Short Story Blog by Legrand Itoua

“ The Ransom of Red Chief” – O. Henry   Summary   Two men kidnap a rich man’s son for ransom, but the boy is so wild and annoying that he drives them crazy. In the end, they have to pay the father to take his son back.   Characters:   Sam and Bill Red Chief   Mr. Ebenezer Dorset.   Plot Elements:   Exposition - Sam and Bill plan to kidnap a rich man’s son to get money. They think it will be easy.   Rising Action - They take the boy to a cave, but he turns out to be crazy and wild. He plays rough games, hurts them, and won’t stop talking.   Climax - The boy becomes such a nightmare that the kidnappers can’t handle him anymore.   Resolution - The father says he’ll only take his son back if they pay him $250. The kidnappers agree and run away fast !   Analysis   The story is funny because the kidnappers’ plan completely fails. It teaches that greedy plans can backfire.

“The Private History of a Campaign That Failed” – Mark Twain   Summary  :   “ The Private History of a Campaign That Failed ” tells the true story of Mark Twain’s short experience in the Civil War. His militia is disorganized and fearful, and their only real act of violence is the accidental killing of an innocent man. This event destroys Twain’s romantic ideas about war and leads him to abandon it.   Characters:   Mark Twain (the narrator) – young, inexperienced militia member Captain Tom Lyman – leader of the Marion Rangers Ed Stevens – playful, careless soldier who treats war like fun Joe Bowers – grumpy but loyal soldier Smith – blacksmith’s apprentice, eventually killed later in the war The Stranger – an unarmed man accidentally killed Union Soldiers – source of fear and rumors   Plot Elements:   Exposition - At the beginning of the Civil War, Mark Twain joins a small Confederate militia group called the Marion Ra...

“The Monkey’s Paw”- W. W. Jacobs   Summary A family gets a magic monkey’s paw that gives wishes, but the wishes bring bad luck. They lose their son and end up sad and scared.   Characters:   Mr. White   Mrs. White   Herbert White   Sergeant-Major Morris.   Plot Elements:   Exposition - Mr. and Mrs. White and their son Herbert are at home. Their friend Morris visits and shows them a magic monkey’s paw that gives three wishes.   Rising Action - Mr. White wishes for £200. The next day, Herbert dies in an accident, and the family gets £200 for his death.   Resolution - Mr. White is scared and uses the last wish. When they open the door, no one is there. The road is empty.   Analysis   This story shows that wishing for more can be dangerous. I felt bad for the family because their wishes came true in a sad way.  

“ Seventh Grade ” – Gary Soto     Summary   Victor wants to impress Teresa on the first day of school. He pretends to speak French but messes up. Instead of laughing, Teresa is nice to him and asks for help. Victor feels excited and hopeful about school.   Characters:   Victor, Teresa Michael Mr. Bueller .   Plot Elements:   Exposition - It’s the first day of seventh grade. Victor wants Teresa to be his girlfriend and tries to find ways to impress her.   Rising Action - Victor and his friend Michael talk about acting cool. Victor is happy to see that Teresa is in his French class. He tries to act like he knows French, but he doesn’t.   Climax - When the teacher speaks French, Victor pretends to understand and says nonsense words in front of the whole class. He feels very embarrassed.   Resolution - Teresa thinks Victor’s French was kind and asks him to help her study. Mr. Bueller doesn’t tell anyon...

“ Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”  – Rudyard Kipling   Summary “ Rikki-Tikki-Tavi ” is a brave mongoose who protects a family from two dangerous cobras. He fights them to save everyone and becomes the hero of the garden.   Characters:   Rikki-Tikki-Tavi Nag and Nagaina Teddy, Teddy’s parents Darzee   Plot Elements:   Exposition - Rikki-Tikki, a mongoose, is saved by a family after a flood in India. He becomes their pet.   Rising Action - Rikki-Tikki learns that two cobras, Nag and Nagaina, plan to attack the family. He prepares to fight them.   Climax - Rikki-Tikki kills Nag in the bathroom and then follows Nagaina to her nest to stop her.   Resolution - Rikki-Tikki kills Nagaina too and becomes the hero who keeps the family and garden safe.     Analysis This story shows courage and loyalty. I liked how Rikki-Tikki never gave up, even when it was scary. It teaches that being brave and doing the rig...

“On the Gull’s Road” – Willa Cather   Summary  " On the Gull’s Road" tells the story of a brief, tragic love between a young man and a married woman who is dying. Their relationship is emotional rather than physical and is shaped by illness, distance, and time. After her death, the narrator realizes how deeply the experience changed him.   Characters: The Narrator - a young American man, later an artist/diplomat Alexandra Ebbling - a beautiful, fragile woman from Finmark Lars Ebbling - her husband, a ship’s engineer Carin - Alexandra’s young daughter Mrs. Hemway - the narrator’s housekeeper Niels Nannestad - Alexandra’s father   Plot Elements:   Exposition - The narrator remembers a red chalk drawing of Alexandra Ebbling in his study. Seeing it reminds him of meeting her twenty years earlier on a ship traveling from Italy to America. Rising Action - During the voyage, the narrator grows close to Alexandra. She is ill, lonely...