ton of confidence and ultimately that helped in his decision to move forward and make writing his career, not just an idea.