Challenge 491

Tit for Tat, Too

1. In David Adès’ “Hammer of Uncertainty”:

   1. What tone does the reference to “the certainty of death and taxes” establish?
   2. The poem quotes almost verbatim a line from a hymn. What is it?
   3. What localities are referred to? What is the affect of each?
   4. What is, exactly, the “hammer of uncertainty”?

2. In LaVerne Zocco’s “Sounds Before Night”:

   1. Is the account a story or a vignette?
   2. Why does it not overstep Bewildering Stories’ restriction on plots that end with the narrator’s death?

3. In Chris Hugh’s “The Dragon With the Girl Tattoo”:

   1. Is the “story” a story or a dramatized critique?
   2. To those who have read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Is the parody’s implied critique fair?
   3. To those who have not read the novel: What questions might the parody raise about what else the novel might contain?

4. In B. Z. Niditch’s “Alex and Friends”:

   1. What kind of memoir is the account?
   2. Who is Sasha?
   3. Bonus Challenge: write a fictional story based on the characters in “Alex and Friends.”

5. In Ron Van Sweringen’s “Flotation Jones”:

   1. Bucknell gives Tucker $500 to buy whisky. What kind of money was that in 1936? When did Prohibition end?
   2. What might Tucker be tempted to do with the money?
   3. How many mysteries have accumulated in the story so far?

6. In A. J. Vasquez’ “The Soul’s Last Dance”:

   1. Is Verona a werewolf?
   2. What is the moral of the story?

7. In David Barber’s “Humans”:

   1. What is the tone of the poem? Is it parody or satire?
   2. What point of view does the narrative take?

Responses welcome!

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