The Ant and The Grasshopper

The Ant and The Grasshopper: Short story by W. Somerset MaughamThis story by W. Somerset Maugham takes its name from a famous Aesop fable. The fable carries the message that hard work is rewarded, while laziness leads to disaster. The story presents a more balanced view of the world. Sometimes good things happen to lazy or even quite bad people, causing them to be better off than those who work hard every day. After years of hard work, Gordon Ramsay (the Ant) is rewarded with a comfortable retirement. He thinks it unfair when his brother Tom (the Grasshopper) ends up many times richer after a life of laziness and cheating others.

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The Champion of Quiet

The Champion of Quiet: Short story by Tracy StewartThis story by Tracy Stewart for Highlights Magazine includes a number of important life lessons for young learners. The first is individual differences. Nobody is good at everything, but almost everybody is good at something. Importantly, you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. By joining in and trying your best, you can have just as much fun as those who are great at it. Maggie proved that she wasn’t just the Champion of Quiet. She became the Champion of Understanding and Kindness, and learned that this is the easiest way of all to make new friends.

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The Wave

The Wave: Short story by Liam O'FlahertyThe only “characters” in this vignette from Liam O’Flaherty are a cliff, waves, and “the wave”. Major themes include permanence, time, the power of nature/many. O’Flaherty was a noted Republican, and the story can be looked upon as a powerful allegory of Ireland’s struggle for independence. The cliff (Britain) stands firm and resolute, having successfully weathered many storms over its long history. Individually, the smaller waves (the Irish people) make little impression against its rocky walls. Working together, and combining to form “the wave”, they have enough power to begin breaking down the mighty cliff.

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The Secret Room

The Secret Room: American / German folktale from Emelyn GardnerAlthough attributed to the folklore of Schoharie County New York, this folktale almost certainly has German origins. In common with Perrault’s famous Bluebeard, the plot involves a large house, a set of keys and a room that must not be entered. The main difference is that in this story the heroine falls in love with and marries a bull! Having killed and decapitated her older sisters, the beast was planning the same fate for her. The story teaches two life lessons: 1) don’t let curiosity get the better of you; and 2) black cats are not so evil after all.

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Festival of Eid / Idgah

Festival of Eid / Idgah: Short story by PremchandIn this well-known Indian children’s story from Premchand, a young orphan foregoes the pleasures enjoyed by friends at a festival to buy a pair of tongs to prevent his poverty-stricken grandmother from burning her hands when cooking. The most obvious themes are related to the boy: poverty, innocence, hope, love, selflessness, temptation and willpower. However, at around 5,000 words, the story also highlights several additional issues. The boy’s friends display materialism and greed, while other themes include religious devotion, superstition (Jinns), village vs. city life and, through the fate of the dolls, the fall of British colonialism.

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The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor: Novelette by Fydor DostoevskyThis story is a chapter from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s acclaimed novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Jesus makes a quick visit to Seville amid the suffering of the Spanish Inquisition. When he starts preforming miracles the Grand Inquisitor, a Cardinal, has him arrested. He visits Jesus in his cell and declares that he is no longer welcome on Earth because his message (spiritual freedom and the right to choose good or evil) is at odds with the teachings of the Church (forced belief through miracle, mystery, and authority). Themes include God and religion, free will vs. Catholic authoritarianism, suffering and human weakness.

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In the Middle of the Fields

In the Middle of the Fields: Short story by Mary LavinThis story from Mary Lavin highlights the isolation, vulnerability and resilience of a recently widowed farmer’s wife. Its major theme is the need to “move on” after the death of a loved one. Having decided to manage the farm herself, she hires a neighbor to “top” (trim) the long grass in her fields. The neighbor visits that night seeking to defer the work. She bests him with her knowledge of farming practices and, after rejecting an inappropriate advance, realizes that he is yet to get over a similar loss that occurred many years earlier. Other themes: passion, grief, fear, sexism.

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The Right Kind of House

The Right Kind of House: Short story by Henry SlesarIn this story by Henry Slesar, a stranger in an expensive car visits a small-town real-estate agent to enquire about a dilapidated house that has a ‘For Sale’ sign out front. The agent advises that the owner (an elderly woman with an apparent sentimental attachment to the house) is insisting on over seven times a fair asking price. The man visits the woman to try to negotiate and is left with a bitter taste in his mouth when, after she proves inflexible, he is forced to agree to her price. Themes include crime, patience, appearances vs. reality, vengeance, justice.

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