Before the Party by W. Somerset Maugham -- Review

The central theme of the story is how a respectable wealthy British family is trying to maintain their appearances and how their appearances can be deceiving.

Millicent, a middle-aged woman, who returned from Borneo after the death of her husband, Harold had hidden something.

Maugham gave a long introduction which prepared readers for what happened next. It was a beautiful summer day and the family planned to attend the party. It is far away from the jungles of Borneo, but the past events brought darkness to the home life of the family.

If the truth is not pleasant, nobody wants to know it. The story is clever and deductive.

This is the link to the text of the story;

https://lingualeo.com/en/jungle/before-the-party-by-somerset-maugham-578929

Discussion about English Grammar

Here are some mistakes which were made in the test for English Grammar. This is what we discussed with an English native speaker. The text which is crossed out is how it was answered initially. The text in bold is the right answer according to the creator of the test.  The text in brackets shows the comments during the discussion). 

I normally live in London but this year ___________ in Tallinn.

I live

I'm living (Because it’s a continuous action. For example I live in Moscow but: Now I’m living in Moscow.)

I do live

I would have

 

Your leg looks bad – you_________see a doctor.

have

should go (it is more appropriate in spoken English)

going

ought to (it is also possible to use but it is more formal)

They asked her who_____________.

is she

she is 

was she

she was (Because the action is in the past, the description of the action needs to be in the past)

I wish I____________a dog when I was young.

had

have had

had had (This is an unreal situation and it is completed in the past. But some English speakers think that the phrase “had had” sounds not natural).

have

By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét -- Review

"By the Waters of Babylon" is a post-apocalyptic short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. It takes place in the territory of the USA and New York City. 

The narrator of the story is a young man who explores the world around him. People live in tribes and they do for a living what ancient people did in the distant past (hunting, gathering plants, etc.). The main character also sees the signs of the apocalypse that mankind will face in the future.

This mixture of past and future is what differentiates the story from others and makes it memorable.

This is a link to the text of the story:

https://notamanuscrita.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/benet-babylon.pdf

Prometheus -- Retold by Bernard Evslin -- Review

According to the ancient Greek myth, Prometheus brought fire to man. He did it without permission from the main god, Zeus, and he was punished for it. 

Zeus expressed an interesting conclusion during a discussion about fire and happiness:  

“Do you not know, Prometheus, that every gift brings a penalty? ... Man does not have fire, true, nor the crafts which fire teaches. On the other hand, he does not know disease, warfare, old age, or that inward pest called worry. He is happy, I say, happy without fire. And so he shall remain.”

This dilemma stays true for nowadays regarding technical progress for example. People take advantage of it and they are paying for it by losing natural life. 

Here is the link to the text of the story:

https://www.monroe.kyschools.us/userfiles/939/Prometheus.pdf

The Man from Glasgow by Somerset Maugham -- Review

The story is written in a mystical genre.  This is not a typical genre for Somerset Maugham. The author finishes the story mysteriously, spectacularly. It could scare readers.

The narrator meets the main character in a hotel. He lives in a Spanish town and he experiences something frightening.  

Here is the link to the text of the story:

https://www.bookscool.com/en/The-Complete-Short-Stories-of-W.-Somerset-Maugham-II-The-World-Over-356994/39

On the Quai at Smyrna by Ernest Hemingway --- Review

"On the Quai at Smyrna" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway which was published in 1930. Hemingway described episodes of the Greek-Turkish war. 

It is a documentary presentation featuring an eyewitness of the events and consequences that took place during the Greek-Turkish war. This is a narration about the suffering of the exiled Greeks awaiting evacuation - who endured unthinkable conditions, in a small area of ​​the port pier. 

Literary critics, describing the short style of Hemingway's works, call it "telegraphic". The author wrote about various atrocities, but he told the story without emotions as if it was a narration from the outside. Hemingway left his readers to make their own opinion about the events that he witnessed.

This is a link to the text of the story:

https://eclass.upatras.gr/modules/document/file.php/PN1539/e-books/ERNEST%20HEMINGWAY%20-%20IN%20OUR%20TIME.pdf

Zebra by Chaim Potok -- Review

The short story Zebra written by American writer Chaim Potok tells about an injured boy who met an artist who lost his hand during the Vietnam war. The main characters discovered a hidden potential within themselves over the course of the story.

The story is deductive but maybe a little bit pathetic. Each person who was presented in the story was good but some signs showed that society was not perfect. For example, the fact that a veteran had to search for something in the bin to survive. Also, using a nickname instead of a real name by the young boy and people around him doesn’t look right … at least in my opinion.

Here is the link to the text of the story:
http://mandikercher.bhasd.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2016/08/Zebra.pdf