Essay Questions

What does the narrator mean by this quote, “Cat food? It was a different kind of food than we gave to Boxes, and initially, I couldn't understand why it would be down there of all places."

This quote is an illustration of how the narrator applies the trepidation of information, which does not make up an understanding of sense. The narrator tries to make it hard for the reader to differentiate the cat food from the ordinary. However, from the story, the reader can tell that the storyteller is aware of the disparity because that should not be anything closer to cat food. Perhaps, the narrator wants the reader to comprehend that everything is in place and there is no danger because of what he sees as a distinction. The storyteller is fast to make sense of the situation by using logic thinking that aids the reader to understand that the unexpected will not cause any alarm. Simply, this quote exemplifies the uneasiness of facts, which do not represent the understanding of meaning.

How does the author of “Penpal” use the literary device of simile in his work? Give one example.

The author uses ‘adventures of darkness’ to make a comparison with what took place before the 20th century. The comparison is critical in aiding the reader to have two perspectives of the happenings in the Penpal story. For instance, with the advent of technology from the early 20th century, the darkness described by the author has minimized. The author says, “My optimism had long since disappeared, swallowed like everything else by the engulfing blackness.”

Give examples of three themes that are prevalent in the “Penpal” by Dathan Aurbach.

The development of themes by the storyteller is based on memory narration, schools and the moderation of evil. Firstly, the theme of schools is evident from the narrator’s memories. He recalls the school events comprising entertainment and learning. The schools’ programs are likely to bring more evil than good to learners because pen palling is encouraged. It is easy for the children to be misled because instead of concentrating on their studies, they can be busy making friends forgetting the primary purpose of them being in school. The moderation of evil is the second theme, which is prevalent in the story because the learners are innocent beings who have gone to search for knowledge but due to influence, end up destroying their lives. However, the reader must be critical to uncovering the theme of evil from the story. The last possible theme is memory and story narration. According to the storyteller, recollection is not based on chronology but a critical analysis from the reader can reveal that the novel is structured using the author's memory.