Chinua Achebe "Dead Men's Path"
This short story is about a headmaster who is all for 'modern methods'. He decides to get rid of a pathway which is used by the villagers to get to a burial where many ancestors are buried. This pathway crosses the school territory and the new headmaster decides to block it off and suggests the community build a new pathway which doesn't cross the school territory. The gardens and the border stopping the villagers from using the pathway is destroyed, this symbolises the African traditions and the fight the native Africans may have experienced with new rulers trying to exploit there culture and change traditional beliefs and values. The story gives insight into the traditions of African culture and the fights experienced with the 'modern methods' being exploited upon traditional villagers. The headmaster dismisses traditional values and shows no consideration towards these values.
Bessie Head "Snapshots of a wedding"
This short story symbolises again the modern and tradition values of an African community. Neo symbolises the modern traditions of women and being educated and modern in her ways, Mathata on the other hand is representing the traditional values of an African women and shows respect to people of the community. As the title suggests 'Snapshots' it is an insight into the decision of a man choosing one women over another however Bessie describes Kegoletile to be seeing both women and spending a lot of time with each women as he has impregnated the two of them. This short story gives insight into the decision a man has to make between the traditional lifestyle or the modern lifestyle and what the traditional relatives of his feel towards Neo's traditional and arrogant attitude.
Nadine Gordimer "The train from Rhodesia"
This short story represents the racial segregation in South Africa during the 1900's. The passengers on the train are of white ethnicity and are tourists of the country, the natives are shown in a less privelidged way to the tourists. The natives are of black ethnicity and this represents the racial segregation between the white and black ethnicitys. The natives are selling items they have made to the tourists in order for survival for there families. The young tourist couple on the train, a women and man are approached by a native who is selling a wooden carved lion with a beautiful mane. The women is amazed by the beauty of the carving but the price is too much, her husband bargains with the native until the train is pulling off so that the native has to sell the carving for far less than it is worth. The man's wife is appauled by her desperate the native must have been to accept such a low price for his beautiful carving just to survive that it makes her feel guilt and ashamed by her husband's unsympathetic attitude.
Khamsing Srinawk "The Gold-Legged frog"This short story represents the poverty and life of four main characters portrayed through the story. One character which can be seen as the main character is a father who has to work hard in order to provide food and money for his children. The details of poverty surround his lifestyle and what he has to make do with 'all you do is suffer if your born a rice farmer and a subject'. Another character is his son who is bit by a python and seeks comfort from his father when experiencing pain. The character who is portrayed as holding a great amount of power within the story is the deputy district officer who all the neighbours and villagers turn to when they need 'two hundred baht' or help within the community. The story represents poverty and powerful positions in society which explores the cultures power system and the family devotion of all the neighbours having so many children to look out for.
Amy Tan "Two Kinds"
This short story examines the complex relationship between mother and daughter. The story relates to the american dream and what different culture's seek when they aim to achieve something big in America. The story is of a mother wanting her daughter to be a 'genius' and to make her into her very own prodigy. The mother trys molding her daughter into a musical prodigy however this does not work out. The short story is all about identifying your own identity and the little girl not following her own aspirations but being pushed by her mother in all types of directions and music was not her way forward. I liked this particular short story as this was the story that i actually felt the little girls emotions of anger towards her mother pushing her in all types of directions. The moral of the story is just that the girl finally stands up to her mother as she knows music is not a part of her identity because it is forced upon her however she appreciates music as at the end she plays the piano again as an adult and it shows the difference between being a women and a child.
Feng Ji-Cai "The tall woman and her short husband"
This short story is extremely touching and is about the pressure of the life between a husband and wife and there physical differences to one another. The Tailor's wife plays the nosey neighbour and can be evaluated as a jelous wife who does not have such a close relationship with her husband so wants to put a fault towards there tight bond relationship. She accuses Mrs Tall to being with her husband because he is rich and she is poor so wedded him just to be in a secure position in society. The couple change in appearance when they are aware from one another showing they both when together keep one another safe and happy. There physical differences become there strength in there relationship despite how others regard them.
Karl Sealy "The pieces of silver"
This short story is about family relationships, poverty and unfairness within the structure of society. There is a clear symbolism of money throughout as the young boy who says at the end he has 8 pieces of silver one for each person who hasnt paid, shows the unimportance of money to him and his family. The fact that the man in headmasters position wants money shows the different values to different people in this society. The headmaster uses his position in the school to bully the children out of money and make them humiliated by treating them unfairly for not putting money towards his leave. The young boy at the end ironically becomes the hero however he is not the one with the most amount of power in the story.
Ismith Khan "The Red Ball"
This short story I personally did not understand the concept of as it is not written in the most easiest form of understanding the plot of the story. I gathered some of the themes of this story are about adjusting to new cultures, the poverty of a family, family relationships and so on. Parental authority is regarded towards the main character through his parents and the way in which they both treat him and there relationship with him is also reflected. The statue is an oxymoron for safety and someone who does not speak but yet the smile of this statue makes him feel safe and happy. This statue fulfills the needs he wants from his own father. The ball represents new opportunities for this young boy and a new place and new people to be meeting. The ball makes him more recognised and gives him a sense of power over other people.The language throughout reflects the poverty surrounding them as the speech such as 'thin bonney' the boys shout at him reflects his physical image due to his lifestyle.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala "The young couple"
This short story is about a newley wedded couple the women British and the man an Indian. They are both from different cultures and this is represented through showing the differences of life in each country as in India the couple no longer sit close to one another or even touch one another in public. Whereas, back in England they were stuck to glue and often kissing and touching in public. Not only is there communication changed due to the different lifestyle of the Indian culture but the family in India have more to say and there are more restrictions in India put upon women so this strains the relationship. The story is about relationships in family and the culture differences and strains it can have when there is a dramatic social change for an individual.
R.K.Narayan "Leela's Friend"
This short story I don't really understand the point of. It does focus on family relationships and childhood however the ending does not portray a particularly valid meaning I felt. The child grows very fond of someone who is accused of stealing the child's chain which he does not which is found out in the end. However he is still a criminal who has stole jewellery previously however the child loves him regardless of this. I think the story just reflects different family relationships and the love the child has regardless of his representation.
Anita Desai "Games at twilight"
This short story is about the theme of childhood and a young boy's feelings when he sets out to win a game of hide and seek and the other children end up forgetting about him. The story explores child psychology and helps to understand the thought process of a child and how they can feel insignificant at times when they are forgotten or told off. The story I felt didn't really explore the culture of India it explores family relationships and childhood themes but I didn't gain much into the childhood of an Indian boy. It does however show that many games children play universally and not just in one particular country. The vivid imagery of him being alone in the shed and the fear of anything watching or touching him in the shed show the thought process of a young child when they are alone.
Yuri Nagibin "The winter oak"
This short story has themes of teacher and pupil relationships and the judging of a character. As after the teacher has took a walk to the child's house she understands the beauty of his walk to school and see's nature for what it is. Such as the big oak tree the vivid imagery used to describe this tree shows the real beauty and hugeness of this particular object. The story is about the different perceptions of things through different people's eyes however when it came to this natural beauty they both indvidually saw the forest and the oak for what it was.
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