The Gentlemen of the Jungle by Jomo Kenyatta begins during a storm. A man is resting in his hut when an elephant comes and asks to enter his home for protection from the storm. The elephant then proceeds to kick the man out of his house completely. The elephant then proceeds to not return the hut and claim it for his own. The man and elephant go to jungle court. The elephant claims that the man asked his to hold down his hut in order to stop it from flying away. The commission of enquiry is completely biased and decides that the man should find a new home. Unfortunately every time he builds a new home another beast of the jungle takes it. So eventually the man gets fed up with the situation and builds the nicest home he possibly can. After all the animals settle in it and are arguing over who the rightful owner of the house is, he lights it on fire, burning all of the animals to death.
Protagonist - The protagonist of the story is the man. The struggle he is presented with is the unfairness of the jungle commission. The antagonist is the elephant but eventually becomes all of the animals.
Motivation - The main characters motivation is simply get his home back and if at all possible regain a nice friendship with the creatures of the jungle. He eventually reaches his goal through methods of brutality.
Surprise Ending – This story has a surprise ending because through out the whole story the man is very relaxed and seems to only seek peace and tranquility. But at the end all of that is forgotten as he murders his previous companions. The unexpectedness of the action was insurmountable.
Rising Action – The events of the story leading to the climax are as follows. The man’s house is stolen. It is seen as fair that his house is stolen. Ever house he makes afterwards is also taken from him. Finally the man snaps and destroys each of the animals by fire.
Setting – The story takes place in the African jungle, in a place where animals and the human live in close proximity. It is important because there is a jungle theme through out the story.
In the story Before The Law by Franz Kafka, a man from the country seeks the law and wishes to gain entry to the law through a doorway. The doorkeeper tells the man that he cannot go through at the present time. The man asks if he can ever go through, and the doorkeeper says that is possible. The man waits by the door for years, bribing the doorkeeper with everything he has. The doorkeeper accepts the bribes, but tells the man that he accepts them "so you won't think you've neglected something." The man waits at the door until he is about to die. Right before his death, he asks the doorkeeper why even though everyone seeks the law, no one else has come in all the years. The doorkeeper answers "No one else could gain admittance here, because this entrance was meant solely for you. I am now going to shut it."
Metaphor – The entire story is somewhat unclear but it could be possibly interpreted as a metaphor for life, with a very existential viewpoint. The door is life and the guard is whatever is stopping this man from going through it.
Surprise Ending – When one goes into the story not knowing it’s existential nature, the ending can be surprising. The whole story involves him waiting to go through the door and he never makes it through. A vaguely surprising ending indeed.
Theme – The theme is existentialism and life not mattering at all. That everything you do and don’t do will have a reaction, but none of it will matter. And in an other sense that you have to let foolish things not stand in your way, other wise everything will be wasted.
Rising Action – The story’s events begin with the man arriving at the Law and proceeding to wait there for his entire life. Until right before his death he hears the door keeper say "No one else could gain admittance here, because this entrance was meant solely for you. I am now going to shut it." Then things may become clear to him.
Dialogue – The fact that dialogue occurs so infrequently through out the story seems to create a feeling of there being a long silence over the many years he waits there. The silence adds to the mood and makes the story stronger.
In the story A Gray Moon a man is riding the bus. There is a boy present on the public transit but he it not well. He appears either homeless or drunk but is actually neither. The other passengers are no help as they make fun of him. After several depressing interactions with the people of the bus he is informed that he is going in a complete circle. His reply is “It makes no difference.” At the end of the story the reader is informed that the whole incident took place on October 16 1945, right after World War II.
Surprising ending – At the end of the story it is revealed that the whole occurrence was right after World War II. This big reveal shows that the gloomy hopelessness of the boy is probably because of the war and he most likely lost ever thing in it.
Point of View – The story is told through first person and the person is an on-looker to the situation. It adds to the story because it was to be told through the mind of the boy then it would be completely different and significantly worse.
Rising Action – As the story begins the reader knows nothing. As it is told one figures out more and more of the tragic tale of the grief stricken boy. Finally at the end it is revealed way he is so dismal.
Theme - The theme is one of sadness, hopelessness and despair. It is told the words that are spoken by the boy. There is absolutely no hope in them at all.
Symbol – The bus could be interpreted as a symbol. The boy is told that that he has been going in a circle and has completely missed his destination. The boy replies with “It makes no difference.” The bus could be his derailed life and how nothing seems to matter any more now that he has suffered the consequences of the war.
