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Critical Analysis of The Clever Young Man and the Monster

x                The Clever Young Man and the Monster is an old tale that speaks of the importance of progress over time. The tale originated in Tanzania with a theme of overcoming against great odds. From a modern point of view, I find the story to be proper for its time, yet outdated from a present-mind approach. Its theme is simple and is understandable for its time. Yet, the modern day might require the story to update itself with a more believable plot.                The plot of The Clever Young Man and the Monster is simple enough for it to be understandable by those who read the story. This is relevant because as an old tale, it needs to be simple for the readers of the time, most of whom may not be very educated or fully literate. The idea that a young boy would increasingly be able to kill bigger and more difficult foes as time goes on is a lesson for the people of the time that persevera...

A Critical Analysis of the Short Story Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez using A Formalist Approach

The short story of Dead Stars is a classic "What If" story that pits the popular theme of love and how it affects the human weakness, particularly in that of men. The story conveys a common theme of a man falling in love, but yet falls in love again with another lady. He goes on to fight an internal conflict against himself on what path he should commit to. Even when he finally commits to one path, he still was constantly second doubting his decision. In the end, while he was highly conflicted in a battle of what's right for his heart versus what's right for his mind, he realized that he might have been chasing an elusive love for someone that wasn't right for him. The main character in the story is Alfredo who was seeking for his true love. The other major characters were Esperanza and Julia, who were both the objects of his desire. The story presents a convincing case that these characters can represent real life people because they deal with a common structure ...