MovieChat Forums > Up the Down Staircase (1967) Discussion > Oxymoron Title

Oxymoron Title

posted 15 years ago by imbluzclooby
14 replies | jump to latest

This title is totally nonsensical.
I don't think there is such a thing as a "downstair case". A staircase is a type of construction used for walking from one level to another. You can walk up or down. So a staircase is simply that. I believe this title is an oxymoron, which abstractly describes a situation where one tries to accomplish a task under impossible situations, going up a downstair case essentially. In essence, this movie is about a fragile, mousey young woman attempting to teach at a rough school with bad elements of youth, bureacracy and danger.

[–] LoupGarouTFTs 15 years ago

Have you even watched the film? If you did, you would realize that at that school there was a set of stairs marked for going upstairs and a set marked for going downstairs. (I've been to such a school as that and the designations are intended to help with traffic flow with the added benefit of making it easier to keep an eye on students.) The title comes from an event when a student goes "up" the staircase marked for going "down." In the eyes of the teacher-protagonist, the punishment the student received did not match the relatively minor infraction.

You're only semi-correct about the teacher being mousey--it's more that she is unprepared for teaching in an inner city school after having had a relatively sheltered upbringing. The book and the movie both portray a coming of age story for the teacher, as well as for the students.

[–] max von meyerling 15 years ago

I must not be abusive but once upon a time soda jerks squirted syrup into glasses followed by seltzer and stirred to make a fountain soda, doctors made house calls, TV was free and New York City Schools, some of which had as many as 6,500 students, had staircases designated as "up" and "down" to prevent chaos during class changes. Simple isn't it. A lot went on in the world before you were born. Why don't you Google it.

[–] Enrique-8 14 years ago

GOOD for you MAX...honestly that other poster must have crawled out from under a rock!

Enrique Sanchez

[–] Doylenf 14 years ago

Absolutely. It's a damn good title for the kind of story it tells about dealing with the hardships of teaching against all the obstacles she faced. Perfect title for the story.

"Somewhere along the line, the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

It is indeed a perfect title for this film because it reflects the bureaucracy of the school and the fact that Phyllis was swimming against the tide in addition to the simple fact that she was lost in a new world. But I must say that I've never encountered "Up" and "Down" staircases either.

It does strike me as odd that the original poster never returned to this thread, but I guess there are talkers and there are listeners.

[–] zstick 14 years ago

There are also trolls. Not saying this guy is one of them, because he could just as easily have realized how completely he's been shown the ignorance of his post. I've just noticed that someone who posts something critical of a film then never returns to argue his/her position is often a troll.

On another note, I haven't seen the movie, but I read the book a few months ago after picking it up from my recently-passed grandmother's house. I absolutely loved the book. I hope to find the movie as enjoyable.

Why can't we all just be polite?

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. You were fortunate to find this book among the mementos she left. I haven't read the book yet, but I've seen this film several times, and I love it.

I do wonder about people who create hot-button topics (well, in this case, lukewarm) and then never return to the thread. I almost always respond to replies to my posts, especially when I create a thread, because it just seems like common courtesy and keeps the dialogue going.

I also wonder about the nit-pickiness of criticizing a title of a film you haven't seen and apparently have no interest in seeing. I don't know if that person's necessarily a troll, but perhaps a need to be heard despite having little to say.

[–] AndieGator 13 years ago

I think the book is great. You should definitely read the book. It is very unique. It's not written just as a straight-forward story... it's a collection of notes, memo, letters to her sister, etc... The story is told through the collection of all the notes, etc...

I bought the book when I first started teaching high school (about 15 years ago). I found it very inspirational. (and still do)

In reference to the staircase: one year at the high school where I teach, our enrollment increased and we were having problems with "student traffic" in the hallway. The principal announced to the students "use the staircase in the front of the building only as an up staircase. Use the staircase in the back only as a down staircase. This should help with the traffic jams." And, he made it kinda funny too and whimsical.

I almost started laughing in my clasroom because it reminded me of "up the down staircase." However, no one at my school would "detain a student for going up the down staircase." But, it did help with traffic in the hall and on the stairs.

"I told you I was freakay... but you didn't believe me..."

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

Thanks for the recommendation, AndieGator! I shall seek the book out. I wish this film had been developed into a television series because I'm sure there are plenty of stories in the book that weren't told in the film.

I think the up/down stairs is very helpful for purposes of crowd control – just like keeping foot traffic on the the right helps people get to their destinations faster. There's a store I visit often near where I work that requires you to take an elevator to various floors. I'd prefer to walk, but that's not an option, and it's real hassle having to stop on every floor on the way to the top and bottom, or to have to go up when you don't want to. Anyway, crowd control is a good thing, and in schools, it is essential.

[–] FreddiesDead 13 years ago

Dr Bester:

Mrs Barrett do you realize you're going up the down staircase?

[–] Tobey 12 years ago

The Middle School I attending in Nebraska in 1980 had stairs designated Up and Down. It was an older building that orginally was the Jr/Sr High School.

The stairways were a combination of a large center staircase from the landing up to the next floor and smaller stairways on each side from the landing down to the floor below. There were 2 sets like this and you were supposed to stay one side, meaning for the split sets you were only supposed to go up one side and down the other. As stated this was to help keep everyone moving.

I actually got reprimanded once because I went down the up stairway, between classes when there were no other students on the stairs. I'm sure my sarcasm when the teacher stopped me didn't help, I was a smart a$$ in 8th grade.

[–] gribfritz2 11 years ago

Wow. Please stay out of my way when I'm approaching and there are two doors marked Enter and Exit. I wouldn't want to knock over a true moron with that oxymoron.

[–] faubcc 9 years ago

I grew up in New York City in the 1960's. There really are up and down staircases in the public schools. Of course, some don't follow the rules (as in this movie.)

[–] deem_bastille 9 years ago



OHFOR! schools [back then and now] try to instill some sort of order to their students... travel to the right and such. and people would get in trouble for going up the down staircase and down the up staircase.

every year we have an influx of new teachers at our school and the kids [even the ones new with the new teachers] play the teachers for fools. going wherever they want, however they want to get there.

I have even seen students go to the nurse via UPSTAIRS!!!

Reading the paper can really be depressing. Mr. Dithers fired Dagwood again.