This story by Philip Dick takes a satirical look at the clichéd use of English idioms in popular fiction. Best known as a science fiction writer, Dick makes his point through the eyes of a man who believes he has stumbled upon an invasion of Earth by alien lifeforms that are so highly developed they can shed body parts at will. His story could cause major problems if more people were aware of it. In an age where it takes very little to set off a conspiracy theory, many people could ‘lose their mind’ wondering if it is true. More…
A Cup of Tea
Although written in a lighthearted tone, this innocently titled story from Katherine Mansfield deals with some big issues. Its major theme is the materialism, hypocrisy and vanity of the British upper class. The desire for a “cup of tea” symbolizes the one similarity (womanhood) between a young beggar and middle-aged socialite. One is poor, desperate and astonishingly pretty; the other rich, entitled and not exactly beautiful. The socialite’s reason for wanting to help the girl was to show how compassionate she is. However, she soon realizes this may highlight a less favorable difference between them. Other themes: appearance, jealousy, insecurity. More…
The Gold-legged Frog
In this touching story by Lao Khamhom, a Thai farmer must leave his dying son in the hands of faith-healers and herbalists to grovel in front of local officials for a 200 baht government handout. He gets the money but, contrary to what other villagers say, it’s not his lucky day. Major themes are the harshness of nature on farming communities, and the abuse of power by the Thai authorities of the day (the late 1950s) in dealing with them. Other themes include family, poverty, suffering, helplessness, survival, superstition, social class, and “luck”. More…
Birthmates
Life for Gish Gen’s Chinese-American protagonist is not looking good. A salesman in a dying industry, he has recently divorced due to different “perspectives” on racism at work and his inability to grieve over his wife’s two miscarriages and a medical termination. Upon arrival at a sales convention, he finds that he has booked into a welfare hotel where playful children assault him the following morning. The kindness of one of its residents and a lost job opportunity cause him to finally face the loss of his wife and “child”. Themes: paranoia, self-esteem, alienation, loss, grief, cultural differences, racism, desperation. More…
Wise Folks
In this folktale (aka The Clever People), a cruel farmer is angry with his wife because she was cheated out of two cows. He promises not beat her for it if can find someone more foolish. He soon finds one: a widow who is worried about how well her dead husband is doing in Heaven. The farmer makes up for losing his cows by cheating the widow out of a bag of money and stealing a horse from her son. At the end of the story, he seems to think that it is OK to cheat foolish people. More…