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Contents
A World of Prose for CXC David Williams and Hazel Simmons-McDonald Short Stories Prescribed for
the JUNE 2018 – JANUARY 2023............................................................................................................2
The Two Grandmothers by Olive Senior................................................................................................3
Blackout -Roger Mais.............................................................................................................................8
. Emma- Carolyn Cole..........................................................................................................................10
Man of the House by Frank O’Connor.................................................................................................14
‘Blood Brothers’ by John Wickham......................................................................................................16
The Day the World Almost Came to an End- Pearl Crayton.................................................................18
The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream- Olive Senior.......................................................................................20
Berry by Langston Hughes...................................................................................................................22
Mom Luby and the Social Worker by Kristin Hunter............................................................................24
To Da-duh, in Memoriam by Paule Marshall.......................................................................................26
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A World of Prose for CXC David Williams and Hazel Simmons-

McDonald Short Stories Prescribed for the JUNE 2018 – JANUARY
2023

1. The Two Grandmothers -Olive Senior

2. Blackout -Roger Mais

3. Emma- Carolyn Cole

4. The Man of the House -Frank O’Connor

5. Blood Brothers -John Wickham

6. The Day the World Almost Came to an End- Pearl Crayton

7. The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream- Olive Senior

8. Berry- Langston Hughes

9. Mom Luby and the Social Worker -Kristin Hunter

10. To Da-duh, in Memoriam -Paule Marshall

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The Two Grandmothers by Olive Senior

Olive Senior, author of ‘The Two Grandmothers’, was born in Trelawney, Jamaica. She
attended Montego Bay High School, then went on to study journalism in Cardiff, Wales. She
then studied at Carlton University in Ottowa. She currently lives in Canada, but visits
Jamaica regularly.

SUMMARY
The story opens with a little girl telling her mother about her experiences with her two
grandmothers; grandma Dell and Grandma Elaine a.k.a Towser. Grandma Dell is her
‘country’ grandmother who lives in rural Jamaica, raises livestock, caters to her community,
takes her granddaughter to church and is enamoured by her granddaughter’s ‘pretty’ skin
and hair. Grandma Elaine, on the other hand, is her ‘town’ grandmother. She has had
multiple marriages, is a socialite who dates wealthy men, travels, and is very concerned
about her physical appearance. The granddaughter, initially, prefers her country
grandmother, who is very attentive to her needs and loved to ‘show her off’ to her friends
and neighbours. However, as the story progresses, and the narrator ages and matures, she
begins to prefer her town grandmother, who is more cosmopolitan and appreciative of
material things. With her change in attitude to grandma Dell, however, also comes a change
in attitude to her country friends. They are no longer figures who inspire awe, but girls to
look down on as ‘less than’. The story closes with the teenage narrator proposing that her
family should spend a day with her country grandmother – then she would be taken care of
until next year – ensuring that they have more time to spend with Towser (Grandma Elaine)
as well as pursue more interesting exploits.

SETTING
• The story occurs in three places; rural Jamaica, Kingston and Clearwater in the USA.
• The story occurs in the 1980’s.

CHARACTERS
Grandma Dell
• Traditional/ old fashion
• Christian minded and simple in her approach to life
• Altruistic
• Never married
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• Never dates
• Prejudiced
• Hypocrite

Grandma Elaine (Towser)

• Non-traditional/ Socialite
• Materialistic
• Narcississtic
• Married multiple times
• Goes on dates
• Prejudiced
• Blunt and speaks her mind

Narrator (1st person)

• The readers first meets her when she is a little girl.
• She grows and matures as the story progresses, by the end of the story she appears to be
a teenager.
• She initially prefers the company of Grandma Del, but as she grows up, she begins to show
a preference for Touser.
• She reports a lot of sensitive information, for example – the ‘fall’ of grandma Del, Pearlie’s
home situation, Eulalie and Ermandine’s pregnancies – but does not appear to understand
the gravity of the various situations.
• As she grows up, she appears to become more materialistic in her desires, she wants to be
like every-one else.
• She appears, by the end of the story, to be confused about how to feel about her physical
appearance.
• She cannot be bothered with her country grandmother, grandma Dell, by the end of the
story.
• She begins to appreciate her hip socialite grandma Elaine, aka Touser, by the end of the
story.
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THEMES
Racial Prejudice
This theme is highlighted by Grandma Elaine/ Towser and the Clearwater relatives. Grandma
Elaine highlights this theme by her reference to the narrator’s hair; ‘your mother had better
start to do something about your hair from now it’s almost as tough as your father’s …. If
you were my child, I would cut it off to get some of the kinks out.’ (Senior, 119) and skin
tone; ‘Joyce says Grandma is sorry I came out dark because she is almost a white lady, and I
am really dark.’ (Senior, 120). The grandmother’s preoccupation with the fact that her
granddaughter has predominantly black features highlights the theme of racial
discrimination. She sees these features as flaws and passes this sentiment on to her
grandchild. We see the child questioning if being dark is a bad thing ‘Is dark really bad,
Mummy?’ (Senior, 120).

This contrasts with the country grandmother, Grandma Del, who re-enforces the very
opposite view of Grandma Elaine. She believes that her grandchild’s hair is beautiful
‘Grandma loves to comb my hair she says it’s so long and thick and she rubs it with castor oil
every night.’ (Senior, 117) and her skin is beautiful as well ‘Grandma Del says my skin is
beautiful like honey’ (Senior, 117). Despite this positive re-enforcement by Grandma Del, it
still comes from a place of prejudice. She too, like Grandma Elaine, believes that being too
dark and having too much ‘kink’ in one’s hair is a bad thing. The two grandmothers only
differ in terms of their idea of what is ‘too dark’, or ‘too kinky’.

The Clearwater relatives, particularly Maureen, highlights the theme of racial prejudice. She
introduces the term ‘nigger’ to the story. The narrator questions her beauty based on what
she observes as beautiful around her, and finds herself lacking; ‘how can I be beautiful? My
skin is so dark, darker than yours and Maureen’s and Jason’s and Auntie Rita’s. And my hair
is so course, not like yours or Maureen’s but then Maureen’s father is white. Is that why
Maureen called me a nigger?’ (Senior, 124). The narrator declares that she hates Maureen,
based on the before mentioned incident, but, ironically, she wants to be like Maureen and is
even more ashamed of her hair.
Social Prejudice
This theme is highlighted by Grandma Elaine, Grandma Dell, and the narrator. Grandma
Elaine has a distinct disdain for Grandma Dell. She believes that ‘granny Del’ is a country
bumpkin from the ‘deepest darkest country’ (Senior, 118). She sees her as irrelevant and
believes that she is brainwashing her grandchild with information that is not only irrelevant
but embarrassing as well. This disdain comes from the fact that Elaine is a socialite who’s
world is the direct opposite of the simplistic life that Grandma Del leads. Grandma Elaine
dates rich white men, travels, and ensures that she maintains her beauty. She views
Grandma Dell with scorn because she does not do the same.
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The reader receives no inkling of Grandma Del’s feelings toward Grandma Elaine, but we are
treated to the judgement that she quietly metes out to her neighbours in the country. She
views Ermandine and Eulalie as ‘a disgraceful Jezebel-lot and dry-eye’ (Senior, 121) because
they have disgraced their parents by getting pregnant. She views them as being beneath
her, even though she also did the same, and was also shunned by the community for a
period of time.

The narrator, in turn, adopts the prejudices of both grandmothers. She starts to dislike going
to the country because ‘there’s nobody but black people’ (Senior, 123) there. She looks
down on her friends – Ermandine, Eulalie and Pearlie – due to their multiple pregnancies
and bedraggled state. She starts to literally avoid them because she does not want them to
ask her for some of her clothes. Everything about being in the country (rural area), from the
people to her experiences, annoys her – in her teen years – because visiting the country is
shameful in relation to going to Europe or America. It is not considered to be a socially
relevant activity.

Love and Family Relationships

Both grandmothers love their grandchild, and she loves them in return. Grandma Del shows
her love by combing her granddaughter’s hair, taking her to church, steering her away from
negative influences, and educating her about appropriate behaviour. Initially, this education
is appreciated and accepted by the narrator, but as she grows up and matures, she views
this show of love as stifling and irrelevant. The narrator does not love her grandmother any
less, it is just that their point of views no longer align.

Grandma Elaine, on the other hand, shows her love for her grandchild by highlighting her
flaws and seeking to improve them. Therefore, she points out that the child’s hair is kinky,
and her skin is too dark. Undoubtedly, this is an inappropriate conversation to have with a
small child, however, this is her flawed way of showing her love. She suggests activities for
improving the child’s social prospects such as finishing school and visits off the island. The
narrator returns this love by eventually placing Grandma Elaine as the favoured
grandmother. She even adopts, eventually, her materialistic sensibility.

Women in Society
This is a story about women, the values that they pass on, and the way that they treat each
other. There are women of different social status’ and financial backgrounds in the , and all
of them contribute to this theme. Grandma Elaine is of a high social status and she treats
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grandma Del, who is of a lower social status, with disdain. Grandma Del, in turn, treats
Eulalie, Ermandine and Pearlie with disdain for being poor, as well as victims of their
financial, and social, circumstances. The narrator joins this cycle by discriminating against
her ‘country’ friends by viewing herself as better than them. Ironically, she suffers the same
treatment at the hands of her cousin, Maureen, who treats the narrator as ‘less than’ as
well. The possible moral of this tale is that women should try to understand and accept each
other.

Innocence vs. Loss of Innocence

As a child, the narrator reports the actions of others without understanding a lot of what is
happening. This is the definition of innocence. She also accepts people for who they are and
sees the good in them. This is seen in her awe at Eulalee’s skills in the kitchen, as well as her
acceptance of Ermandine and Pearlie’s babies. She simply accepted without judgement. This
changes as the child matures and she starts to view herself as better than her friends. This is
because her circumstances happen to be better than theirs. This signifies a loss of innocence
that comes with maturity.
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Blackout -Roger Mais

The woman at the bus stop is hesitant to give the man a light from her cigarette. It is as though she
feels that the man is infringing on her personal space. It also doesn’t help that the woman has an
opinion with regard to the colour of the man’s skin. This may be important as Mais may be
highlighting the inequalities that existed at the time the story was written with black people being
considered inferior to white people. The fact that the man tells the woman that there is only two
types of people (men and women) might also be significant as it suggests that any inferiority that the
woman may be suggesting with regards to the man’s skin colour does not necessarily affect the man.
If anything, the man unlike the woman is colour blind with his skin colour being considered an
irrelevancy. Something that is far different to the woman’s personal view on skin colour.

The woman as she leaves to get on the bus is intrigued by the man. However, she makes a point yo
not turn back to look at him. This too could be important as the woman may be concerned about
what others on the bus might think about a white woman turning around to look at a black man. If
anything, the woman may fear being seen to be engaging with the man. Which may suggest that the
social barriers that existed at the time the story was written with regards to black and white people
engaging with one another has a strong hold on the woman’s consciousness. Though the woman is
intrigued with her encounter with the man she is also fully aware of how any engagement with the
man might be interpreted by others. The fact that the man can challenge the woman is also
interesting as rather than being intimidating he is actually asking the woman to look at her own
values. Which may be the point that Mais is attempting to make. He may be suggesting that society
in general needs to look at itself and to question its moral standards.

NARRATED

- in third person by an unnamed narrator

SETTING

The story is set during the war (WWII) might also be significant as Mais could be using the setting as
foreshadowing to the conflict that develops between the man and woman (as well as the difference
in races, there are a multiple conflicts). The fact that the man also touches the woman’s hands when
he is lighting his cigarette could also be important as by doing so, he is breaking down many socially
accepted barriers of the time. That being a black man touching a white woman.

THEMES

 Conflicts
 Racism
 Inequality
 Class and pride

SYMBOL
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 . The cigarette that the woman throws away

- wealth or class especially if it is compared to the half cigarette that the man is smoking. Also the
woman may feel as though the cigarette has been tainted in some way because she allowed the man
to light his cigarette from it.

LITERARY DEVICE

Contrasts

-In addition to race and sex, the man is also poor in comparison to the woman and as such feels the
need to pick up the woman’s cigarette. It might also be a case that the man is not too proud to admit
that he is poor. Something which would contrast with the woman. If anything, the woman feels as
though she is privileged based solely on her skin colour and her class. Whereas the only difference
between the man and woman may be their circumstances. With one individual being more fortunate
than the other.
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. Emma- Carolyn Cole

SUMMARY
This short story is told from the first-person perspective of a little girl called Dorian York. The
focus of her thoughts is her mother; the games that they play together, and the games that
she plays with her friend, that revolve around her mother. The first-person perspective of
the narrative gives the reader an intimate view of how the little girl sees her mother, as well
as how she feels about her. We are also able to garner information about the people around
her from her innocent narrative, innocent because the little girl does not understand many
of the things that she reports. The reader learns that Emma and Mr. York have a volatile
relationship that is seemingly caused by his infidelity. This infidelity is initially implied by
Emma’s constant watching of the clock and waiting for her husband to return home, as well
as the fight that Dorian reported. Grandfather’s visit, however, brings a happy atmosphere
to the family unit because daddy starts to do things with the family, hence they seem more
like a conventional happy family. The audience is given the impression that things go back to
normal after grandfather leaves, however, due to the spectral presence of the ‘lady at the
train station’, as well as Mrs. Robinson’s pointed discussion about Mr. York’s status as a
‘player’. The narrative climaxes with the death of Emma at the train station. She saw her
husband with the mysterious lady and runs away, followed closely by Dorian and Jack.
Unfortunately, when Jack caught her by the arm, she ran into the path of an oncoming
vehicle and was killed. Jack and Mrs. Robinson then get romantically involved, and they send
both Maria and Dorian to St. Agnes, a boarding school, in the country.

SETTING
• The story occurs in three places; the York residence, an unnamed mall and the old train
station.
• The mood of the story fluctuates from happiness to sadness.

CHARACTERS
Jack York (Daddy)
• He is Doran’s father and Emma’s husband.
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• He is characterized as a ‘player’ by Mrs. Robinson.

• He is not faithful to his wife.
• He was not ready for the arrival of his daughter, Dorian, and does not seem to have a
close relationship with her.
Emma York
• She is Dorian’s mother and Jack’s wife.
• She is a good mother who plays with her child and treats her well.
• She is a good wife who loves her husband (as seen in how she greets him when he gets
home) and is considerate of his feelings; as seen in her reasons for not having another baby.
• She is a very smart and polished lady who can handle herself with people who are coy and
critical of her; as seen in her argument with Mrs. Robinson in the mall.
Dorian York
• A very innocent little girl who is the first-person narrator of the story.
• She is younger than her friend Maria, who is nine (9) years old.
• She adores her mother and her grandfather.
• She is often puzzled by the content of adult discussion.
Grandaddy
• Emma’s father.
• Brought joy into the family because daddy stayed home, came home early, and spent
quality time with the family, due to grandaddy’s implied interference.
• Loved her grandfather because he seemed to do what her dad didn’t – spent time with
her – and her first-person perspective of him reflected her love.
Ruby Robinson
• She is Emma’s friend and Maria’s mother.
• She is not a good friend to Emma because she is both critical and jealous of her.
• She gets romantically involved with Jack after Emma dies.
• She’s very impatient with both girls.
• She sends Maria and Dorian to boarding school in order to enact her plan to keep the
‘player’.
Maria Robinson
• She is the nine (9) year old daughter of Ruby Robinson.
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• She is Dorian’s playmate.

• She filters and explains a lot of the adult conversations that Dorian does not understand.

THEMES
Innocence/ coming of age
This theme is epitomized by Dorian York. The story is told from her perspective; therefore,
the reader gets a first-hand view of the innocence behind her misunderstanding of adult
conversation and situations. She senses emotions, but misses a lot of the innuendo, as is
seen when she tells the audience about the fight that her parents had. Her innocence is also
seen in her expectation that her mother would come home after the accident, but instead,
she finds Mrs. Robinson in her mot her’s bed. Her growth, or advancement into maturity, is
highlighted in the end of the short story when Dorian reassures Maria that everything will
be ok, they will play adult games better.

Love and family relationship

There are two types of families in this short story, the nuclear family and the single-family
unit. Dorian’s family is the nuclear family, consisting of mother, father and child. This family
is a troubled one because the father is seemingly more absent than present due to an
implied ‘other woman’, who is later confirmed as very real. He also seems uncomfortable
around his only child, as is confirmed by Emma, who decides to forego having another child
because ‘Jack wasn’t ready for Dori’ (Cole, p.53). Emma, on the other hand, seems to live to
please both her child and husband. She is very affectionate with Dorian, and this love is
returned tenfold, as seen in the adoration that imbues the tone of the narrator. She is the
same with her husband, but the reception is less enthusiastic. It would be unfair to say that
the family is dysfunctional, because one parent is at least invested in the emotional
happiness of the child, but the family has issues because the head of the household’s
concentration lies elsewhere.

Mrs. Robinson is a single mother, parenting her only child; Maria. She does not appear to be
particularly liked by both girls because no-one wants to ‘play’ at being her. She aggravates
her child constantly and appears to be unhappy with her life. This family structure can be
seen as dysfunctional because the parent does not seem to devote her energies toward
making her child feel loved and comfortable, which is one of the primary aims of any family
structure.
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Friendship
There are two contrasting friendships in this short story. There is the friendship between
Dorian and Maria, which is characterized by play, conversations and support of each other.
Then there is the friendship between the adults, Emma and Mrs. Robinson, which is
contrastingly characterized by cattiness and jealousy; mostly on Mrs. Robinson’s part.

MOTIF
Play
The motif of play appears to be a strong one in this short story, perhaps due to the fact that
the narrator is a young child. The children ‘play’ at being adults, imitating – and fighting over
– their favourite adult. They also literally see the life of adults as play. Dorian confirms this
at the end of the story when she reassures Maria that ‘I learned a lot about this game.
When it’s our turn to play, we’ll play smarter.’ (Cole, p.58).

SYMBOL
Deck of cards
The deck of cards that Emma carries around in her purse is a powerful symbol for life. In any
card game that is being played, every-one has a chance at success, or failure, depending on
how they play the game. Mrs. Robinson gives Emma an alternate way to play the game of
life, with success being the joy of keeping her ‘player’ husband. Emma, however, chooses to
play the game in another way, one in which she attempts to satisfy the needs of both Dorian
and Jack. Emma is the loser in the game, however, because she dies with the joker in her
hand. This signifies that her future could have gone in any direction because the joker
introduces the element of chance to the game; it can be a bonus, a penalty, or both,
depending on how it is used in the game. In the game of life, Emma lost because she chose
to take a chance with pleasing both members of her family, instead of concentrating solely
on her husband, as Mrs. Robinson suggested. The game of life gives every-one chances
however, just like a card game, and Mrs. Robinson was given a chance to bag her rich man
with Emma’s exit from the game.
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Man of the House by Frank O’Connor

Sullivan is a little boy of ten years. It’s a small family of two persons with meagre means. The
mother is working and the son like any other boy of his age goes to school. He is a loving son
and for the mother her son is as good as gold itself.
SUMMARY
The story starts with a terrible sound of constant coughing of the sick mother which wakes
up the little boy and he runs downstairs to look into the matter. There he finds his mother in
a critical condition collapsing in an armchair holding her sides. Totally distressed she was
trying to light a fire to make tea for the boy but the smoke generated by the wet sticks
worsened her cough. Worried son immediately takes charge of everything. He stops her
from going to work and makes her lie in the bed.
Dutiful Sullivan makes tea and toast for her. He immediately decides that instead of going to
school he would stay at home to look after his mother and mind home affairs. Systematic
boy heats up another kettle of water and cleans up the breakfast mess. Then he comes to
his mother to make a list to shop for dinner. Caring Sullivan is worried and wants to call a
doctor for his mother but thrifty mother declines his wish as she is afraid that the doctor
would send her to hospital. To cheer up the frightened son the affectionate mother tries to
pretend that she is fit and fine but their neighbour Miss Minnie Ryan has all the doubts that
she might be suffering from pneumonia. She advises him to give his mother some hot
whiskey mixed with a squeeze of lemon in it to comfort her.
Determined Sullivan goes to the public house for the first time to get whiskey. Although
scared he does not lose courage and overcomes his fear. Whiskey does not work that well
and whole night depressed Sullivan could not sleep due to the terrible coughing of his
mother. She keeps on rambling badly while talking. In the morning bewildered Sullivan
heads to call the doctor from the distant dispensary. Before that he goes to get a ticket from
the house of a Poor Law Guardian to save the doctor’s fees. The organized boy tidies the
house and keeps ready the basin of water, soap and a clean towel for the doctor. Much to
their relief the doctor doesn’t advise to hospitalize the mother instead he prescribes a
cough syrup for her.
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Reliant Sullivan’s sincerity and concern earns all the praise of Miss Ryan and the doctor for
him. Again, the poor boy sets off with a bottle to get the medicine from the dispensary
situated at a distant place. On the way he comes across a cathedral. With complete
devotion he prays for his mother’s quick recovery in his heart and makes up his mind to
spend his only penny to light a candle in the church when he would finish his task. At
dispensary he meets a little girl Dooley who has come to get medicine for her sister. The girl
is very clever and talkative. Anguished Sullivan enjoys her company after going through such
terrible times. On way back the innocent boy spends his penny on sweets which they both
enjoyed. Dooly is a cunning girl. She incites Sullivan to taste the sweet cough syrup of his
mother. Confused boy gives way to temptation. Both relish it immensely. When the entire
medicine is consumed confused Sullivan realizes his fault. He begins to panic and starts
crying. Dooly misleads him to tell a lie that the cork fell out.

Repentant Sullivan is full of remorse and guilt feeling. He fears that because of his
negligence his mother would not get well. Panicked Sullivan prays the Virgin Mary to do
some miracle to save his mother. He gets back home totally broken and shattered. Mother
is alarmed to see him howl. She hugs and consoles him passionately. Truthful and honest
Sullivan confesses his crime. The forgiving mother shrugs it off. The tired boy falls fast asleep
under the intoxication of the medicine. With the grace of God the miracle happens and
Sullivan wakes up to find his mother smiling and recovered.

ANALYSIS

The story is written in autobiographical mode. The language of the text is rich and
descriptive. The content of the story is based on the delicate relationship of a mother and
son. The marathon efforts of the little boy to make his ailing mother comfortable fill the
hearts of the readers with compassion and sympathy. The childish act of drinking the
medicine of his mother by the kids is the climax of the story. Along with the boy the readers
too get nervous that what is going to happen now. The plot of the story is binding.
The title of the story is very appropriate. Having his mother ill the small boy takes up the
whole responsibility to attend her and mind the household. He does everything that an
adult person would have done to manage the situation. Even he goes to pub to get whiskey
for his mother although he was scared to see the ruffians there. He acts like a mature
person taking all the wise decisions to help his mother get well soon. That is why he is aptly
called ‘The Man of the House’.

THEME

 Coming of age
 Innocence
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 Family relationships
 Forgiveness
SYMBOL

 Illness – repentance/ innocence

 Cough syrup and Dooley- temptation

‘Blood Brothers’ by John Wickham

Overview
This story is about two brothers Paul and Benjy. Both brothers can be ‘Blood Brothers’
because they are thirteen-year-old twins. Even though Paul and Benjy are twins; they both
display different personality traits. Paul is an introvert who loves nature and he loves to
contemplate about life. Whereas Benjy is Paul’s polar opposite. This further reinforces that
although both boys are genetically related that is where the commonality ends. Benjy is an
extrovert who is very carefree and fun loving. However, Paul thinks his brother believes he
is superior and as a result he grows to hate him. Paul is conflicted about his feelings because
deep down he wants Benjy to be his friend and confidant. The story ends with Paul attacking
Benjy. Benjy is surprised and confused because he did not know or understand why Paul
reacted in this way.

CHARACTERS
Paul:

 is an introvert.
 is artistic and he paints pictures
 loves nature.
 He is also very reflective. He contemplates nature as well as his feeling towards his
brother.
 dislikes Benjy’s ability to accomplish simple tasks quickly. Resents Benjy because he
reminds him of his own short comings.
 envies Benjy and his envy turns to hate and thus assumes Benjy feels he is superior
to him.

Benjy:

 He is an extrovert and carefree

 is confident.
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 a typical boy, very active, adventurous and always exploring.

 is ignorant to his brother’s disdain for him.
 He felt he is superior to Paul and mocks Paul.

Mac:

 He is an old shoe maker in the village. Both boys go to visit him.

Narrative Point of View:

Third Person Narrative

Setting: The story takes place in an unnamed village.

Conflict: Paul envies Benjy carefree personality as a result of this he grew to hate Benjy.
This hate resulted n him attacking his brother.

THEMES:

 Love and family relationships

 Childhood Experiences
 Appearance vs Reality

SYMBOLS

 Twins- parallels, analogies of each other. (opposites)

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The Day the World Almost Came to an End- Pearl Crayton

SUMMARY
This short story was told from the perspective of an adult and chronicles the events behind
a child’s (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 narrator’s 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 incident 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:

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• 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 narrator’s father was a deacon in the church. 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.

Innocence
The child’s perspective of the world about to end. Child= innocence

Symbol
Eclipse – new beginnings, change, one version of ‘the world’ as they know it about to end=
growing up/ adulthood.
 20

The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream- Olive Senior

The story is about a boy named Benjy and his obsession for ice cream. His family does not
have much money and they are all getting ready to go to the Harvest Festival. Benjy is
excited as it will be where he is able to taste ice cream for the first time. His sister describes
it to him and makes him even more eager to try it. Benjy's father also has an obsession as he
thinks his wife has been cheating on him ever since she left town to care for her mother in
Springville. He is unfair to Benjy because he doesn't believe that he is his son, but a product
of his wife's dishonesty when she was away. Both of their obsessions come together at the
end when Benjy is about to taste his ice cream and his father sees a man talking to his wife.
He pulls Benjy along to confront them and Benjy drops his ice cream in the process.
Setting
The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream By Olive Senior
The story takes place in a small town called One Eye in Jamaica, which is where the family
lives, as well as the town of Springville which is where the festival is held.
Characters
Benjy - The second youngest child of the family. His desire to finally taste ice cream shows
us that he is an ambitious character.
Elsa - Describes ice cream to Benjy which sparks his obsession. She is the eldest child so she
takes care of the younger ones when her mother is busy.
Mother - Also known as Ms. Mae, she is kind, sociable and always open to change.
Father - Also known as Mr. Seeter, he is a farmer who prefers a predictable lifestyle unlike
his wife. He has a jealous personality and thinks that his wife is cheating on him.
Beatrice - The baby of the family.

Themes
 21

Jealousy:
The father is jealous of his wife's activities. He believes that she has been having an affair
ever since she went away to Springville to aid her sick mother. He denies Benjy being his
biological son because of this and treats him badly as a result. He keeps a close watch on his
wife at the Harvest Festival to make sure that she is not talking to any other men.
Desire:
Benjy's desire to taste ice cream is his main objective in the story. His father's desire is to
find the man who his wife is cheating on him with at the festival. Both of these desires go
hand in hand as they collide at the end.

Coming of Age
When Benjy drops his ice cream, he experiences a sense of loss and it changes him. Even the
whole atmosphere shifts, signifying the change within him as well.

Literary Devices
Imagery:
Elsa, Benjy's older sister, describes what ice cream is like to him. She describes the different
colours and flavours which makes him crave it more.
Mood:
Sympathetic - The family is poor and doesn't have the best lifestyle. Benjy also never gets
the ice cream so we sympathize with the family as well as his disappointment.
Symbol:
The Ice Cream - Symbolizes a strong desire for something as well as the loss of something.
Benjy expected something to happen and the opposite happened instead.
Simile:
When Elsa describes the ice cream, she says that it is like a beautiful dream.

Connection With
Shabine, Emma and The Day The World Almost Came To An End
- Mood: Both of the moods are sympathetic. We feel sorry for the narrarator in Shabine and
we feel sorry for the family, particularly Benjy in The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream.
-Coming of Age: Emma's death in Emma, causes Dory to lose her innocence and grow up
without her mother. In The Day The World Almost Came To An End, the narrator sees life
 22

differently after the main occurence in the story. When Benjy never gets to taste his ice
cream, reality hits him in the same way and he also grows up. He does not physically get
older at that moment in time, but a loss of innocence takes place.

Berry by Langston Hughes

Summary
Berry is about a young black man called Millberry Jones who is employed at Dr. Renfield’s
Home for Crippled Children. He was reluctantly employed by Mrs. Osborn, the housekeeper,
because the Scandinavian kitchen boy had left without notice, leaving her no choice in hiring
Berry. Her reluctance to hire Berry stemmed from his race, which initiated questions such as
where he would sleep, as well as how the other employees would react to the presence of a
Negro. She had a meeting with Dr. Renfield and they decided to hire Millberry on a reduced
salary. He was overworked and underpaid but took solace in the children whom he loved.
An unfortunate incident occurred, however, where a child fell from his wheelchair while in
the care of Berry. The result was that Berry was fired and given no salary for the week that
he had worked.

CHARACTERS
Millbury Jones (Berry)
A Black male, approximately 20 years old.
Described as good natured and strong.
Poor and uneducated.
Very observant and intuitive about people and places.
Very good with children due to his gentleness.

Mrs. Osborn
The housekeeper at the children’s home.
Rumoured to be in love with Dr. Renfield.
Very high handed with her staff, but docile with Dr. Renfield.
 23

Displays racist characteristics in subtle forms.

Dr. Renfield
Rumoured to have romantic affairs with his female staff.

Berry observes that the Home is ‘Doc Renfield’s own private gyp game’ (Hughes, p. 162),
meaning that he runs his establishment for his own profit, instead of a desire to take
genuine care of the children. He is blatantly racist.

THEMES
Racism
This theme is apparent when Berry was being considered for employment at the Home.
Mrs. Osborn was concerned about where Berry would sleep, implying that he could not
sleep with the white servants because he was considered to be beneath them. His salary
was also cut due to his race, and he was overworked, with no discussions of days off,
‘everybody was imposing on him in that taken-for-granted way white folks do with Negro
help.’ (Hughes, 162). Even more importantly, when the unfortunate accident occurred with
the child, there was no attempt at discerning what led to the incident, but blame was laid on
the obvious person – Berry. As a result, he was relieved of his job in a hail of racist slurs. The
students will be placed in their peer groups to analyze various aspects of the story.

Oppression
The theme of oppression is expressed repetitively throughout this story. White workers and
superiors kept expecting Milberry to do more and more. Milberry’s response to these
requests was a quiet acceptance without bitterness because he was happy and thankful
enough to have this job and food. In the story Milberry found happiness in helping the
crippled children at play during his brief rest period. At first the nurses were hesitant
whether they should allow it or not. At the end of the story the nurses had changed their
mind frame about Berry and would come looking for and demanding his immediate help.

In his typical nature in responding to and accepting their demand he unknowingly caused his
own demise. While Berry was helping a boy in a wheelchair down the stairs, due to know
fault of Berry’s own doing, the boy fell out of the chair onto the grass and the wheelchair
onto the walk. In the fall the boy was not hurt but the wheelchairs back was snapped off. In
this scene Langston Hughes uses the wheelchair as a symbol of Milberry’s undoing. The
 24

wheelchair’s falling represents Berry’s falling from the grace of the white people’s
acceptance. The snapped back of the wheelchair foreshadows Berry’s immediate
termination of employment. Even though it was the white nurses responsibility and job they
quickly and gladly placed all the blame for the accident upon Berry. This truly exemplifies
the use of oppression of white people over blacks.

Mom Luby and the Social Worker by Kristin Hunter

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.

SETTING
The United States of America between 1920-1933, during the time of the Prohibition in the
United States.
 25

Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, production, and
transportation of alcohol, in place from 1919 to 1933. The dry movement was led by rural
Protestants in both political parties and was coordinated by the Anti-Saloon League.
Narrative Point of View is the way events in the story are seen through the eyes of the
person who narrates the story.

Themes
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, yet she does. 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.

Devices
Satire:
The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity
or vices, particularly in the context of…a play, novel, film, or other work that uses satire.
Satire is a literary device that uses wit or irony to expose and ridicule a human weakness.
The inefficiency of bureaucratic procedures is satirized in this story.
Irony usually signals a difference between the appearance of things and reality. For instance,
an “Ironic statements (verbal irony) often convey a meaning exactly opposite from their
literal meaning. In ironic situations (situational irony), actions often have an effect exactly
opposite from what is intended.”
 26

To Da-duh, in Memoriam by Paule Marshall

SUMMARY

This short story is about a young girl’s visit, from New York, to the island of Barbados. The
protagonist, along with her sister and mother, visit Dah-Duh. The visit is an interesting one in which
Dah-Duh and the protagonist develop a caring, yet competitive, relationship. Dah-Duh introduces
her to the riches of Barbados (nature), while the protagonist introduces her grandmother to the
steel and concrete world of New York (industrialism). There is a competitive edge to their
conversations because they each try to outdo each other on the merits of their separate homes.
Dah-Duh, however, is dealt a blow when she learns of the existence of the Empire State building,
which was many stories taller than the highest thing she had ever laid her eyes on – Bissex Hill. She
lost a little bit of her spark that day and was not given a chance to rebound because the protagonist
left for New York shortly after. The story progresses with the death of Dah-Duh during the famous
’37 strike. She had refused to leave her home and was later found dead, on a Berbice chair, by her
window. The protagonist spent a brief period in penance, living as an artist and painting landscapes
that were reminiscent of Barbados.

SETTING

The story is set in Barbados, in the 1930’s.

CHARACTERS

Dah-Duh:

 A small and purposeful old woman.

 Had a painfully erect figure.
 Over eighty (80) years old.
 She moved quickly at all times.
 She had a very unattractive face, which was ‘stark and fleshless as a death mask’ (Marshall,
p.178).
 Her eyes were alive with life.
 27

 Competitive spirit.
 Had a special relationship with the protagonist.

Protagonist:

 A thin little girl.

 Nine (9) years old.
 A strong personality.
 Competitive in nature.
 Had a special relationship with Dah-Duh.

THEMES

Race:

This theme is apparent when Dah-Duh and the protagonist discuss the fact that she ‘beat up a white
girl’ in her class. Dah-Duh is quiet shocked at this and exclaims that the world has changed so much
that she cannot recognize it. This highlights their contrasting experiences of race. Dah-Duh’s
experience of race relations is viewing the white ‘massa’ as superior, as well as viewing all things
white as best. This is corroborated at the beginning of the story when it was revealed that Dah-Duh
liked her grandchildren to be white, and in fact had grandchildren from the illegitimate children of
white estate managers. Therefore, a white person was some-one to be respected, while for the
protagonist, white people were an integral part of her world, and she viewed herself as their equal.

Love and family relationship:

This story highlights the strong familial ties that exists among people of the Caribbean, both in the
islands and abroad (diaspora). The fact that the persona and her family left New York to visit the
matriarch of the family, in Barbados, highlights this tie. The respect accorded to Dah-Duh by the
mother also shows her place, or status, in the family. The protagonist states that in the presence of
Dah-Duh, her formidable mother became a child again.

Gender Issues:

This is a minor theme in this short story. It is highlighted when it is mentioned that Dah-Duh liked
her grandchildren to be boys. This is ironic because the qualities that are stereotypically found in
boys – assertive, strong willed, competitive – are found in her granddaughter. An example of this is
the way the protagonist / narrator was able to win the staring match when she first met Dah-Duh,
this proved her dominance and strength.
 28

SYMBOL

Empire State Building

This building represents power and progress. It is during the cold glass and steel of New York city
and, therefore, deforms Dah-Duh’s symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident that the
knowledge of this building shakes Dah-Duh’s confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of progress, is
what shakes the nature loving Dah-Duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to the
knowledge of the existence of the Empire State Building – defeat – is a foreshadowing of her death.
This is the case because it is metal, in the form of the planes, that ‘rattled her trees and flatten[ed]
the young canes in her field.’ (Marshall. p.186). This is a physical echo of her emotional response to
the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State building. The fact that she is found dead after
this incident is not a surprise to the reader.

Symbolism

Paule Marshall’s work is replete with a richness of literary devices like symbolism, imagery and
metaphors. Describing the foreboding character of death, the narrator feels that the planes that
bring death to the little village are “swooping and screaming…monstrous birds”. The sugarcanes that
grow in the village are Da-Duh’s delight and also the reason for the exploitation in the village. The
pride of Da-Duh, the sugarcanes appear threatening to the narrator she feels that the canes are
“clashing like swords above my cowering head”. This is a description of the duality of life. Where
there is joy, there is pain and when there is life, death is bound to follow.

Imagery

The life-death antithesis is depicted in the closing lines of the book where the narrator paints “seas
of sugar-cane and huge swirling Van Gogh suns and palm trees [in] a tropical landscape . . .while the
thunderous tread of the machines downstairs jarred the floor beneath my easel.’’ Light is identified
by the surrounding darkness and life, by death that eventually follows. The transient nature of life is
evidenced by the changes that happen over a period of time.

Death’s morbidity invades the colourful mind. The narrator imbues the reader’s mind with images
that allude to this dark reality. “All these trees….Well, they’d be bare. No leaves, no fruit, nothing.
They’d be covered in snow. You see your canes. They’d be buried under tons of snow.”
 29

Metaphor

With a judicious use of metaphors, the narrator has drawn us to the reality of inevitable changes
that our lives are subject to. Again, the sugarcanes are metaphorically perceived as the ominous
danger that “…would close in on us and run us through with their stiletto blades.” Later, the planes
that cause the death of her grandmother are visualized by the narrator as “the hardback beetles
which hurled themselves with suicidal force against the walls of the house at night.” She points at
our dogmatism in accepting the fact that the world is constantly changing. Those who fail to see this
at first, experience it the hard way later.

Conclusion

However prejudiced we might be, towards change, the hard-hitting reality of a life-death cycle is
inevitable. Time stands testimony to this fact. Paule Marshall has illustrated this through the
depiction of conflicting ideas between her and Da-Duh and she conveys this message at the start
when she writes, “both knew, at a level beyond words, that I had come into the world not only to
love her and to continue her line but to take her very life in order that I might live.”