Article about Review Stories

"Review Of Story “The Boy Who Turned into a TV Set” by Stephen Manes"

“If you keep watching TV so much, you might just turn into a television.” His mother often told him like that. There is a boy, his name is Ogden Pettibone, and he would watch anything, except soap operas. Someday, his television was broken, it doesn’t get a picture. His mother said that it will be repaired tomorrow by someone, but Ogden wasn’t being patient. He went to the bookshelf and found a book “How to Repaired Your Own TV”, in that book wrote that “Do not attempt to fix TV by yourself, or you will be sorry”. But Ogden didn’t care about it.

After that, in dinnertime, many of queer things happen. Ogden opened his mouth to say he’d be right there, but instead he said as a news reader. His parents thought that Ogden is amusing at the moment, moreover he said as an advertisement narrator. His mother was angry to him and commanded him to go up to his room without supper if he can’t behave. Then, his mother asked him about what he did at school, Ogden tried to tell about his lesson, but what came out of his mouth was someone else's voice, which said as an advertisement too. So, his mother was really angry. He wanted to protest but when he opened his mouth, will come a voice like TV shows or commercial break from his mouth. He couldn’t understand it, what’s happening with me?” he thought. He let out a big sigh and a new voice squealed with glee came from his mouth. Ogden clapped his hand over his mouth to keep anything else from coming out. Then he had a bad case of hiccups, his mouth still out a strange voice. The same thing happened when he went to the bathroom. He didn’t have any idea what was the matter with him. Every time he sighed, there was a voice came out from his mouth.

When he opened his eyes, suddenly he noticed that his T-shirt seemed to be glowing, but the T-shirt wasn’t glowing at all, his stomach was. He was amazing and shook, he aware that he has turn into a TV. His father shook too. He asked to Ogden, “What was all that noise?” And Ogden just pointed to his mouth and opened wide, so that his father knew about something happened to himself. Suddenly, her mother came and shook too. And Ogden just wrote what he wanted to said (for make communication easier). His parent thought that they’d better have the doctor take a look at Ogden tomorrow morning. But before tomorrow came, his parents said that as long as their TV’s broken, he might as well make himself useful, instead his parents watched him in living room. Ogden hoped they weren’t serious. Much as he enjoyed being the center of attention, he still felt funny about his glowing stomach and contrary vocal cord. And then Ogden sighed into action as TV for his parents. It’s heard funny.

(By Belani Asmara Hadi, a student of English Department, University of Indonesia Education 2007).

Share