Landscapes of short stories for Gr 10 Second Additional Language

Landscapes of Short Stories

for Grade 10

Second Additional Language

Compiled by Blanche Scheffler

Grade 12

Introduction

The short story is a unique literary genre in that it may catch only a moment or span an enormous amount of time; it may just outline events or suggest more than meets the eye; it may introduce you to new worlds or re-acquaint you with the familiar. It may poke fun at, comment on, criticise, empathise with, remain neutral, merely report, or bring into sharp focus. The short story form is supple and may be adapted to shape and enrich our awareness of the human landscape, of good and ill, of justice and injustice, of prejudice and tolerance, of love, jealousy and hatred, of our potential and limitations – in short, our world.

A story is told to entertain, but also expresses a view of life within a particular context, which may be personal or social. Very often a story raises questions, challenging the reader to consider a serious issue. Sometimes a writer suggests answers, but the reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions and will respond accordingly. Reading superficially, one follows the story line and is aware of the role different characters play; a more intensive reading may ‘open up’ new perspectives about familiar situations and issues. Whatever the reader’s approach, the story will entertain and enlighten.

If our norm is that the story must come to life, it will in some way reflect the human landscape – what makes us ‘tick’ within the context of our times and circumstances. To present a wide range of reading experiences, we have chosen stories with literary merit and that vary in:

• their structure (the plot and the role different characters play in the story) the setting (the physical context within which the incident or events take place)

• the writer’s technique (the narrative mode, tone of the narrator, language elements)

• the focus (the action, characterisation, description, issues)

• their underlying themes (their personal, social and/or universal relevance)

The way in which a writer creates this landscape determines whether it is a fleeting entertainment or a memorable reading experience. ‘Macphail’s sweep ticket’ and ‘The model millionaire’ belong to the first category. The other stories are wide-ranging both in content and style.

The stories in the anthology are organised according to theme to enable the reader to enjoy the different ways in which writers treat the same theme. For this reason the folk tales and myths are not presented as a genre group, but are spread across different theme sections. For example, ‘Mosquitoes in Australia’ rightly belongs to the Humour theme, but ‘The ring of the king’ finds its place in the Crime section. In the Humour section, the stories represent different kinds of humour, from an amusing surprise ending (‘Macphail’s sweep ticket’), to a tall tale. As is the case with the stories in the other theme sections, the last section, Politics and Peace, offers different tales and perspectives on the theme.

Plot

Simply stated, the plot is the framework of events: what happens, the sequence of the events, who are involved, how things happen, and where and why these things happen. Taken together, the storyline has a recognisable beginning, middle and end. Its structure may include an introduction (usually brief, with information to place what happens in a particular setting and/or introducing a character). The development follows, as the story unfolds and characters interact with one another, and deal with situations and conflicts. The latter may reach a peak, the climax of the story, resolving what has gone before in the conclusion/ending, or the reader may be left with unresolved questions about a final outcome. The following provides some idea of possible plot variations you will come across in this anthology. A plot:

•consisting of only a sequence of events leading up to a climax or an anti-climax (‘Macphail’s sweep ticket’).

•that is more complex, built up of several kinds of elements (‘Blemish’) focusing only on a relationship (‘Hearts which are alike’ and ‘Black star’) with a somewhat expected resolution or a surprise ending (‘The model millionaire’).

Other factors to consider about the plot are:

•whether it develops through a change taking place in a character’s attitude or actions; or

•a build-up of tension; or

•one’s curiosity about a character; or

•raises more questions than answers.

Also consider whether the plot structure implies a moral or focuses on personal or social value systems. Is the story about real-life experiences or a fantasy world?

As the characters and the setting form an integral part of the plot, let us consider each briefly.

Character

By showing what a character says, does and thinks, a writer creates a personality, a person who will fit into the story, most often with an important role in it. What a character is like contributes to the plot, how the story unfolds. This point applies also to the character’s interpretation of a situation, attitude towards it and other characters, and his or her background and value system. The writer may also show us what other characters think, say or feel about him or her, thus adding to our understanding of the story.

Different characters may contribute to the development of the plot while different types of character may at the same time represent different attitudes and values through their words and actions. Characters vary: they may be crooks, snobs, submissive and meek, confident, very timid, strong, violent, bullies, love-sick, dishonest, fearful, terrified, careless, brave, cowardly, silly or even stupid. All will reveal some human characteristic such as wanting to be loved, comforted, respected, rich or safe. The reader will identify with some, but not with others, depending on how well the story is told and how the writer tells it.

The writer places characters in a particular environment and relationship, to tell a story about them and their role in the narrative. In some cases characters might be one-dimensional, what we call flat, caricatures of personality traits or representing attitudes that the writer wants to satirise, criticise or simply laugh at. Rounded characters, on the other hand, are portrayed as having more than one facet of personality and are more complex, though the emphasis might be on a particular outstanding characteristic, which may be a weakness or strength, depending on the writer’s purpose. A writer may use incidental characters to carry a story forward, but without revealing personal characteristics, for example, one of Jimmy’s workmates in ‘Macphail’s sweep ticket’. There are humorous characters that make us laugh by what they say and do, while tragic characters bring about their own downfall through a character flaw.

Whether a character is a main character such as the hero or heroine of a story or a lesser character, all have an integral part in the framework of the story – the writer will have been highly selective in his or her choice of characters because there is little scope for random characterisation and long-windedness in the short story.

Whether a writer uses a first-person narrative or a third-person narrative influences our understanding of character and relates to the writer’s intention. Either narrative mode will establish character. The first-person narrative reveals a more intimate picture of character: his or her private thoughts and feelings, motives and even personal perspective on both events and own role in them. In other words, the persona in this narrative mode is confiding in the reader. In third-person narratives the storyteller is not directly involved in the story, but knows enough about the events and characters involved to not only describe what happened, but to sometimes make comments and perhaps also include general value judgements.

Very often the characterisation influences the tone, mood and atmosphere of a story – compare the atmosphere created by characters in the humorous stories with those in the stories dealing with politics.

The setting establishes a physical and time context for the story, placing characters and events in a particular time, place and background. The setting is also the physical environment where events take place. In some stories the physical environment features so strongly that it seems to play an active part in the story (‘Sea-wall’). The setting may also suggest or underline a theme (‘Blemish’).

Theme

While relating a story, the writer is also presenting a theme – an implied comment on situations arising from relationships, attitudes and actions, customs, beliefs and value systems. To establish theme, a writer may highlight certain features of the story such as:

•the action in the plot

•characters

•narrative mode as a form of comment on events

•mood and tone, using description, the setting, literary devices and symbols

•emotionally loaded and/or figurative language to establish tone (‘Blemish’; ‘Hearts which are alike’)

•contrasts or repetitive patterns in the characterisation (‘Anukul’) or plot

•formal or informal language, for instance, in the dialogue (‘Anukul’)

•ironies that are opportunities for satire.

Sometimes the theme of a story is stated clearly, sometimes it is implied; the reader is left to decide whether the theme is relevant and universal.

The writer’s use of language when telling the story adds to our enjoyment, making it entertaining, interesting, dramatic, amusing, suspenseful, sad, enlightening or realistic. When considering the writer’s use of language, decide whether the descriptive details in the story enable you to visualise a place, situation, thing or character. Also think about the dialogue: does it sound like real people talking, laughing, crying, arguing or shouting? (Remember that situation determines the level of formality in a conversation.) Try to determine to what extent the writer uses figurative language to describe or comment. What is achieved in this way? Also look for very short sentences to see whether they pinpoint important moments in a narrative or summarise a comment succinctly.

We hope that you will step into the human landscape painted in these stories and that you, in the words of Jack Cope, will be ‘sharing in the story, absorbing it, taking off in the flight of imagination’.

Personal relationships

A note about the theme

We do not live in isolation, but are part of a family, a group of friends, a team, a community, a nation, and in the final analysis, we are members of the human race. We are friends, acquaintances, colleagues, opponents, care-givers; we may even be enemies, depending on the different situations we find ourselves in. Our interactions with others range from being close, intimate and friendly on the one hand, to distant, uncaring or aggressive on the other hand. In other words, we form several different relationships with the people with whom we come into contact. How we relate and respond to them is often determined by our own personality, our attitude towards them or a particular issue, or the value system we believe in. Even a particular circumstance or event may influence a relationship.

The stories in this section take the reader through a landscape of personal relationships as characters respond in varying ways to each other in given circumstances. You will come across a variety of characters who experience friendship, love, longing, loneliness, disappointment, misunderstandings or difficulties that influence how they feel and what they do. The writers take you on a journey of discovery, placing markers (for example, by using contrast, dialogue, description) along the way as their plots develop. Depending on the writer’s purpose, characters are one-dimensional in a simple story; or more complex, revealing their thoughts and feelings; or leave you to work out for yourself what makes the character ‘tick’ or a relationship work or collapse.

Take a close look at the way in which these things influence the relationship in each narrative: is it a straightforward progression from point A to point B? Or do the characters experience difficulties along the way – and what causes them?

Some of these stories will challenge you to ‘read between the lines’. If you do, you will not only be entertained, but may gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of personal relationships.

Kimwaki and the weaver birds

a Kikuyu fable retold by Phyllis Savory

A note about the story

A fable is a short story that conveys a moral lesson, often using animal characters that represent human characteristics and behaviour that illustrate the moral point of the story. This story is about a useful life lesson that the main character, Kimwaki, learns from the noisy nest-building activities of weaver birds. When he inherits his father’s wealth, he ignores two things: his father’s positive example of hard work and the general rule of Ubuntu, of neighbours helping each other. He is lazy – an opposite trait to that of the birds – and takes it for granted that he will always have enough food – something the birds by their very nature do not even consider. The direct consequences of his attitude are that his fields deteriorate, his animals suffer and he becomes bored.

Then in the Spring he notices and begins to watch the noisy, chattering weaver birds building nests in the tree above him. This breaks his boredom and he soon sees the reward of their hard work: nests that will shelter them in the future. The rest of the simple plot emphasises the importance of Ubuntu and takes the story to its logical conclusion, with Kimwaki himself expressing the moral of the story.

Pre-reading

•What keeps you busy all day? What day is your busiest one? Why is this so?

During reading

•Look for clues that explain why Kimwaki becomes

–bored and

–interested in the weaver birds.

•What role does time play in the story?

Kimwaki and the weaver birds

As an old Kikuyu man lay dying, he sent for his only son Kimwaki. ‘My son,’ he said, ‘I have lived my life, and the time has come for me to join my ancestors. In all these years I have not been idle. My fields are the fairest in the land, my cows are fat and healthy, and my goats are many. All these now belong to you. Carry me out and let me lie under the stars, for it is time for me to die.’

So he died, and when the burial ceremonies had taken place, Kimwaki looked around him, and counted his wealth. He found that he was even richer than he had hoped, and he was young enough to enjoy it. No need for him to work any more – and no one to nag him either. Life was very good, and he settled down to enjoy it as lazily as he could.

Day after day he lay dreaming in the sunshine or, when the sun became too hot for comfort, in the shade of a big tree that grew beside his hut. His fine fields became overgrown with weeds and grass. His sleek and glossy cattle became hollow-eyed and thin for no one drove them to the pastures. The little goats bleated in distress, not knowing where to go.

But Kimwaki did not care, for, with the great stores