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Ryan Bradley, Ryan Burns, Jacob Augelli, Elizabeth Mpanu Mpanu, Jenna Smith

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Ryan Bradley, Ryan Burns, Jacob Augelli, Elizabeth Mpanu Mpanu, Jenna Smith

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Question 3 – What is the significance of the title? Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

We would retitle the short story "Tomorrow is Too Far" as "Fruit Salad", as the Fruit Salad represents Nanso's amalgam of emotions and because he died climbing an avocado tree. The original title directly relates to the snake because it kills you quickly, unable to see tomorrow. Even though the grandma's actions toward Nanso had angered the narrator for a long time, her decisions in a short span of time right before Nanso's death ending up being enough to instantly change the course of her and her family's life.
We would retitle the short story "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" as "Black Lives DON'T Matter" because it perfectly encapsulates the repercussions that will happen after the main event. The original title is a reflection of the central conflict, the white guy's friendship with the black guy stands almost like a contradiction to Apartheid, but after the fateful moment when the gun goes off, their relationship suddenly becomes another step in increasing conflict between the groups.

Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far" the central conflict between social classes occurs between men and women. The grandmother favors Nanso because he was the only one that could carry on the family name, causing tensions within the family, especially with the daughter being representative of the dilution of the Igbo name being born by an American. Nanso's preferential treatment causes resentment to build in the narrator, as he is envious of the multitudinous opportunities that they are denied in favor of Nanso.
In "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" the central conflict between social classes occurs due to race and wealth. The white, wealthy man's friendship with the impoverished black man is seen as so unnatural that when the accident happens, many think that it was a hate crime. This naturally creates tension due to the existing Apartheid culture, so much that even a minute accident becomes seen as a tragic hate crime.

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Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

The point of view(POV) is significant in "Tomorrow is too far", by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, because she uses second person as a way to make the story more personal and to make the reader feel empathy for someone in the character's position. In "The Moment the Gun Went Off", Nadine Gordimer, utilizes third person omniscient as a way to reveal more details about the characters and to foreshadow the ending. While "Tomorrow is too far" has a second person point of view to personally engage the reader, "The moment the gun went off" is written in 3rd person omniscient. This gives a less personal perspective but informs the reader more

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Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

In "Tomorrow is too Far", the point of view is second person. This plays a role in telling the story about a family whose family is falling apart due to gender roles. The use of the word "you" allows the reader to clearly follow whats happening as the narrator recalls the story. The word also allows the reader to emphasize more with the characters in the story.

The short story "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" is a story about racial tensions and family ties. The point of view here is third person omniscient and this point of view allows the reader to understand the emotions of all the characters in the story. This understanding of emotions really lets the reader see the exasperated relationships between the different races and the relationship between that of the shooter and that of the victim. Without the third person omniscient point of view, it would be hard to really see what would be going on and how this story is not just about race but also about family. The story is told through the public's eyes for the majority of the story but at the end of the story, the reader gets to see the point of view through the farmer which sheds a different light on the event.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

"Tomorrow is Too Far"- the main character's brother Nonso is given preferencial treatment due to the fact that he is the son of her grandmother's son, which in Nigerian culture is the person who will take care of the family and eventually inherit the majority of things.

"The Moment the Gun Went Off"- the main character, Marais Van der Vyver, holds a very privileged and and high status, being a white land owner during the Apartheid in South Africa. Although he is part of the upper class this proved to be a disadvantage in this story. The accidental death of his farmhand will be used as a political testimony to prove the violence against Blacks in South Africa.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

In "Tomorrow Is Too Far", because of the style of African culture and the dying lineage of the grandmother's last name, the brother is technically of a higher social status, being that he is the boy that will continue to carry the the legacy of the last name.

In contrast, "The Moment the Gun Went Off" holds no direct sense of social hierarchy, but because of the nature of the predicament, stereotypes try and present it as so.  This story is an example of how there might be a social hierarchy, but the emotional status is not the same, and yet still has no difference on how people see the social gap. Even though Van der Vyver shot his farmhand on accident, he assumes that everyone will see his action as not an accident, but as a forceful purpose.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

Social status and hierarchy play similar roles in both 'Tomorrow is Too Far' and 'The Moment the Gun Went Off'. People are treated differently regarding their natural attributes. The girl is treated as less than her brother just because she is a woman and will not carry on the family name. The farm owner encounters little repercussions of his actions because he is white. Both of these characters are given more or less weight to their flaws or triumphs just based on their qualities
determined at birth.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

Social status plays an important role in "Tomorrow is Too Far" due to the envy between the Narrator and Nonso as well as Dozie. Although Nonso was younger, he was praised in his family due to cultural areas. The envy and anger towards Nonso's praise causes the narrator to take action against Nonso, developing a hatful lie through the rest of the story. In "The Moment the Gun Went Off" racial status is an enormous role in this story. As people begin to find out that Van Der Vyver shoots the black man, the story of how it happened gets twisted. This is because although the shooting was an accident Van Der Vyver made it seem as though it was not. He changes it because of the racial difference between him, a white man, and the black farm worker. These

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

The short story "Tomorrow is Too Far" is set in Nigeria, a country where cultural values highly favors sons who can continue the family name. Because of this, Nonso is favored by the grandmother, infuriating the narrator and her cousin Dozie. This leads to the main conflict, where they cause Nonso to fall out of a tree to (literally) bring him back down to Earth, but ultimately cause his death. Nonso's death was directly caused by the favoritism in Nigerian culture.

On the other hand, in "The Moment the Gun Went Off", not the death but the reaction to the boy's death speaks to apartheid-era social values in South Africa. Although Van der Vyver truly felt guilty for the death, people unfamiliar with the situation assumed he did not feel remorse, as many other whites in South Africa felt culturally superior to blacks. This illuminates societal the perception of power dynamics in South Africa, while also commenting on the importance of knowledge and power of assumption.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

The short story "Tomorrow is Too Far" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie social status and hierarchy impact the way people live their live. Being that it is set in Nigeria there is a strong familial and hierarchical role. This results in the son, Nonso, being worth much more to the family than the daughter. In comparison, social status is disregarded in "The Moment the Gun Went Off' as the farmer wants to overcome ethnic divides, as he feels guilt for killing the farm hand.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

Social status and hierarchy play an important role in the two short stories. In the short story "Tomorrow is too Far", the story explores the gender hierarchy of Nigeria. The girl in the short story is jealous of the gender hierarchy and attempts to harm her brother. She ends up accidentally causing his death and drives the family apart.

The other short story "The Moment before the Gun went Off" is about a white farmer who accidentally kills his worker who was black. This causes a public outcry as there was racial tension. Due to social hierarchy, the public views this as a act of hate, while the farmer feels as though he has killed his son.

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Question 3 – What is the significance of the title?  Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

In 'Tomorrow is Too Far' the grandma explained how a snake is a "echi eteka"- meaning "tomorrow is too far", she explains that if you get bit by a snake you have less than 10 min before you die. Even though the brother was not bit by a snake, he died in less than 10 minutes anyways. This is an ironic title because he was trying to avoid dying by a snake bite when he fell out of the tree and died. An alternate title could be 'Echi Eteka" to emphasize the Nigerian culture. It would be cool if the author would write that phrase multiple times throughout the story, and only at the end when the way the boy died is revealed is when the author explains what the phrase means. In 'The Moment the Gun Went Off' the title is related to the moment of when the slave owner accidentally shot his farm boy. It is revealed that the farm boy was not only accidentally killed, but was son of the owner. An alternate title could be "Friendly Fire", while most people thought Van Der Vyer shot his slave for doing something wrong, he really accidentally shot him while they were hunting. Since the boy was Vyer's son, its a "friendly fire" because they are on the same "team"

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Question 3 – What is the significance of the title?  Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

In "Tomorrow is Too Far" the grandmother makes it seem that snakes are what you should fear through the phrase "tomorrow is too far". This misleads the reader and causes them to make false assumptions of the maner of a foreshadowed death. In the end, it is reveled that the cause of Nonso's death was the fear of the snake rather than the snake it's self. Fear is suppose to prevent death but is the downfall of Nonso. An alternative title would be "The Eternal Silence". This would be significant because of the irony. Silence is what in the end kills Nonso.
In "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" the significance of the title is that the moment before the gun went off and the moment after are polar opposites. An alternative title is "The Fatal Mistake". This is significant because the gun going off in the truck was the fatal mistake that changed both of the characters lives forever.

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Question 3 – What is the significance of the title?  Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

The title of "Tomorrow is Too Far" references what the narrator yells to Nonso, causing him to lose his grip and fall to his death. It is really the name of a snake species, named for its dangerous bite that will not let a victim survive to the next day. Ironically, though, Nonsi's attempt to avert the snake causes him to fall from the tree and die. Another title could be "The Endless Summer", as the strong memories and guilt continue with the narrator throughout the their life, even thirteen years later.

"The Moment the Gun Went Off" is titled so because the main character shoots his worker. Van der Vyver's life is forever changed by this one moment that he will forever remember with perfect clarity. One interesting feature of the title is that the title directly transitions into the first sentence, as the two events are consecutive. Another title could perhaps be "What They Said", because the story often describes the perspectives of those not familiar with the situation and how it leads to gross misunderstandings.

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Question 5 - What are the signals of time and how do they contribute to larger ideas?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far," the protagonist tells a story of her childhood with her late brother. It is revealed at the end that the story was actually a flashback and eighteen years have passed. The flashback serves to show her reflection on the past. The significant time difference

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Question 6 – What motivates the actions of each of the main characters (“You” in the Adichie story and Marais Van der Vyver in Gordimer’s story)?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and in "The Moment the Gun Went Off" by Nadine Gordimer, The main characters are motivated by selfish actions and familial tragedy. In the first story, "you" are motivated by hatred for the "perfect" brother. similarly, in the second story, Van der Vyver is heartbroken that his son was killed, but because it was a secret he is less expressive with his emotions.

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Question 6 – What motivates the actions of each of the main characters (“You” in the Adichie story and Marais Van der Vyver in Gordimer’s story)?

"Tomorrow is Too Far"- the motive behind the murder of the main character' brother is jealousy. The main character felt undermined by her elders in all aspects of her life, which led her to despise the preferential treatment of her brother. Also the love for her cousin Dozie, and her sympathy for him being undermined as well may have fueled some of the hatred toward her brother.

"The Moment the Gun Went Off"- In this short story the main character does not take much action, however there is a constant pronoun of "they" or "them" mentioned through the story. It can be assumed that the "they" refers to the South African Society and more specifically the back South Africans. Much like the first story the persecution of the main character is fueled by some sort of jealousy (for the rights he has, for his wealth, etc...). However we believe that it is a more justified jealousy than seen in the first story because it is for the fight for racial equality in South Africa.

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Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far", the motivation behind "your" actions were intentional and done in search of attention, due to feeling of neglect. In "The Moment the Gun Went Off", there was a genuine accident, and because of the nature of it, Van der Vyver felt as though the media and the people would paint it as a purposeful act that would bring attention to the wrong details and infer that his reasoning behind his actions was because of guilt, when it was actually because of grief

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2) How do social status and hierarchy come into play?
In "Tomorrow is Too Far", hierarchy existed within the family as in Nigerian culture, sons or male gender was prioritized and carried the name of the family. The narrator was hurt by this family hierarchy and decided to plot a revenge on her brother who was the next head of the family. As a result, readers recognize how the social hierarchy within Nigerian family structure could make someone isolated and underappreciated from their society. In "The Moment the Gun Went Off", the struggle was focused on social hierarchy existing based on race. Van der Vyver who was a white farmer and accidentally killed his black laborer, struggled through his guilt and negative view by the society. Because South African culture has separated two races to the extreme that his guilt and sorrow for the man's death was ignored by the society, and people assumed the progression of accident as based on racism. In both stories, we can see how social hierarchy isolated the  main characters and their real identity and intention.

Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far", the point of view is from the narrator herself who was the victim of family hierarchy and social discrimination. The readers have a chance to understand her feelings and thoughts, including the her perspective in particular moments she was differentiated from her brother based on her gender identity. In "The Moment Gun Went Off", the perspective is from Van der Vyver who is a white man seemed as privileged based on his race. The readers as a result are allowed to see the struggle of racism in South African in the perspective of a white man who is generally assumed to be the oppressor with racism. However, in the story, we see that this man possess empathy and sorrow for the black man's son, especially when it was his own son. Therefore, the perspective breaks the societal bias that every white man must be the oppressor of racism that makes other black men as victims. Because one of the story is from the perspective of a typical victim of family hierarchy, and the other story is from the perspective of a person generally assumed to be the oppressor of racial hierarchy, the readers are exposed to different sides of the social hierarchy and learn that not everyone can be grouped as a victim or oppressor based on their physical characteristics, including gender and race.

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Rebecca, Kaleigh, Christine, Nadia, Emma

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Rebecca, Kaleigh, Christine, Nadia, Emma

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

In "Tomorrow is Too Far," hierarchy contributed much to the tragedy that happened in Nigeria. The main character was significantly impacted by her grandmother's obvious preferential treatment towards her brother. The main character's jealously drove her to want to seriously maim her brother, Nonso.
Hierarchy also plays a role in developing "The Moment the Gun Went Off." The white farmer felt much pressure after killing some of his black farmers. He knew that because of his higher social status, the rebelling black party could gain momentum from the deaths and use it for their own political agenda.

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Q2: How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

A1: In "Tomorrow Is Too Far", Nonso was killed because Grandmama favored him for being her son's eldest son (and thus higher on the social hierarchy for being the one to "carry on the Nnabuisi name"), prompting jealousy from his sister and cousin.
A2: In "The Moment the Gun Went Off", Marais Van der Vyver and the laborer are in opposite social classes; this makes the death of the latter more of a significant event and provides impetus for their relationship to be hidden.

Q6: "What motivates the actions of each of the main characters?"
A1: Jealousy.
A2: Van der Vyver is mostly passive throughout the story but his reaction to his son's death can be seen as being motivated by love (or possibly just integrity).

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Question 6 – What motivates the actions of each of the main characters (“You” in the Adichie story and Marais Van der Vyver in Gordimer’s story)?

"You" in "Tomorrow is too far", by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Marais Van der Vyver in "The Moment the Gun Went Off", by Nadine Gordimer", have polar opposite motivations for their actions. "You" is jealous of her brother, Nonzo,  and the attention given to him by their grandma. Instead of treating "You" and Nonzo equally, their grandma favors Nonzo because he "would carry on the Nnabuisi name"(188). The attention given to Nonzo irks "You", who decides to take matters into her own hands. Furthermore, "You" also loved her cousin, Dozie, and took action to ensure that they could enjoy one another without worrying about Nonzo. Ultimately, to eliminate Nonzo,  "You" instructs Nonzo to climb an avocado tree to the highest branch. But, when Nonzo reaches the top, "You" shouts "snake,"(196) causing Nonzo to fall to his death. As a result, "You"'s actions were taken to ensure that she would "survive"(195). However, the motivation of Marais Van der Vyver is quite different. While on a hunting trip, Marais' truck hits a pothole and fires accidentally, killing his hunting lookout, Lucas. However, unlike many other apartheid whites who would pay little heed to the death, Marais pays for an elaborate funeral for Lucas, who is actually his illegitimate son. Therefore, Marais acts with compassion and sorrow towards his accidentally killed son, while "You" spitefully and selfishly slays Nonzo due to jealousy.

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Question 3 – What is the significance of the title?  Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

In "Tomorrow is Too Far", the protagonist is responsible for the death of her brother and  the remorse felt eighteen years later is belated. An alternate title could be, "echi eteka" because it means the same thing as the title and is said by the grandmother.

In "The moment the gun went off" the title is significant because it relates how the moment the gun goes off der Vyer can no longer go back to the life he once had.  An alternate title for this story could be, "Die oomblik het die geweer gegaan" which is the original title but in Afrikaans.

Question 4 – Look closely at the diction.  What connected words seem to repeat throughout the story?  How is this diction significant?

The motivation in the first story is that, "you" want to kill your brother because she is jealous of her brother and wants revenge for her brother's fortune.

The main character doesn't want to be held responsible for the accident and he doesn't want to be known as the man who killed his own son.

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Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

The use of second person in "Tomorrow Is Too Far" complements the point of view. The main character is introduced as a child, then later from the point of view of an adult, but the same character. This is important to the story because bonds between the reader and the main character are developed and continued throughout the story. The use of "you" to represent the main character is personal and creates this bond. In contrast the style of "The Moment Before The Gun Went Off" is told in third person omniscient. The effect of using this point of view is to detach the reader from the story, but also allows for reflection on the plot and message of the story. It does not serve to bond the readers with the main characters like the first short story, but instead removes the reader in order to get a powerful message across.

Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

Nonzo is the top of the sibling hierarchy because he is a son that will carry the family name.  The hierarchy creates tension and conflict as the daughter is blatantly seen as inferior in the family structure. In The Moment Before the Gun Goes Off, Hierarchy is the root of the social problem in the work because it is believed that the white farmed intentionally killed the black boy when it was an accident. Pro-black news outlets believe otherwise.

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Question 2 - How do social status and hierarchy come into play?

In "Tomorrow Is Too Far", because of the style of African culture and the dying lineage of the grandmother's last name, the brother is technically of a higher social status, being that he is the boy that will continue to carry the the legacy of the last name.

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Rebecca, Kaleigh, Christine, Nadia, Emma

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Rebecca, Kaleigh, Christine, Nadia, Emma

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Q2 - What is the significance of the title?  Propose an alternate title and explain why it would be equally appropriate.

The title "Tomorrow is Too Far"  is significant because it was the name of the snake that she said was in the tree to startle her brother, resulting in his demise.  It  signifies how her brother will never have another tomorrow.  An alternate title could be "You are a snake" because the narrator was the one who killed her brother, but then lied about it.

"The Moment the Gun Went Off" symbolizes the moment the farmer had to face the consequences of his actions--killing his son. He was forced to reflect on the political nature of his country. An alternate title could be "The Accident" because him killing his son was an accident and the conception of his son was also an accident.

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Question 1 – What is the significance of the point of view?

The point of view in this story is important because the story is based on a series of flashbacks. The plot is fragmented, using present and past events which overlap and which are presented from the character-narrator’s perspective in the second person. The narration features a combined point of view as it presents the narrator’s perspective as a child and as an adult. When focusing on the story's language, initially the narrator’s tone comes across as detached because the story is told in the second person, but it gradually becomes more personal and empathetic.

Question 4 – Look closely at the diction.  What connected words seem to repeat throughout the story?  How is this diction significant?

Repetition is constantly utilized throughout the short story, conveying details about the characters’ attitude and feelings. The most notable repetition is that of the word ‘summer’ which is used constantly to open new paragraphs and which suggests that the summer when her brother died scared the narrator forever, and that she will never be able to forget it.