In My Greatest Olympic Prize by Jesse Owens we have the theme of nationalism, propaganda, struggle, kindness, friendship and participation and from the beginning of the essay the reader realises that Owens may be exploring the theme of nationalism. It is 1936 and the Berlin Olympics are underway. These Olympics were Hitler’s way of showing off to the world how […]

In The Fat Frog by P. Lal we have the theme of selfishness, greed, relationships and honesty. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator it becomes clear to the reader from the beginning of the story that Lal might be exploring the theme of selfishness. Not only does the frog eat the dinner made for him and the […]

In The Brinjal Cut-Out by Krishan Chander we have the theme of poverty, desperation, religion, escape and fraud. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed man the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Chander may be exploring the theme of poverty. The narrator is a poor man who can ill afford food for his family. If […]

In It Was Dark by Shashi Deshpande we have the theme of fear, rape, uncertainty, hope and connection. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed mother the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Deshpande may be exploring the theme of fear. The narrator is woken from a dream in where she is hopelessly searching for something […]

In Ramblings on a Beach by Kabir Bedi we have the theme of happiness, freedom, shame, humiliation, conformity, kindness and hope. Narrated in the first person by Bedi himself it becomes clear to the reader from the beginning of the story that Bedi might be exploring the theme of happiness. As he is walking along the beach Bedi sees a […]

In Phoenix Fled by Attia Hosain we have the theme of paralysis, struggle, fear, connection, colonialism and partition. Taken from her Phoenix Fled and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Hosain may be exploring the theme of paralysis. Old Granny’s […]

In Everything in the Right Place by Hans Christian Andersen we have the theme of cruelty, arrogance, paralysis, kindness and selfishness. Taken from his The Complete Fairy Tales collection the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Anderson may be exploring the theme of cruelty. The baron attempts to push the goose girl into the river because he […]

In Rain-Making by K. Shankar Pillai we have the theme of fear, anger, love, and forgiveness. Narrated in the first person by a young Indian boy called Raja it becomes clear to the reader from the very beginning of the story that Shankar is exploring the theme of fear. Raja is afraid of his grandfather and knows he has a […]

In How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murty we have the theme of love, independence, desperation and happiness. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed woman the story is a retrospective look at the narrator’s life with her grandmother and how she taught her grandmother to read. It also becomes clear to the reader after reading […]

In Love Letters by Kate Walker we have the theme of romance, love, honesty, vulnerability and selfishness. Narrated in the first person by a young man called Nick the reader realises after reading the story that Walker may be exploring the theme of romance. Fleur wants some romance in her life. Just like Helen has. She wants Nick to write […]

In Swimming Partners by Timwa Lipenga we have the theme of connection, control, friendship, love, fear, change, freedom and AIDS. Narrated in the first person by a woman called Linda the story is a memory piece that takes Linda’s relationship with her sister, Aisha, into account. From the beginning of the story it is clear that Linda has a connection […]

In the short story In Lieu of a Lesson by Ugochukwu Udorji we have the theme of disappointment, pride, connection, arrogance and happiness. Narrated in the first person by a man called Chris it becomes clear to the reader from the beginning of the story that Udorji may be exploring the theme of disappointment. The narrator is disappointed with how […]

In The Woman at the Bus Stop by Mohan Rakesh we have the theme of control, selfishness, abuse, fear and paralysis. Taken from the Best Indian Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Rakesh may be exploring the theme of control. […]

In The Intruder by Peter Songa we have the theme of modernity, education, innocence, colonization and selfishness. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator it becomes clear to the reader after reading the story that Songa may be exploring the theme of modernity. Mungo finds it interesting that the Maasai continue to be hunters. It is as though […]

In The Olive Tree by Tololwa Marti Mollel we have the theme of fear, control, responsibility and patriarchy. Narrated in the first person by a young boy the reader realises that the narrator is a being controlled by his grandfather and chosen to get him an olive tree leaf. This may seem to be normal however later on the grandfather […]

In The Pig by Doris Lessing we have the theme of control, infidelity, letting go and disappointment. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Lessing may be exploring the theme of control. The farmer appears to get great joy out of controlling his farm-workers and their families. Something […]

In Noorjehan by Ahmed Essop we have the theme of tradition, marriage, fear, desperation, hope and paralysis. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed male teacher the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Essop may be exploring the theme of tradition. Though the story is set in the late twentieth century Noorjehan is being forced by […]

In Justice, a traditional Ethiopian tale, we have the theme of justice, mistaken identity, gratitude, disconnection, fear and anger. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator it becomes clear to the reader after reading the story that the story teller is exploring the theme of mistaken identity. The woman mistakenly believes that the old man knows where her […]

In Different Values by Barbara Makhalisa we have the theme of patriarchy, control, connection, change, freedom, happiness and paralysis. Narrated in the first person by a woman called Liza it becomes clear to the reader after reading the story that Makhalisa may be exploring the theme of patriarchy. Liza is a maid whose entire life appears to be controlled by […]

In The Girl With a Twisted Future by Mia Couto we have the theme of exploitation, control, anguish, paralysis, determination and happiness. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises from the beginning of the story that Couto may be exploring the theme of exploitation. Joseldo is forcing his daughter, Filomeninha, to do things that she […]