Challenge 442

Touché

1. In Hongping Liu’s “Te, Bole and Skunk“:

   1. The story may appear to consist of a series of unrelated events. How are they unified thematically?

   2. How does Tiger King Bole differ from his father, King Wida?

   3. The classic fable normally states the moral, usually at the end. The King of the Forest does not follow that tradition. How would you explain the moral of the story to an audience of young people?

2. In Antonio Bellomi’s “The Man With the Touch”:

   1. In what way does Lajos Dritan resemble the legendary King Midas?

   2. What is the least change in Lajos’ understanding of his role as a physician that might enable him to grant his father’s wish?

   3. To what extent are Lajos’ ethical qualms a sham? Does he accede to his father’s wish out of conviction or only out of duty to family? Will Lajos do a favor for his father but for no one else?

   4. Would Lajos wish his father’s condition for himself?

3. In Claudia Cortalezzi’s “The Prey”:

   1. At what point can the reader reasonably surmise that the monster’s tattoo spells out “Karano”?

   2. The futility of revenge is a well-worn topic. Does a story’s ironic conclusion justify revisiting it? In what way might the “larger story” in “The Prey” be more interesting?

   3. Judging by the backstory recounted by the patrons of the tavern, are the monsters villains, victims, or both?

4. In Ron Van Sweringen’s “Watching the Angels Die”:

   1. Does the story overstep Bewildering Stories’ restriction on sentimentality?

   2. The outcome of “Irish’s” quest to stop the desecration of his father’s grave depends entirely on coincidence. How might it have been made less of an accident?

   3. How is “Irish’s” challenging the vandals in the graveyard different from his father’s heroism?

   4. Why might the title be considered inaccurate? Can you propose a more appropriate one?

5. In David Barber’s “Paradise Mislaid”:

   1. Is “paradise” mentioned anywhere in the poem? Is its existence implied, assumed, or dismissed?

   2. The poem seems to depict Hell on earth as a nightmare of bureaucratic routine. What seems to be its cause? What is meant by “Who knows / what foolishness angels have fallen for”?

   3. Is the poem a complaint, a lamentation, or a jeremiad?

Responses welcome!

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