American Short Story critical brief
Read a Short Story, which defines and explains the literary terms and concepts I expect you to understand and use during this course.
You can find the story here: http://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf
Questions for Paragraph 2, pick ONE to write your thoughtful reaction.
Several times in the first three pages the narrator of the story suggests that the country being described might seem to the reader too good to believe. Is that how the description of Omelas strikes you? Why or why not?
Why do you think the narrator wants to believe that the utopia of Omelas has no king, no priests, and no soldiers?
How might the imprisoned, feeble-minded, deprived, and filthy child be seen as a metaphor? In economic terms, who or what does such a child represent in our own society?
Discuss the ending of the story (and the story’s title). What do you think it means?
