An Altruistic Old Man
A small fishing village, a young boy, a grandfather he looks up to, greed. These are all a part of the short story “Magic and the Night River” by Eve Bunting. Yoshi is a young boy whose grandfather is the Master Fisherman in his village. Yoshi looks up to Grandfather, he is –for lack of better term- his hero. Then, when Kano, the man Yoshi and Grandfather rent their boat from, questions Grandfather’s fishing skills Yoshi stands up for Grandfather fiercely stating, “There is not anywhere a better master fisherman than Grandfather.” Grandfather and Yoshi are more like father and son than grandfather to grandson; in fact there is no reference to Yoshi’s father what so ever in the whole short story. Though Yoshi is not the only one working on Grandfather’s boat, he has the most honorable job on board: working side by side with Grandfather. This story is one about greed turning into understanding, and to be blunt, a romance.
This story is a romance because it has two mild conflicts and then a new beginning. The first mild conflict is when Kano questions Grandfather’s ability to fish and suggests replacing him with a younger fisherman. Yoshi resurrects his Grandfather by standing up for him and not showing even the slightest amount of doubt to Kano. The second mild conflict occurs as the boats get too close together and the cormorants get tangled. Yoshi solves this problem by letting the birds go so that they could find their own way to safety and after Grandfather let his birds go as well. He and Grandfather were later rewarded for their kindness when the all of the cormorants come back to their boat each offering a fish which leads us to the new beginning. The new beginning happens as Kano realizes that in order to find respect you have to offer respect too. Yoshi’s new beginning was an air of confidence as he promised himself, “Together we will have many nights on the night river” referring to himself and Grandfather.
The main characters of this story are Yoshi, Kano, and most of all Grandfather. Yoshi is the one who’s point of view the story follows. He is basically an apprentice to Grandfather. Yoshi is most influenced by Grandfather and therefore is loyal, amiable, and respectful; traits all parents want their children to have. An example of his kindness is when Kano is not so concerned after tossing his cormorants into his boat neglectfully and says “Who worries about cormorants? The skies are full of cormorants for the taking.” And Yoshi replies, “Grandfather says we owe them kindness.” This he actually believes he listens to Grandfather and his teachings. Kano is described as big and strong; like a leader. Though he is described as the leader type he isn’t, he is greedy and only cares about how many fish were caught that day. The character that most intrigues me is Grandfather. He’s the typical wise old man in many different stories. What makes him such a great fisherman is his respect for the birds that fish for him. He cares not about how big the catch is, but how it was caught. This is the reason the birds came back in the end. He teaches Yoshi his many acts of kindness and is on the trail of making Yoshi a brilliantly understanding person.
Symbols are important in every story, be it something as simple as the “Magic Tree House” books to the infamous classic “The Little Prince.” There are many symbols in this story such as Grandfather’s careful and gentle hands. They represent the love and care of the story. Another symbol is the tap which Grandfather places on each bird’s head. It shows the birds how much Grandfather really cares about them and respects them. The first fire lit on the fishing boats represents Grandfather’s legacy and how much respect he has earned in his years of fishing. The cormorants being placed in baskets shows us that even if people work hard for it, you could still lose freedom. That’s why freedom is so important, because you really don’t know how much of a gift it is until it’s gone.
In conclusion, the author wrote this masterfully, using Grandfather as an example to kindness, trying to make the message more clearly understood by using a character that would usually be the one who you’d guess to be the wise one. Grandfather is like Yoda; old and wise. He shares his gift of enlightenment with the young one, Yoshi. The message the author is conveying is that if you’re kind to the beings around you, you will prosper, but if you’re greedy and selfish you will not get the respect you want. Which path will you choose?
Erudite at Thirteen
A thirteen year old boy ready to go to high school who neglects to tell the truth and it could get him into deep trouble. Eli Remenzel is a young boy who is supposed to go to a certain prep school; who is supposed to be the 31st Remenzel to go to Whitehill School for Boys. Eli Remenzel is the pressured young boy in “The Lie” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Pressure is put on him by his parents. Dr. and Mrs. Remenzel, like most adults, believe that children are people to always be taught; that adults have superior knowledge over them. In most circumstances it’s true, but children can also teach adults.
“The Lie” is a romantic comedy for many reasons. The story starts out comedic with the Remenzel’s everyday life, driving in the car with their chauffer, Ben. Then, the conflict arises as they get closer and closer to Whitehill and the lie is looming over Eli like a bully pounding his fists together. Next, the conflict is fully realized by Eli when Dr. Warren walks into the room finally dropping Eli over the edge, to the point where he runs out of the room. The story is a romantic comedy for one specific reason: its new beginning. This new beginning occurs when Dr. Remenzel asks for Eli to be an exception and the Remenzels are dishonored. Eli is embarrassed not only for himself, but for his family. This makes Dr. Remenzel realize how erudite his son really is. It shows the Remenzels how much of a gift wealth is, and that they should not mistreat it.
The characters in this story all have different inputs about every subject. Eli is the main character. He is a thirteen year old born into the wealthy Remenzel family. Though he didn’t pass the entrance exam to Whitehill, he’s still very wise. When he’s embarrassed by his father, it’s not necessarily all about him, but about his family’s honor. Dr. Remenzel is a very impatient person. He somewhat believes Mrs. Remenzel to be dumb for not being completely aware of “elite” manners. He’s impatient until the end when he accepts the fact that Eli isn’t going to Whitehill. Mrs. Remenzel is simply the motherly character in any story. All she’s concerned about is her son and his feelings. She’s not worried about Whitehill, but about her son.
Every story has symbols, including “the Lie.” One symbol is the Rolls Royce. It shows the wealth of the family. Other symbols are the dormitories named after Remenzels at Whitehill. They represent the Remenzel’s legacy at the school. The last symbolic item is the rejection letter. It represents the lie itself.
In conclusion, this story is written with skill. It lets the reader see the story through the eyes of many characters. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. showed brilliant emotion. He sent his message through strong and clear. The message that he is trying to convey is that sometimes adults really can learn from children; that maybe people should start listening to their kids more often.
