SHORT STORIES COMPLETED IN THE CHRISTMAS TERM

The Man of the House

SUMMARY
This short story is about a little boy called Dooley who has a sick mother. Dooley is initially unconcerned about
his mothers illness, and mildly pleased, because he got to stay home and play at being the man of the house.
However, his initial delight changes to concern on the second day due to his fear that his mother has pneumonia.
The second night and the third day are even more frightening because he had to fetch the doctor and travel to the
North Dispensary to get her medication. At the dispensary he meets a young girl who tricks him into drinking,
and sharing the medicine, with the result being an empty bottle to take home to his mother. Dooley suffers
extreme guilt as a result of this and goes home crying. His mother consoles him and forgives his childish
misdemeanor.
SETTING
A town called Cork, in England.
CHARACTERS
Dooly (Sullivan)
A very responsible little boy.
Enjoys playing at being a man by taking care of his mother and the household chores.
Mother

A sickly lady.
She feels guilty that her son has to display such maturity by taking care of her.
Displays what a loving mother she is by understanding that Dooley is an innocent boy that succumbed
to peer pressure.
She also takes excellent care of her son when she is able to do so.

Minni Ryan
She is a family friend who advises Dooly during the course of his mothers illness.
A middle aged woman who is very knowledgeable.
Very pious and gossipy; according to Dooly.
Doctor

He was a fat, loud voiced man.

He was the cleverest doctor in Cork.

THEME
Love & family relationship
This is shown in the relationship between the mother and her son. Dooly is frightened that his mother will die of
pneumonia, so, despite his fear, he enters a public house (pub) in order to ensure that she gets her home-made
remedy, and travels to an unsavory neighbourhood in order to get her medicine. The mother is equally devoted
to her son, as seen in her guilt over the fact that he has to take care of her. She is also very understanding when
he succumbs to the peer pressure of drinking her medicine. She understands that one cannot expect a child to be
a man, no matter how well he does at playing at being a man. Her love for her child is also manifested in the
pride she feels when he displays the level of maturity akin to an adult.
Innocence
The fact that Dooly does not recognize that his new friend is using him for a taste of his cough syrup proves that

he is still an innocent young man, at least in relation to the ways of the world. Despite playing at being a man,
he is still an innocent child. His reaction, after realizing that he was used, also points to his innocence. He reacts
in the manner that any child would, he ran home crying.

Mom Luby and the Social Worker

SUMMARY
This short story is about an elderly woman, fondly called Mom Luby, who fosters two small children. The story
opens with her visit to the Social Welfare office, in order to obtain monetary assistance in taking care of the
children. She then returns home to find people waiting to get let in to the speakeasy that she runs in her back
room. There is a knock on the door, but instead of the police - coming to collect money - it is a social worker.
The social worker, Miss Rushmore, visits in order to investigate the living conditions of the children. She is
skeptical about some of the answers that Mom Luby gives, but gives her information about the many forms,
along with lengthy directions, regarding the acquisition of clothes and shoes for the children. Mom Luby is
astonished, yet slightly amused, about the length of time it could take to obtain clothes and shoes for the
children. She responds by stating that she simply did not have enough time because she had a long list of chores
to attend to. Miss. Rushmore volunteers to go along with Mom Luby, expressing her disbelief that she could
accomplish so much in such a short time. They both return from completing the chores, with Miss Rushmore
looking very bedraggled. She states that Mom Luby does not need her help because she got more things done in
two hours, than Miss Rushmore has managed to complete in two years. The great irony of the situation is
revealed when Mom Luby comments that the Social Welfare office should consider hiring her, but Miss
Rushmore comments that that is not possible because Mom Luby is not qualified.
SETTING

The United States of America.

Between 1920-1933, the time of the Prohibition in the United States.

CHARACTERS
Mom Luby

An elderly woman who is as strong as any young woman.

She has white hair and false teeth.

She runs a speakeasy in the back room of her house.

She fosters two young children.

She is a midwife, herb doctor and ordained minister of the Gospel.

She's a very productive woman who helps the people in her community.

She is very proud.

Miss Rushmore

She works at the Department of Child Welfare, Bureau of Family Assistance.

She is very thorough in her investigation of Mom Luby.

She is awed by Mom Luby's productivity.

Elijah (narrator) & Puddin' - The two young children that Mom Luby fosters.
THEME
Love and Family Relationship
The love that Mom Luby has for her two young charges is apparent by her simple act of fostering them. She is a
poor, older woman who runs a speakeasy to survive, this is not the profile of someone who should be willing to
take care of two young children, as well as a whole community. The act of visiting the Social Security Office is
a testament to her commitment to taking care of the two children. The great irony in this short story is that a
poor, older lady, is able to take better care of two little children than the State agency that is assigned to do so.
This is because she can get more accomplished in two hours, to benefit them, than the agency can accomplish in
two years with their most motivated agent.

The Day the World Almost Came To An End

SUMMARY
This short story was told from the perspective of an adult and chronicles the events behind a childs (the adult
narrator) belief that the world was about to end. The story is set on a plantation in Louisiana in 1936, where the
church was the axis around which plantation life revolved. Despite this fact, the narrator was holding on to
being a sinner because she believed that she could not live upright. One day, while she was playing, her cousin
Rena informed her that the world was coming to an end. This was based on a conversation that Rena overheard,
and misunderstood, about the eclipse. The hellfire sermons in church did not help to stem the narrators mounting
panic and she worried herself into a frazzle as a result. She had a conversation with her father about this issue
and he tried to quell her fears, but unfortunately, he only managed to increase it with his statement that the world
could come to an end at any time. The narrator spent the night conjuring images of dooms day, which led to her
overreaction to hearing the rumblings of an old airplane. She ran out of her house screaming that the world was
coming to an end. Her father caught her on the road and calmed her down. She appreciated life a lot more after
that and lived her life to the fullest.
SETTING
The story occurs on a plantation in Louisiana in 1936.
CHARACTERS
Daddy:

Understanding

Has a good relationship with his daughter

1st person narrator:

Imaginative

Bold

Naive

Rena:

Naive

THEMES
Religion:
This is the central theme in this short story. Plantation life was centered on religion to the extent that even the
narrators father was a deacon. Religious fervor, in the form of hellfire preaching, is also the fuel for the panic
that overtakes the narrator/protagonist in this short story.
Love & Family Relationship:
The love and trust between father and daughter is glaring. When the narrator/protagonist was worried about the
world coming to an end, the first person that she thought to consult on this issue was her father. His response to
her childish fears, in turn, highlights the easy relationship between the two. Daddy's care in covering his
daughter after her mad dash through the turnrow is also an indication of the love that he has for his child.
The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream
SUMMARY
This short story is about a little boy's obsession with ice-cream. Benjy is a little boy who lives in rural Jamaica.
His family is extremely poor and the most important, and festive, day for them is the Harvest Festival. It is an
even more important event for Benjy because this is the only place that he can access the coveted ice cream.
Benjy has never tasted ice-cream, but he relishes the very thought of it through the second hand description that
is passed on to him by his sister. The story opens with the family's preparations to attend the festival and their
scenic journey down the hill. Benjy's obsession with ice-cream becomes evident at this point because he cannot
enjoy himself due to his anxiety surrounding when the ice-cream will be forthcoming. This mirrors his father's
obsession with scouting out the man whom he believes to be his wife's lover and Benjy's father. The obsessions
collide when Benjy finally gets his ice cream and it falls out of his hand because his father sees a male talking to
his wife and drags Benjy along to confront him. The story, therefore, ends in disappointment for Benjy.
SETTING

The story occurs in the small town of Springville in rural Jamaica.

The family is from an even smaller town called One Eye, located in the mountains of Springville.

CHARACTERS
Benjy

The second youngest child.

He is a really intense child in terms of achieving his desires.

Elsa

Benjy's older sister.

She takes care of Benjy when his mother is busy.

She introduces Benjy to the foggy concept of ice cream.

Mother

She was very progressive and forward thinking.

She was a very sociable and friendly person.

Always eager to go or do something different.

Papa

He was a farmer.

The short story reveals that he was wedded to the soil.

He did not like to go out.

He preferred a predictable lifestyle.

He was very jealous.

THEME
Jealousy:
Papa is irrationally jealous about his wife's activities. It is revealed that he believes that she cheated on him
when she spent three weeks away from him in Springville, where she was attending to her dying mother. He
watches her like a hawk at the Harvest Festival, thereby getting very little enjoyment out of the fair. This
jealousy has serious implications for his relationship with his son Benjy. He does not believe that Benjy is his
biological child, but a product of his wife's 'affair' in Springville. Benjy, therefore, is not treated well by his
father, but viewed with suspicion and slight contempt. The narrator tells us that Benjy is in a state of constant
suspense in terms of what his father's response to him will be.
SYMBOL
Ice cream:
Ice cream, in this short story, is the symbol for anything that is intensely desired, anything that is anticipated to
bring great pleasure.
POEMS COMPLETED IN THE CHIRSTMANS TERM
A Contemplation Upon Flowers

LITERAL MEANING
The persona wishes that he could be as brave as the flowers, who know who they owe their life to - the
earth. They know their place and obey the order, or cycle, of life and death. The persona wishes that he
could be this way because he is the opposite, he wants to live forever. The persona wants the flowers to
teach him NOT to fear death, but to accept it.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. SIMILE
Stanza 1, line: The persona is wishing that he could be as brave as the flower. This implies that
the persona does not think that he is brave, but a coward in the face of death.

2. EUPHEMISM
This phrase is a replacement for the word death. It softens death and makes it appear welcoming and pleasant.
3. IRONY
It is ironic that the flowers look so fresh and alive when it is facing its very mortality, on the top of a casket.
Death is a sad affair, and the flowers are at their best when ushering people back to the earth.
4. PERSONIFICATION
The persona is speaking directly to flowers and giving them human qualities, therefore, the whole poem is an
example of the use of personification at it's best. He even goes as far as to ask the flower to teach him things that
will make him be like it.

TONE: The tone of the poem is admiration, because the persona literally admires the flowers for its accepting
attitude towards death.
MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE: The mood, or atmosphere of the poem is a pensive one. The persona is thinking about
death, how he relates to it versus how others relate to it.
CONTRAST: A contrast in this poem is the persona's fear of death, versus the flowers'acceptance of it.
THEMATIC CATEGORY: Death, nature,
Orchids

LITERAL MEANING
The persona is moving from a house that she has lived in for five weeks. She has sent her belongings to her
future home, but one item remains in her old space, an orchid. The persona clarifies that she was gifted the
orchid, but implies that it holds no value because the gifting of orchids is habitual for the person who gave
her. She describes the flower as odourless, but attractive to see. She watered the orchid once, expecting it to
die, but it survived. It not only survived, but bloomed. The persona contemplates plucking the bloom and
pressing it between the pages of a book. The purpose of this is to allow her to appreciate the flower.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE
The orchid's full blown blossoms are being compared to a polished poem. The word polished in this
comparison implies perfection, shiny and pleasant to read.
2. PUN
The purple heart literally refers to the splash of color in the center of the orchid's bloom, but it could also refer
to the bravery of the flower. This is so because a purple heart, in the army, is a medal that a soldier receives for

bravery on the battle field.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is pensive, or thoughtful. The persona is thinking about the lack of value that she places
in the orchid.
TONE
The tone of the poem is one of almost bored musing.
THEMATIC CATEGORY
Death, nature, survival, desire/ dreams.
The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son
.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona in this poem is telling the story of a mother who loved her son. The mother became
aware of the child's presence when she experienced morning sickness. She placed all her hopes in the
child and raised him as a single parent because his father was indifferent to the child's existence. The
mother had set no barriers on what the child could become, but is told that he has an employer who
values him so much that he is given his own submarine gun. The son tells his mother that his
employer is like a father to him, but the mother wonders at the father figure who purposefully
endangers his child. She prepares for her son's death by going downtown to buy funeral apparel. The
mother feels powerless, so she prays for her child and says protective psalms for him. On the other
hand, she reads psalms of retribution for the employer and weeps for her son. Her situation does not
look good and is likened to a partner system in which she draws both the first and the last hand.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE
Lines 1-2: The persona emphasizes that the mother placed all her hopes in her son. When you
are poor, generally, you have no prospects, you only dream and hope. Therefore, the persona uses this
metaphor to drive home the mother's dependence on her son's success.
Line 17: The employer is being compared to a father figure. This implies that this person fills a
gap in the son's life.
2. SARCASM
The persona appears to praise the child's father by referring to him as 'fair-minded'. She is, however, chastising
him for not only ignoring his son, but all of his other children.
3. IRONY (situational)
The son innocently tells his mother that his employer values him so much that he gave him a whole submachine
gun for himself. The irony in this situation is that if you really care about someone, you do NOT give them a
gun due to the negative results that are bound to occur.
4. ALLUSION (biblical)

Lines 28-29: This line alludes to a particular verse in the Christian Bible, Luke 11 vs 11. The verse
questions what the actions of a good father should be.

Lines 38-39: Psalms is a particular chapter in the Christian Bible. In this chapter there are verses for
protection, the mother uses those for her son, as well as verses for retribution and rebuking. It is implied that
the mother chooses those for the employer.
Lines 43-45: In the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Therefore, it does not bode well for
the mother if she is in a 'partnership' with this person because she might also be betrayed. The banker in the
'partnership' also happens to be the thief on the left hand side of the cross' mother. This also does not bode well
for the mother if the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Line 49: Absalom is the son of David, in the Christian Bible. Absalom betrayed his father, which
implies that the mother feels betrayed by her son because she has placed all her hopes in him.
MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about a mother's response to her son's life choices.
TONE
The tone of the poem is pragmatic and pessimistic. The persona is telling the tale as it is, with no positive
energy.
THEMATIC CATEGORY
Death, love, survival, desires/ dreams, childhood experiences.

A Stone's Throw

LITERAL MEANING
A crowd, of which the persona forms a part, has caught a woman. The persona implies to the reader
that the woman is not decent. She was beautiful, but scared because she had gotten 'roughed up' a
little by the crowd. The persona states that she has experienced men's hands on her body before, but
this crowd's hands were virtuous.
He also makes a proviso that if this crowd bruises her, it cannot be compared to what she has
experienced before. He also speaks about a last assault and battery to come. He justifies this last
assault by calling it justice, and it is justice that feels not only right, but good. The crowd's 'justice' is
placed on hold by the interruption of a preacher, who stops to talk to the lady. He squats on the
ground and writes something that the crowd cannot see. Essentially, the preacher judges them, thereby
allowing the lady to also judge the crowd, leading to the crowd inevitably judging itself. The crowd
walks away from the lady, still holding stones [which can be seen as a metaphor for judgments] that
can be thrown another day.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. SARCASM
The persona is making the point that the lady was in fact NOT decent looking.
2. PERSONIFICATION
This device is particularly effective because the word 'kisses' is used. Kiss implies something
pleasant, but it is actually utilized to emphasize something painful that has happened to the lady; she
was stoned.
3. PUN

Title: The title of the poem is itself a pun. A stone's throw is used by many people in the
Caribbean to describe a close distance. eg. "She lives a stone's throw away". The other use of the title

is to highlight the content of the poem. It is a figurative stoning, or judging, of a woman.

Line 23: There is a play on the word 'come'. The persona is telling us that the crowd is planning to rape
the lady, this act is to come, or occur, in the near future. Come, in this context, also means to ejaculate, the
culmination of the act of sex. The rapists in the crowd also plan to 'come'.
4. ALLUSION (biblical)
The content of the poem alludes to the story of Mary Magdalene in the Christian Bible. See John 8 v 5-7.
IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES
TONE
The tone of the poem is mixed. At times it is almost braggadocious, then it becomes sarcastic, moving to
scornful.
THEMATIC CATEGORY
Discrimination, religion, survival, hypocrasy, oppression, alienation.

Theme For English B

LITERAL MEANING
The persona's lecturer gave him an assignment to write a page that reflects 'him', or who he is. The
persona wonders if this is a simple task, and begins to think about his life. Things like his age, place of
birth, race and place of residence. Based on these musings, he surmises that he is confused due to his
youth. He guesses that he is what he feels, sees and hears, which is Harlem, New York. He continues
his musing about what he likes, and concludes that he likes the same things that people of other races
do. On this basis, he questions whether or not his page will be influenced by race. He concludes that it
will not be white. He admits that his instructor, as well as the fact that this instructor is white, will have
some influence on his page. He states that they both influence each other, that is what being American
is about. He believes that both of them might not want to influence each other, but it cannot be helped.
He concludes that both of them will learn from each other, despite the fact that the instructor has the
double advantage of being older, white and more free. All of these musings and conclusions become
his page for English B.

LITERARY DEVICES

1.RHETORICAL QUESTION
Stanza 2, line 6: The persona ponders the ease of what he is asked to do. This question, in turn,
actually highlights the difficult nature of the task.
Stanza 3, line24: This question highlights the persona's confusion as to who he is. He is
unsure.
Stanza 4, line 32: The persona is wondering whether his race will affect what he writes on the
page, despite the fact that he concludes that race does not hinder people, in general, liking the same

things.
2. REPETITION
This repetition emphasizes the profound impact that Harlem, New York, has had on the personality of the
persona.
MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThe mood of the poem is reflective.
TONE
The tone of the poem is also reflective.
THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
Racism, places
Dreaming Black Boy

LITERAL MEANING
The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he could have the regular things in life. Things such as
a congratulatory hug, to be educated to the highest level and to travel without harassment. The persona
yearns to stop fighting for the basic right to be successful, to rise above societal expectations.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. REPETITION:
The constant repetition of the phrase 'I wish' points to a yearning, a desperation even, for the basic things
that life has to offer. The repetition gives credence to the idea that the persona might believe that his wishes
are actually dreams that might not come true.
2. ALLUSION:
Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one's own life and
destiny. The fact that reference is made to this hints to how the persona feels about his life. He does not feel
as if he has control over it.

Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual, who attained success despite
difficult circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch intellectually.
Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning crosses and the
pyjamas alludes to their white outfits that look like pyjamas. The persona wants them to leave him alone, find
something else to do other than make his life difficult, as well as contributing to his wishes remaining a dream.

TONE: The tone/mood of the poem is one of sadness. The persona is thinking about how he is treated and he
reacts to this in a sad way. He keeps wishing that things were different.
THEMATIC CATEGORY: Racism, survival, oppression, desire/dreams.