Good morning, class.(A chorus of voices): Good-mor-ning tea-cher!Ah, so many bright faces today—in such freshly washed and pressed uniforms! But of course we always look this nice—don’t we class?—not just when we have such distinguished-looking visitors.(Motioning toward group of adults standing in the back of the room): Class, our guests are in Thailand for the World University Presidents Summit. They are all very smart and very famous. For example, this is Lord Chris Patten, who was president of Hong Kong until he was kicked out by the Chinese. And this is Dr. Bono, a member of the rock group U2. He also owns a company that makes different kinds of hats. Class, please say hello.(Chorus of voices): Good-mor-ning dis-tin-guished-loo-king vis-i-tors!Very good! How spontaneous!Today we’re going to continue our discussion of “metaphor and simile” with something the caretaker prime minister said in an interview with a website based in Los Angeles. That’s in America, near Texas. He was talking about “perfect democracy”: “If we want apple juice, we have to chop apples and put the pieces in the blender. We have to be patient and tolerant of the noise of the blender and the sight of the apples being crushed.”Notice that he said “perfect democracy” and not just “democracy.” Now who can explain why perfect democracy is like apple juice?(Silence.)Hmm. Well, how about the expression “bad apple”—remember that?(Silence.)Tasanee? Someone wake her up.(Sleepy girl): Um, uh, a “bad apple” is a bad person. So, um, apples are, uh, like, people.Right! But it should be “apples are people”—if you say “like” then it’s a “simile,” Tasanee. But very good.(Boy in front row): Why does nayok want to chop up the people and put them in a blender?That’s a good question, Suwat. This is because we can’t have democracy without some people getting chopped up and crushed.(Suwat): Does that mean that he’s going to go in the blender, too? And his family?No, of course not. He is the blender—along with his friends and family and other rich people. You are the apples.(Girl next to Suwat): Why do we have to be “patient and tolerant”?That’s because all of those screaming apples can make a lot of noise. And they look pretty disgusting when they’re crushed: They get bruised, and the skins break and the guts ooze out.(Chorus of voices): Ewww!That’s right, class. But this is the price we must pay for sweet, clear perfect democracy. And it’s even better when you “ferment” it and make what we call “cider”….(Girl next to Suwat): Well why doesn’t nayok use a juicer instead, one that is all metal so you can’t see inside, with thick, soundproofed walls?(Shocked.) That’s genius, Porntip! You get an “A” for the day. I guess I don’t need to talk about ostriches and why they bury their heads in the sand. Excellent. You all get “A”s! Class dismissed!