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A paraprosdokian (/pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part.
All I know is, everything is not as it’s sold. (1)
Before anything else, any research, rehearsal or reading, I knew that this phrase was to be the foundation of my final solo performance, in fact, it actually made it into the final script. At the end of my journey through formal education, I am entirely unconvinced that I have experienced and learnt what I was expecting to, what I was ‘supposed’ to. Having said that, I actually think I’ve learnt far more through experience than from structured teaching; so it goes. This realisation would lead me to consider not just my own knowledge, but to question the very ideas of ‘knowledge’, teaching and leaning, as both academic and social constructions.
(1) Lyric extract from, Furtado, N. (2003) Try, California: Dreamworks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOY6IeQS6KA