Bread of Sacrifice

Bread of Sacrifice: Short story by Samira AzzamSet during the 1947-1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, this story by Samira Azzam describes a tragic romance between a Palestinian fighter defending the city of Acre and a young nurse who elected to remain after her family had fled. Both are idealistic and prepared to die out of love for their homeland. The girl is shot delivering a basket of bread to the starving men on the soldier’s roof-top barricade. The men face a dilemma… eat something prohibited under Islamic law (a dead dog), or bread soaked in the martyred woman’s blood. Themes include love, patriotism, courage, death.

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The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind

The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind: Short story by Ray BradburyThis Ray Bradbury story is thought to be an allegory of the nuclear arms race that took place during the “Cold War” between the United States and Russia. The “Mandarins” who began the Cold War were Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin. One wonders if the first Mandarin’s daughter alludes to Truman’s wife Bess, who he claims to have consulted before every important decision. Moreover, Bess is known to have made changes to his famous speech outlining the Truman Doctrine, which started it all. Themes include rivalry, paranoia, wisdom, the futility of confrontation and escalation vs. the benefits of cooperation.

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The Demon Lover

The Demon Lover: Short story by Elizabeth BowenIn this horror story by Elizabeth Bowen, a woman returns to her large, war-damaged city house to collect personal items. The house had been locked up, nobody knew she was coming, yet there is a letter addressed to her sitting on a table. It had been hand delivered earlier that day and is an anniversary greeting ending with the words: You may expect me at the hour arranged. Someone (possibly the spirit of a former soldier-lover) may be in the house or coming for her. Themes include the trauma of war, gender stereotypes, doubt, imagination and fear, betrayal and revenge.

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Think of England

Think of England: Short story by Peter Ho DaviesIn this coming of age story by Peter Ho Davies, a sixteen-year-old Welsh barmaid will always remember D-day. Her section of the pub is full of English soldiers and BBC radio workers who are celebrating and drinking heavily. First, she has to put up with offensive jokes from a BBC comedian about the Welsh, and in particular Welsh women. Later, her secret “sweetheart” (an English soldier she has known for a only week, and with whom she has exchanged her first ‘real’ kisses), tries to rape her. Themes include national pride and identity, xenophobia, sexual assault, redemption.

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Bread

Bread: Short story by Margaret AtwoodThis story by Margaret Atwood begins with four passages in which bread is used as a metaphor to illustrate a range of themes. In the first, it’s the good life (plenty and relaxation). In the second, famine (choices and consequences). In the third, life and death (betrayal or sacrifice). And in the fourth, social inequality and greed. The story concludes with a passage about a floating loaf of bread we know is real but are afraid to touch. The inference here is that most unaffected people prefer to turn a blind eye to the starvation and suffering in the world.

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Vanka

Vanka: Short story by Anton ChekhovThis poignant Christmas story by Anton Chekhov relates how a young boy recently apprenticed to a shoemaker writes a letter to his grandfather pleading to be taken home. He complains of continually being beaten and mistreated, and has no one to turn to for comfort. The city and its ways are foreign to him, and he misses the Christmas preparations and season’s joy in his home village. Sadly, his incompletely addressed letter will never reach its destination. Themes include social class, child-family separation, child abuse, innocence, loneliness, misery, desperation and hope.

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Miss Awful

Miss Awful: Short story by Arthur CavanaughArthur Cavanaugh’s Miss Awful is about how a sensitive third-grader (Roger) deals with a substitute school teacher who is the direct opposite of his regular one. While the regular teacher is flexible and empowers the children in her class, the substitute (who Roger nicknames Miss Awful) is an ‘old-style’ strict disciplinarian. The change affects Roger so much that he begins to show signs of depression. His fellow students are also unhappy, and the children decide to play a cruel joke on Miss Awful. As the joke plays out some of them, including Roger, realize they may have seriously misjudged her.

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Poison

Poison: Short story by Roald DahlRoald Dahl is best known for short stories that make their point using dark humor and have a surprise ending. This story exhibits neither of these features. The central theme is the racism that existed under British colonial rule. Dahl gets the message across through this allegory about the way a British businessman acted badly towards an Indian doctor who answered his call for help in the middle of the night and may well have saved his life. In the story we learn that there are several kinds of poison. Unlike the deadly krait, some of them kill quite slowly.

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