“Think, pig!”: The University Discourse and the Ignorant Schoolmaster

I recently taught Waiting for Godot and was struck by Lucky’s speech in the first act, which is prompted by Pozzo’s imperious demand: “Think, pig!” The speech is of course a garbled series of academic throat-clearings. Previously I had found this merely amusing, but in the wake of reading Rancière’s Ignorant Schoolmaster and Lacan’s Seminar XVII, it seemed different this time around. I joked on Twitter that we should exclaim, “Think, pig!” whenever there’s a lull in class discussion, but I started to wonder if that’s finally all we’re doing as educators.

In a world…

Waiting for Godot is one of the greatest classics of the 20th century. Its lovable characters and unique setting have been capturing imaginations for over fifty years. Yet so many questions remain unanswered at the end! This summer, all those mysteries will be revealed, in Waiting for Godot II: They Also Serve… Who Kick Some Ass!

This ground-breaking sequel begins with a flashback, exploring how Vladmir and Estrogon met — and came to be lovers. Similarly, we learn of their time in college with Pozzo, a pretentious child of privilege, and Lucky, a budding scholar with a passion for tennis. Yet this group of friends is divided by the revolutionary movement led by the charismatic Godot.