Once Upon A Time

I remember this story, and being incredibly confused by it the first time i read it. There was a lot more clarity this time, but I think that may have more to do with the fact that I remember a lot from our discussions last year. 

This story is a grotesque representation of children's stories. I can understand why Gordimer wrote about something so mature, to contrast to the normal lightheartedness of "once upon a time" themes. It is hard to believe that something so horrible as the result of this story actually happened; and I'm sure this instance was exaggerated, to some extent.

This story was set up differently than other stories...it started out with the voice of the writer, which is not necissarily Gordimer. Not many stories are told like they would be spoken; that may be another link to the African culture. I really enjoyed figuring this story out after I knew that it was based on the experiences of apartheid in South Africa. The story had a context, and made so much more sense.

You got a feel of anger and resentment from this story. Gordimer put the right spin on words to make them sting a bit after you read them, which is disturbing because they stay with you. It is really all you can think about for a few hours after you read it, it stays with you, which i guess is a good sign of great writing. 

I am excited to see what the people in the class have to say about this story; it was pretty controversial last year, in a way. I am interested to know how people will fit it in its place after they find out it is about apartheid, and how long it will take them to figure it out!