Ring Ladner, `You Know Me Al` (1916)

br Ring Lardner , `You Know Me Al` (1 ) What Does Al know and how does he know

Al is the best pal of Jack Keefe , who is the bush-league player and he writes to Al , his experiences , about his successes in the game and also failures . He writes to him regularly , without intermission and perhaps treats him as his psychological support . What mattes most , is his latent literary genius as for humor , while reporting to his friend about his adventures on and off the baseball field . He writes his heart out to Al

, and the letters are enjoyable not for their literary genius or authentic content . They don 't conform to the virtues and fineness of correspondence either . But the letters are delightful to read , for their misspellings , general bumbling and capacity to create and explain misunderstandings of the highest . They create a fusion out of confusion . His mind was athletically sharp , and it was perhaps made of the best muscles in his otherwise sporty body . Jack unburdens the pressure of his tough athletic routine , by giving the vivid about his misfortunes and fortunes that happen with him quite often , at regular intervals . He has the confirmed habit of not owning the responsibility for his failures , takes immense pleasure in blaming the others , avails every small and big opportunity to brag about his achievements , ever itching to fight with others for no reasons , actually he fights do not happen , they are just his imaginings while reading all this , one can make out that he has the heart of the kindergarten kids (2 ) Why doesn 't Al call Jack or write back

Through a series of letters from this bush-league pitcher to his not-quite-anonymous friend Al , Lardner maintains a balance between the funny and the moving , the pathetic and the glorious . But it is the one way traffic . Al does not respond to the comical situations and incidents described by his friend in his letters . Proper response could have added to the content of humor and contributed to the mirth of the readers Al 's response would have made the reader understand what `the other world ' thinks about the achievements of Jack (3 ) What would Al say if he did write back

Perhaps Al would not like to offer any constructive advice to his friend , because that would not have served any purpose . Jack is sort of a person who believes that whatever he did was correct and all that was correct in the world belonged to him . Al must have thought that the best reply to his friend was not to reply . Just enjoy the writings of his free and uninterrupted mind . If at all he were to reply , he would write , Come on Jack , and keep it up ' At some stage , he would have advised , Jack , now that you are growing up try to be a bit serious in your approach and disposition to others . You are a base-ball player of stature , and do maintain the essential dignity...