The story begins with the beginning tale of the Joy Luck Club, made up in China to bring friends together to play and bet on money and hope for good luck. ... Their bonds, their tales with each other, their influences in each others lives. ... Then the same mothers tell stories about their mothers in China. They tell almost the same stories their daughters told. ... Theme: The relationship between daughter and mother, what is in their blood and what is in their heart...

• Word Count: 302
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

One can easily view this story as a fairy tale in which Paul bargains with some force, and rides his horse in order to gain knowledge. ... Paul's mother tells her son that his father is unlucky, which to her is obviously a character flaw. ... At one point, Paul tells his mother, "...you ought to know you needn't worry." ... Parents should be able to tell their children that they don't need to worry about money or their parents. ... This hard place in her heart is sensed by Paul and his sisters, and no one else. ...

• Word Count: 1238
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Briar Rose Book Review Briar Rose by Jane Yolen is a heart-wrenching story of Sleeping Beauty intertwined with the horrors of World War II. The novel contains all the elements of the classic Sleeping Beauty: the castle, thorns, princess, and a tale of death and awakening from eternal sleep. Yolen compared a story that fictitiously occurred during World War II with Sleeping Beauty, which allowed one of the main characters, Gitl Mandelstein, to indirectly tell her horrifying experiences during the war. ... After a trip to Poland to speak with Josef, Becca figured out that the fairy ta...

• Word Count: 809
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Kumalo spends most of his time playing with his nephew, relating tales from his native land. ... There is fear in Kumalo's heart as he plods towards his room. ... Father Vincent tells Kumalo to wait. ... He lets the poor, old man speak his heart out. ... The girl tells the priest that she has had three men so far. ...

• Word Count: 1652
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In Everyday Use, a story written by Alice Walker, many intertwining pieces of heritage are knit throughout the tale of a low-income black family. ... This shows that family heritage ran deep in her heart to not forget where she came from. ... Johnson held her family so dear to her that she could not tell Dee that she could not have the churn top. ... She had no heart or concern for her family's heritage, considering that she changed her own, generational name. ...

• Word Count: 734
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Although she describes him as " very kind, manly, [and] open-hearted" (Joyce 5), what Eveline knows about Frank is only what he tells her. ... All she really knows about him are the stories he tells, which to her, are just "tales". ...

• Word Count: 789
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

"Because such tales broke out forever on my rest, many a time they cut me down and freed my throat from the noose overslung where I had caught it fast. ... Clytemnestra could have killed her son to end the cycle, but as a mother she did not have the heart to kill her son. ... Orestes tells them that he bears a message saying that Orestes has died. Cilissa then speaks to the chorus and tells him his feelings on the matter and the news she must pass on to Aegisthus. ...

• Word Count: 1052
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Perhaps a person is good because of their kind heart. ... What can be described as a road trip gone wrong, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find " is a tale full of irony and wit. ... She is quick to judge others though and isn't afraid to tell her family what she thinks. ... The Grandmother and Red Sam tell stories of the old days and how people aren't as decent as they used to be. ... (She wanted to tell him that he must pray. ...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

They enjoyed talking to each other, and Larry promised not to tell anyone important he was the oldest. ... I got a bunch to tell about Mary Lou." ... "Mary Lou told this tale," Larry said. ... He had helped his father-in-law for several years, so he had the knowledge, but still in his heart he hated farming. ... Larry James is one among millions of elderly gentlemen, now in the nursing facilities across the United States, with stories to tell and as Larry said, "I got a lot to say and no one to listen."...

• Word Count: 1502
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

She would tell me all kinds of stories, both fairytales and also her real life experiences, having lived a hard life when she was young. ... At six, I dreamt of being a Cinderella, a fairy tale princess that lives happily ever after. ... Wipe away your tears and Po Po will tell you a story of a girl just like you.... Po Po had a big heart. ...

• Word Count: 1330
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Wang took this scenario and worked it into a flow that made the story not only easier to follow but a better tale because of it. ... I went into The Joy Luck Club expecting a formulaic story, with old characters and plots I know by heart, what I got was a very fresh, honest perspective on an old theme. ... Maybe The Joy Luck Club had more embellishments that some thought necessary to tell the story, I felt it made an entertaining, compelling journey. ...

• Word Count: 1560
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School