In A Christmas Story, young Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun, but his parents' only response is, "You'll shoot your eye out!" All the adults in Ralphie's life seem united in keeping him from this dream.

At school, Ralphie's teacher asks the class to write a theme paper titled, "What I want for Christmas." Ralphie's face beams with joy as he sets about to write the greatest theme paper ever submitted in an elementary school. When he turns his paper in, we hear his thoughts: "I was handing Miss Shields a masterpiece. Maybe Miss Shields in her ecstasy would excuse me from theme writing for the rest of my natural life."

Ralphie is convinced he has submitted his magnum opus. He imagines the teacher reviewing one bad theme paper after another in dramatic disgust, until she finally comes across Ralphie's paper. The teacher is swept away by Ralphie's submission.

"Poetry! Sheer poetry!" she exclaims, writing A++++++ across the blackboard, as Ralphie is hoisted into the air by his classmates.

Later, his teacher lays his graded theme paper on his desk. The grade on his paper is a C+ . Ralphie is devastated. Worse yet are the words written underneath in red pen, "You'll shoot your eye out."

Content: Rated PG

Elapsed Time: Measured from the MGM logo, this scene begins at 34:03 and ends at 36:33.