Related Texts: Short Stories
If a long novel is too much for you, try a short story - you'll get all the literary techniques to discuss but only a fraction of the reading time, so you can really get into how the message is communicated.
The annotated short stories below can be found in the Area of Study extracts box. Below that is a list of short story anthologies in the school library.
· Al-Shaykh, Hanan. (1994). “A girl called Apple” in I sweep the Sun off rooftops. Apple lies in a village where girls’ only option is to get married. Discuss the symbolism of apple’s name and of the flags and relate this to her attempts to belong firstly to herself and secondly to her family and community.
· Baynton, Barbara. (). “A Dreamer” in Bush Studies. Set in colonial Australia, this story depicts the Australian landscape as an alienating force that divides the protagonist from those she loves. Analyse the way the landscape and weather symbolise the protagonist’s psychological state, and discuss the force of love which gives her courage to overcome all obstacles as well as the irony of the ending
· Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. (Online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm or http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/stories/kafka-e.htm) This German classic describes a day in the life of a man who wakes up in his family home having been turned into a giant insect. This ultimate tale of alienation describes his relationship with his new body as well as the slow destruction of his relationship with his parents and sister who depended on his income as a travelling salesman. Rich in description and symbolism, this is an excellent text for advanced and extension students. A good analysis can be found at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/metamorph/context.html or http://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/ .
· Pausacker, Helen. (1996). “Dear Mum and Dad” in Hide and Seek. This set of letters depicts Sue’s struggle to tell her parents she is gay. Analyse the way she moves from letters the conversational tone as she confides in them, to the formal clichés of the final postcard. Link the language techniques to the irony that her inability to risk “belonging” to her family is exactly what alienates her from them.
· Sharp, Cameron, (2011). “Hamilton High School Speech” in Hide and Seek (Belonging folder at 820.9) When the author was invited back to speak at his old high school, he is understandably terrified about telling his story. Discuss the way the structure alternates between the actual speak and the asides in brackets that describe his feelings – an easy example of postmodern self-reflexivity. Focus on the colloquial language (and the author’s awareness of it’s effect on the audience) he uses to make the students accept him as well as the dated slang which makes him sound old (from the 1970s). This is an easy text to show different layers of writing: the author and his speech, the author and his audience, the author and you.
· Zuzik, Emily, (2000). “Going without at Ramadan” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When travelling in Morroco, the author decides to keep Ramadan even though she isn’t Muslim – a way of belonging in a foreign country. Discuss the features of a travel article -sumptuous sensory description of settings, explanatory sequences – eg about Ramadan – as well as the more personal description of how she feels about not eating all day, and the ironies she notices in Morrocan society.
· Hererra, Susana, (2000). “Jum Boo Nah” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) Describes the alienation of a Western woman on holiday in an African village, and the moment she finds acceptance and belonging, a feeling of being “in her skin”. Analyse the things which lead her to feel alienated from the women she obviously finds fascinating, and the way the same image is presented differently after she feels she belongs. Focus on the sensory imagery common in all travel writing, the use of foreign words in italics and the internal monologue that lets you know what she’s thinking at a particular moment.
· Johanabas bin Rosli, Fadslishah, (2010). “Act of Faith” in Cosmos VOL??? (Belonging folder at 820.9) When Ahmad is too old to take care of himself, his son (who works on the moon) buys an android (robot) to help him out. Over time, the robot becomes like a son to Ahmad and even helps out in the mosque by giving the call to prayer. Then the problem arises: if the robot has begun to believe in god, can he become a Muslim? Discuss the usual features of science fiction such as jargon and new types of technology, but focus on the way that the robot starts to belong to the human world – by calling Ahmad “Abah” (father), by learning Arabic, by developing his emotion software, by helping out in Ahmad’s community, by trying to adopt Ahmad’s religion. Don’t forget the metaphors used to depict the symbolism of the storm.
· Chernin, Kim, (2000). “Initiation” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When the Jewish-American writer goes to Israel to work on a Kibbutz, she does not expect that her most profound sense of belonging will be with a group of Morrocan villagers with whose language she cannot speak. Discuss the rich sensory imagery (sights, smalls, sounds) that depict her connection to the land (and the goddess she feels is embodied in the land).
Anthologies
Coming as soon as I finish stocktaking them!
The annotated short stories below can be found in the Area of Study extracts box. Below that is a list of short story anthologies in the school library.
· Al-Shaykh, Hanan. (1994). “A girl called Apple” in I sweep the Sun off rooftops. Apple lies in a village where girls’ only option is to get married. Discuss the symbolism of apple’s name and of the flags and relate this to her attempts to belong firstly to herself and secondly to her family and community.
· Baynton, Barbara. (). “A Dreamer” in Bush Studies. Set in colonial Australia, this story depicts the Australian landscape as an alienating force that divides the protagonist from those she loves. Analyse the way the landscape and weather symbolise the protagonist’s psychological state, and discuss the force of love which gives her courage to overcome all obstacles as well as the irony of the ending
· Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. (Online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm or http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/stories/kafka-e.htm) This German classic describes a day in the life of a man who wakes up in his family home having been turned into a giant insect. This ultimate tale of alienation describes his relationship with his new body as well as the slow destruction of his relationship with his parents and sister who depended on his income as a travelling salesman. Rich in description and symbolism, this is an excellent text for advanced and extension students. A good analysis can be found at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/metamorph/context.html or http://www.shmoop.com/metamorphosis/ .
· Pausacker, Helen. (1996). “Dear Mum and Dad” in Hide and Seek. This set of letters depicts Sue’s struggle to tell her parents she is gay. Analyse the way she moves from letters the conversational tone as she confides in them, to the formal clichés of the final postcard. Link the language techniques to the irony that her inability to risk “belonging” to her family is exactly what alienates her from them.
· Sharp, Cameron, (2011). “Hamilton High School Speech” in Hide and Seek (Belonging folder at 820.9) When the author was invited back to speak at his old high school, he is understandably terrified about telling his story. Discuss the way the structure alternates between the actual speak and the asides in brackets that describe his feelings – an easy example of postmodern self-reflexivity. Focus on the colloquial language (and the author’s awareness of it’s effect on the audience) he uses to make the students accept him as well as the dated slang which makes him sound old (from the 1970s). This is an easy text to show different layers of writing: the author and his speech, the author and his audience, the author and you.
· Zuzik, Emily, (2000). “Going without at Ramadan” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When travelling in Morroco, the author decides to keep Ramadan even though she isn’t Muslim – a way of belonging in a foreign country. Discuss the features of a travel article -sumptuous sensory description of settings, explanatory sequences – eg about Ramadan – as well as the more personal description of how she feels about not eating all day, and the ironies she notices in Morrocan society.
· Hererra, Susana, (2000). “Jum Boo Nah” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) Describes the alienation of a Western woman on holiday in an African village, and the moment she finds acceptance and belonging, a feeling of being “in her skin”. Analyse the things which lead her to feel alienated from the women she obviously finds fascinating, and the way the same image is presented differently after she feels she belongs. Focus on the sensory imagery common in all travel writing, the use of foreign words in italics and the internal monologue that lets you know what she’s thinking at a particular moment.
· Johanabas bin Rosli, Fadslishah, (2010). “Act of Faith” in Cosmos VOL??? (Belonging folder at 820.9) When Ahmad is too old to take care of himself, his son (who works on the moon) buys an android (robot) to help him out. Over time, the robot becomes like a son to Ahmad and even helps out in the mosque by giving the call to prayer. Then the problem arises: if the robot has begun to believe in god, can he become a Muslim? Discuss the usual features of science fiction such as jargon and new types of technology, but focus on the way that the robot starts to belong to the human world – by calling Ahmad “Abah” (father), by learning Arabic, by developing his emotion software, by helping out in Ahmad’s community, by trying to adopt Ahmad’s religion. Don’t forget the metaphors used to depict the symbolism of the storm.
· Chernin, Kim, (2000). “Initiation” in A woman’s path: women’s best spiritual travel writing. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When the Jewish-American writer goes to Israel to work on a Kibbutz, she does not expect that her most profound sense of belonging will be with a group of Morrocan villagers with whose language she cannot speak. Discuss the rich sensory imagery (sights, smalls, sounds) that depict her connection to the land (and the goddess she feels is embodied in the land).
Anthologies
Coming as soon as I finish stocktaking them!
