Snow, Glass, Apples

Author: Neil Gaiman

Main Characters:
Snow White
Stepmother
Dwarfs
Prince

Settings:
Forest
Castle

Summary:
"Snow, Glass, Apples" is the retelling of the famous fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from the point of view of the wicked stepmother of Snow White. In this story, the stepmother was illustrated as a wise queen who wants nothing but to rule a kingdom undisturbed by turmoil and iniquity. On the other hand, Snow White was described as a sinful blood sucker who killed her own father. To put an end to the young princess' immorality and vileness, the responsible queen killed her but then a prince came and brought her to life.

Reaction:
Two words that will describe this story: bloody and beautiful.

It is bloody because it tackles sex, incest, cannibalism, and witchcraft. These subjects were described by the author in graphic details so this is definitely not for young readers.

It is beautiful because Neil Gaiman wonderfully twisted the original story by giving the queen a chance to explain or present her side by narrating the story. From the queen's narration, we discovered that Snow White is a vampire who had sexual intercourse with her own father who was later on killed by Snow White by sucking his blood. The prince, on the other hand, is a necrophiliac that is why he fell in love with a corpse. The queen is not that bad because she has a good intention for killing Snow White.

Favorite Quote:
"They will have my body, but my soul and my story are my own, and will die with me." - queen

Bloody beautiful. Not for children!

A Story of Love

Author: Ray Bradbury

Main Characters:
Ann Taylor - Teacher
Bob Spaulding - Student

Summary:
This short story is about love between a teacher and her student and how they tried to resolve their conflict about their age gap.

Reaction:
It depicts how society and social norms can influence people in making decisions. Ann Taylor thought of what people might say or react if they would find out that she has a romantic involvement with her student who is ten years younger than her. Age does matter in a relationship. Morever, Ann is a teacher and she is not allowed to have an affair with him since he is a student. It would be against the Code of Ethics of Teachers. She chose her career over love.

The ending of the story is unforeseen. After two years when Bob left, Ann died and the author did not explain the details of the cause of Ann's death. He just left that hanging for the readers to ponder. On the other hand, after sixteen years, Bob got married. One might think that Bob's feelings for the teacher was only an infatuation but after sixteen years, he married a girl who is exactly the same as her.

Favorite Quote:
"I'll never forget you. I'll find a way of never forgetting you." - Bob Spaulding

Recommended!