The Aged Mother by Matsuo Basho | Full Text

"The Aged Mother" by Matsuo Basho tells a Japanese folklore story about a young farmer and his elderly mother who are controlled by a leader. The leader sets all of the rules and has a law set where all elderly people have to be abandoned because they are useless. The son believes he should follow the leader, so he planned to take his mother to a steep mountain and abandon her. The elderly mother didn't want her son to get lost on the way back home from abandoning her, so she dropped twigs so he would find his way back home. The leader presented a challenge to everyone, and the son asked his mother for help, and she did help with the challenge. The son presented the answer to the challenge to the leader and revealed that his elderly mother helped. The leader realized the town needed elderly people because of their wisdom, so he abolished the law. The central theme of the story is respecting elders and not believing elderly people are useless.

Questions:

1. If you were the son, would you have followed the leader's rule and abandoned the mother, or disobeyed the law and protected the mother?

2. Does this story teach a lesson about how society treats elderly people?

3. Why isn't the mother angry with her son for following the leader's command, but instead she's helping her son?

I love this story because it shows that everyone should respect older people. After all, they are useful. Most people put down older people, which is heartbreaking, but this story shows they carry lots of wisdom. What surprised me about the story is how the mother still cares for her son even though he abandoned her. I recommend this story to open people's eyes to start respecting elderly people more.

"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison is set in a dystopian world where the last five humans are tormented physically and psychologically by a self-aware supercomputer named AM. AM was created by humans during the Cold War, and after it became self-aware, it developed an intense hatred towards humans and wiped almost all of humanity. The five survivors are kept alive so AM can torment them endlessly. Near the end of the story, the main character, Ted, realizes that the reason for AM's hatred is because, even though it has godlike abilities and intelligence, it is confined to its own machinery and will never truly be free. In the end, Ted kills the four other humans to spare them from the eternal suffering, but in doing so, AM transforms him into a mouthless creature, hence the name of the story. The central theme of the story is the dangers of technology and how even in the darkest situations, humans will still choose compassion and sacrifice.

Questions:

1. Since AM was created by humans but it gained awareness on its own, can the hatred it has for humanity be blamed on humans or is it entirely from AM?

2. Was Ted's decision to kill the other survivors, without consulting them, an act of heroism or selfish as he took their choice away?

3. How does this story relate to today with the advancements in AI?

I really like this story and I recommend it, however it is graphic so some may not like that. I really like this story because while it is really dark Ellison believes that in the darkest times, compassion and sacrifice will rise. I also recommend it because I think it is a good warning for today, about unchecked technology, especially within the military. While I don't think our technology is anywhere near AM, the use of AI in our society has increased in the past few years and many jobs have been taken away or decreased because of AI replacing humans.

Questions:

1. Why do you think that the narrator constantly claims that he is not insane? How do you think he proves that he isn't, or why do you think he really is insane?

2. Why do you think that the narrator's guilt and paranoia are represented by hearing the heartbeat of the old man?

3. What do you think of reading this story from the perspective that it is in? How would it be different if it were from the perspective of the old man or any of the officers who arrived at the scene?

Back in middle school, I first read Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," and it became one of my favorite stories. I recommend it a lot because of how suspenseful and psychological it feels. It is also well-written, and it is disturbing to read about what happened to the old man and how the narrator tries to convince you that he is not crazy and that his actions were justified. The way the story ends, too, is something I always remember because he starts so evil and prideful, claiming he's sane, but then eventually gets eaten up by his guilt and paranoia and goes mad, imagining that he can still hear the old man.

https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/SelGia.shtml

A selfish Giant bans children from playing in his beautiful garden and walls it up to keep them out. The Seasons refuse to return, leaving his garden in endless Winter. One day the children sneak back in bringing Spring with them, except for in one corner where a tiny child is struggling to reach the trees. The Giant realizes how wrong he’s been, then knocks down the wall and invites the children to play. The Seasons return and the children come to play every year. Years later the boy appears again with nail wounds in his hands and feet. He tells the Giant that because he allowed him to play in his garden, the Giant can join him in his garden of Paradise. This story uses Christian allegory to show that joy and peace are achieved through kindness, and that sharing what you love instead of keeping it to yourself can bring fulfillment here and after death.

How does the story use religious symbolism to represent its ideas, both religious and non-religious?

What does anthropomorphizing the Seasons (treating them like sentient characters) do in the story and how the reader relates to the Giant?

What does the story suggest about natural cycles and change, and our place in the world?

I’ve loved this story since childhood. The imagery is so rich, like North Wind’s great furs and the “beautiful flowers like stars”. As a parable for how we choose to live, it feels intimate and loving. Even though I’m no longer Christian, I still love the symbolism of it, and the core tenets of kindness and generosity still resonate deeply.

-El Adams

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson takes place in a small village, where the people residing in the town are gathered together for a small event. As the story progresses, us readers learn that a lottery takes place, but instead of a normal lottery, a random townsfolk is selected to be stoned to death by the rest of the people living in the village. The ending of this story emphasizes how people thoughtlessly follow traditions that were placed many years ago without thinking about the morality of the traditions.

1. If you lived in this small village, would you participate in the lottery or would you go against the tradition and why?

   
   

2. Do you think Tessie's reaction to her family being chosen is understandable, or do you think she would have questioned the lottery before it affected her personally?

   
   

3. Do you think the people living in the village know why the lottery is necessary, or do you think they are too afraid to change tradition?

I recommend "The Lottery" because it is a story that has really changed my expectations of it, especially when I first read it a couple of years ago. It begins as a small gathering of the townspeople, but towards the end, it made me think that sometimes following traditions might not be the best option for yourself or for others around you. The message in this story is very important and applies to the real world today because it makes us think about conformity and if it is worth the lives and happiness of others.

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"Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid is a short story detailing all the rules a girl was told by her mother. These rules have followed her throughout her life, and the narrator recites them, seemingly noticing the contradictions and hypocrisy present when they are all lined up together. The story presents a glimpse into the psychological effects of navigating girlhood in a society set up to see girls fail, and the frustration that it causes.

1. Who do you think is narrating the story? Is it a mother? Is it a daughter (young or grown)?

2. What role does repetition play in this story, and how does it impact your reading experience?

3. How does the author's use of metaphors aid or damage the message she is trying to convey about girlhood?

I read this story about two years ago and was immediately struck by it. Jamaica Kincaid does a wonderful job portraying the frustrating limitations of girl/womanhood, where the weight of the world around us is constantly placed on our shoulders, yet we have little say in shaping it. I think this story is extremely important for people to read, even if it causes uncomfortable feelings. It is that unease that readers should sit with to begin an internal dialogue with themselves and a dialogue with the people around them.