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The Semplica Girl Diaries, By George Saunders (2012)

The Semplica Girl Diaries, By George Saunders (2012)

Rating: 9/10

It was a really refreshing story, I think if I had to choose one story that represents Saunders' writing style the most, I would choose this out of other Saunders stories. Saunders' style of describing wealth and social status is very odd, and creepy which differs from other authors. In this story, the symbol of wealth is Semplica girls, slaves hang on gardens for ornamental purposes. We can notice two types of reactions from people towards this weird so-called, 'culture'. I thought the author wanted us to focus on Eva's reaction, who questioned the morality of this behavior by saying "Just because everyone is doing it, that makes it right?" unlike the father, who tried to justify them. The story ends in an open conclusion, but I do believe the ring that Eva rang on adults who have become numb towards this social practice. Overall throughout the story, I enjoyed the gruesome symbols the author used, and also a tragic, but a meaningful ending that leaves a question mark for the readers.

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Hunters in the Snow, By Tobias Wolff (1981)

Hunters in the Snow, By Tobias Wolff (1981) Rating: 8.5/10      I enjoyed the dark irony and dark humor shown in this story. Each character seems foolish and silly, but when you find out who they are symbolizing, it's not as funny as before. Dirty realism reveals our inner flaws and enlightens us on how stupid we look from an omniscient perspective. And this is not a figure of particular minorities, but the big trend of selfishness or individualism that is rampant in recent society. What I found interesting was the cruelty of modern society as well. In the end, we see that both Tub and Frank are actually happy, or not upset at least. We know what they've done wrong, but we see how they are just moving on to the next path, laughing, and talking among the ones who lived. I think this story felt more refreshing since unlike typical men's problems happening in the 1980s (ex. swimmer or five-forty-eight), we can see individualism in our school, college admission, and with...
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The Student, By Anton Chekhov (1894)

The Student, By Anton Chekhov (1894) Rating: 8.5/10 When I first read this story, I wasn't sure whether The Student is full of unnecessary elements that only confuse the readers or some literary devices that actually entail a message that connects the whole story. But as I read it over and over again, I found out that this piece of hard literature actually does contain deep meaning. It was fascinating to find out that the weather descriptions at the start and the end of the story show the mood. And what was even more impressive was the fact that the author implies a deep message in such normal daily events. Also, as a Christian who had heard of the Peter story since I was young, I have always taken the story as just a moral story that tells you to never lie. But in The Student, I was able to imagine different aspects of the story. Overall, I thought that these kinds of literature should be read over and over again. 
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The Tower, By Marghanita Laski (1955)

The Tower, By Marghanita Laski (1955) Rating: 9/10 This was probably the only story that I read multiple times with much depth. In the case of other stories, I usually stick to the analysis that the majority of people make about the story. But for <The Tower>, through reading it over and over, I think I came up with my own analysis. As I mentioned in my team presentation, I thought the major question was"Why did the author end with such a hopeless conclusion, even though this is a feminist story?". From the perspective of the hero's journey, "Why no reward and the elixir?". It might be interpreted that the hero has failed, that her challenge was meaningless. Was that what Laski wanted the readers to take from her story? I believe not. Finding the hidden message that when we gather help and cooperate we'll be able to see the sunset, instead of misunderstanding that the sunset doesn't exist. This is the key interpretation that I thought of, and throu...
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