The False Truth
You are stuck between ratting your friend out and doing what’s right. You know if you tell on your friend he probably will be mad at you, but if you do what’s right you know your best friend will be in for the worst punishment. Have you ever been stuck in a similar situation where lying could be the answer? In the short story “The lie” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Eli is faced with a similar situation above and has to decide which path to take.
In this short story Mr. Remenzel expects greatness from his son Eli and to be the best like he was when he was in high school. Eli is under pressure to do well on his acceptance test to Whitehill high school. When Mr. Remenzel found out that Eli had flunked the acceptance test he was greatly disappointed in Eli, you see, the past generations of Remenzel’s all went to Whitehill. When this happened Mr. Remenzel was in disbelief and confronted the school officials to see if there was any way Eli could get in. One should not assume that because he or she has wealth that they deserve anything they want or need, rather they should live their lives just like any other person without boasting he or she has wealth.
When lying there can be good and bad lies, for instance if you’re lying to protect someone’s feelings or to protect yourself then lying in that instance might be O.K. when lying to get out of trouble or get someone in trouble then lying is not good. Everyone at some point in their lives lie, I know I have. Try to remember not to lie and to tell the truth because when you lie you are just digging yourself a deeper hole, when you can just tell the truth and take your punishment.
Lying in general is bad and should try to be avoided whenever possible. “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is a short story that teaches you the true meaning of lying and what happens when you do. Anyone looking for a story that teaches you a real lesson should read “The Lie.”
Fall district assessment
Magic and the Night River
There’s a close bond between a human and an animal, but what Grandfather and Yoshi had with their cormorants was like none other. The short story “Magic and the Night River” teaches the reader what a true bond between an animal and a human is like.
In this story Yoshi and Grandfather are fisherman that rent there fishing boat from Kano. Whenever you think of a fisherman you think of a rod and pole and bait on the end, but Yoshi and Grandfather had a very unique way of catching fish, as well as the rest of the village. Instead of using the normal equipment, they tied birds called cormorants to strings which they held in their hands. This way the birds are unable to fly away. The cormorants also had a metal collar around there neck that restrained them from swallowing their catch, which allowed Yoshi and Grandfather to pull them in and take the fish from their mouths. One evening however, Grandfathers boat ran into another fisherman’s boat while fishing causing all there birds to become tangled in the air, after a few minutes of trying to untangle the mess, both Grandfather and Yoshi decided to let the birds go. Soon after they let the birds go, the strongest of the birds, Itchi-ban, had returned without having to be pulled in. Then the birds just started flooding in and Yoshi realized all the birds were accounted for! The bond between the cormorants and Grandfather and Yoshi was so strong because Grandfather cared for each bird before putting it back in its cage and also fed them well.
This should teach the reader that when handling an animal it’s important to be as nice as possible to it and you and your new animal friend will both be happy with each other.
If I had to pick a mode of literature for this story I would have to say romance because there was a mild conflict in the beginning between Kano and Yoshi, just to be followed by another conflict with Kano and grandfather. To me, the life affirming symbol was the birds returning to their owner instead of running away.
In conclusion, a bond between a human and an animal can be stronger than any other thing known to man. This is why the short story “Magic and the Night River” is an excellent story to read when you have spare time.
