Michelle's Blog

Growing up, I managed to watch my kids television on channels such as PBS Kids and Qubo. While others were watching the cable networks, I managed to find and watch these OG kids tv shows (which honestly, some might even be better than some of the ones on cable tv). Here, I’ll be ranking from best to worst (all are exceptionally good, but best to worst for the top 5) shows that were aired on PBS Kids, and still exist to this day.

1. Arthur

If you haven’t heard of Arthur, you truly are missing out on a show that exemplifies both comedy, and wholesomeness. This show is hands down one of my favorite shows ever to watch, and perhaps, not confirming that this is true, still watch sometimes on YouTube. There have been viral memes made about Arthur, so if you haven’t watched the show, these may seem familiar to you:

The animation style is also one that I favor a lot, but more so of the older seasons rather than the new. This show is about friendship, family, school, and doing what’s right, which is why in my opinion, this would be a very good show for children to watch growing up.

2. Word Girl

This show was definitely not watched by many, but it is my second pick in this list of favorites. Word Girl is about a very smart young girl that inhabits special flying powers, and has a very accelerated knowledge upon complicated, yet useful words. She has a monkey sidekick, and together, they stop villains roaming the city, looking to gain control of the citizens. This show also has a lot of comedy, but also exhibits the importance of partnership, teamwork, and family. Finally, the animation style is also one to die for, as everything has clean cut lines, very opaque and bold colors, and is just captivating to the eye.

3. Wild Kratts

This show has a combination of both real life filming, as well as animated versions of what they see as two brothers explore the wilderness. If you or your child are very interested in learning about animal life in an actually very fun and informative way, this show is for you. To this day, I still remember random facts about species or habitats that we never covered in school. This show is such a good way to raise awareness to issues such as poaching, global warming, and environmental crisis in general. The animated parts of this show shows the two brothers and their team of wildlife experts saving animals from evil villains who want to gain money, fame, and fortune off of species both normal and endangered, which symbolizes the issues facing the environment today.

4. Cyberchase

This show helps children learn a lot about math and technical terms, while also showing the importance of teamwork, loyalty, and communication skills. I remember learning a lot about geometry, and just problem solving techniques to situations commonly found in math problems. It is such a good way to test the knowledge of young kids and help them gain an advance in certain math topics and terminology. The setting of this show is also based off of a computer circuit, and helps a lot with the visualization of how a computer works, like the motherboard, the connection, and viruses or glitches (like the villians in the films). To also show 3 kids working to help save their whole environment really goes to show how even at a young age, change can be made by individuals if they put work into it, and are true to their actions and ambitions.

5. The Ruff Ruffman Show

Finally, we have the Ruff Ruffman Show. This show, like Wild Kratts, has both real life film, and animated parts too. The dog, also known as the host of his show, is animated, and tells kids through a screen on set what to do through challenges for prizes. He gives them challenges that face their fears, expand their knowledge, gain insight into the real world, and just help them experience certain things that kids do not normally get the chance to. This show was very fun to watch, as you would always wonder if the contestants would end up failing or persevering through, and you could always see clear themes of teamwork, collaboration, bravery, and open mindedness.

Fried chicken, more specifically to chicken tenders, have become increasingly popular over the recent years. In comparison to wings, this delicious concoction allows for the eater to not have to worry about bones in the way, but still have the chicken contain its juiciness and pull-apart texture. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not the kind to pick boneless wings over bone-in wings, because boneless never gives me the best experience, but tenders bring a whole new feeling to feasting. These two locations that I will be comparing, Raising Canes and Chicklet, both located in the Naperville area, have a 3 piece tender meal that are quite similar in contents, making the judgement close to fair. The price for these two meals also are quite similar, varying in cents, making this comparison of my two favorite fried tender locations quite a battle.

Raising Canes:

As some of you may know, Raising Canes is known for their chicken tender combos, and a lot of other meals containing this well known fried chicken, such as their sandwiches. One of their most popular demands is their 3 piece finger meal, which includes 3 fried chicken tenders, their famous canes sauce, a piece of texas toast, crinkle-cut fries, and a regular fountain drink/tea. Their most popular pick from their customers is their box combos, which contains another tender and coleslaw, but for fair judgement purposes, I will be commenting my thoughts on their 3 piece finger meal. This meal happens to include a drink option, which Chicklet does not, offering you an array of soda options as well as their lemonade for only 20 cents more. The canes sauce is a selected sauce, meaning it is your only sauce option (not counting the complimentary extra ketchup packets), which limits the consumer’s sauce options. However, I personally love the sauce, although it is on the saltier side which may bother other individuals. The fries…are my least favorite part of this meal, as crinkle-cut fries have never really been my favorite type (unless they are from Portillo’s, but that’s another story). They can sometimes be drier than to my liking, and not as “fluffy”, or poofy in potato size as regular, waffle, curly, etc. fries are. The texas toast is honestly my favorite part of this package, and is what I always choose to eat first, dipping it into their sauce. It never disappoints, is always fluffy, and just melts in your mouth. Now, last but not least – the talk about the chicken itself. To be completely honest, I like the tenders from Chicklet more than from Canes, as they are not as juicy, fresh, hot, or just plain good in terms of poultry. 

Chicklet:

This location may be known less to the people of Naperville, as it is a family-owned operation with just one location (to my knowledge). NNHS students however may know of this establishment the best out of the residential areas, as the drive from NNHS to Chicklet is less than 5 minutes, and could be used as a popular joint for off campus lunch. The restaurant is owned by a Chinese family, and always produces fresh chicken in their dishes (the heat and juiciness speaks for itself). Drinks do cost extra, around a dollar more, which could be seen as a disadvantage, but the pricing would still stay similar to the ones of Canes as Chicklet’s price was a little lower from the start anyways. They offer drinks such as canned sodas, arizona teas, and water to their customers (I personally favor the mango arizona tea). A big benefit that Chicklet offers is their array for sauces, giving you the option for around 10 or more different dipping options. Their most popular one is called the “Yummi sauce”, which just so happens to be my favorite as well, and is essentially a garlicky mayo sauce, far less thick than the canes sauce. The Chicklet fries are also quite good in my opinion, especially if you choose to add on a seasoning such as the cajun one for 50 cents more, but even without, they definitely beat canes in that area. The toast here is also to my liking, more of just a regular white-bread slice toasted in butter, and is also what I choose to eat first. Compared to the texas toast of Canes however, the fluffiness from canes’ toast is what tips it over the top for me. Finally, the chicken…straight up immaculate. It is always burning hot (everything in this meal is), juicy, flavorful, fresh, and probably the best fried chicken I have ever had.

Overall, I really can’t decide which restaurant I like better, as both have their perks. If I were to make myself the superior meal, I would definitely want the drink option from Canes included, the toast from canes, the chicken and fries from chicklet, and the sauce could matter less as they both compliment the chicken well to me. Definitely go try both, and support the small owned business of Chicklet in Ogden if you can!

Dunkin Donuts is a classic chain, known to coffee lovers and donut connoisseurs for low prices and quality food. I hate the bitterness of coffee, the brown liquid sliding down my throat would cause a grimace each time. Even with all the sugar packets and milk I added, I could not bring myself to enjoy the drink. Every time I went to Dunkin, I would opt for hot chocolate with a donut, but the choice of the donut was crucial. A stale donut, or an awful tasting one, has the capacity to destroy the flavor of the hot chocolate — creating a disaster. Here is my well thought out list of the best to worst donuts at Dunkin. 

#5: Chocolate sprinkled donut

The chocolate sprinkled donut stems from the og chocolate frosted donut. The gently baked vanilla donut with a hardened chocolate frosting on top creates a nice feeling on the mouth. However, the sprinkles add an entirely different texture to the donut. Giving it a nice crunch, the chocolate sprinkled donut catapults itself to another level of donut. It has nice, classic elements that allow the eater to feel nostalgic, reminiscing on the past as the dough and chocolate melt in the mouth. However, the crunch of the sprinkle gives it the perfect balance between pure sweetness and crunch. Another special thing about this donut is that it tends to have seasonal specialties. For example, during the holidays, Dunkin will release seasonal donuts with seasonal sprinkles like green and red for Christmas or orange and red for Thanksgiving. Even though the potential of this donut is great, I do not believe this donut is able to achieve the perfect donut title. 

#4: Chocolate Long John

The chocolate long john is a unique donut. Rather than the classic donut shape, a circle with a hole in the middle, a long john is in a rectangle shape with no holes. This creates a nice feeling while eating because you don’t pause while eating. With a regular donut, you feel a gap between the dough of the donut and the teeth, which isn’t the most pleasant feeling when you are trying to enjoy yourself. This donut is good because you still have the og chocolate frosted donut to fall back on, but you also have better eating experience. The dough of the donut is fluffy and you get more frosting than you would on the og donut. It is basically a classic donut with more perks than the classic donut. 

 

#3: Cinnamon Sugar

Cinnamon sugar is definitely not your average, classic donut. It does not stem from any og donut, but that downside is also what makes it so good. It’s an unexpected donut. I, personally, have a huge sweet tooth, so this donut caters directly to me. Some people dislike the way the cinnamon sugar gets on your finger while eating, however, I think that is the best part. Even after the donut is long gone, the sugar still remains on your fingers, and you can lick off the sugar off of your fingers, basically enjoying the flavors of the donut all over again. The cinnamon donut’s uniqueness in flavoring secures its #3 spot in my rating. 

 

#2: Boston Kreme

Boston Kreme is similar, only in terms of uniqueness, to the cinnamon sugar donut. It creates the penultimate combination of all my favorite donuts all rolled into one — with extra perks. The outside appearance of the donut is like the classic chocolate glazed donut, and like the chocolate long john, it does not have any gap, however, it is circular. On the inside though, the donut is filled with a vanilla custard, giving it the unique flavor, similar to the cinnamon donut. Because of the custard, the donut is gooey, which is balanced out by the fluffiness of the donut. Chocolate and vanilla has always been considered the ideal combination of flavors, and this is what the Boston Kreme donut offers the eater.

 

#1: Glazed

The glazed donut is such a classic donut, it was no surprise to have been placed first on my list. You can never go wrong with this donut. In some cases, the sprinkled donut and long john are too plain and boring, and the Boston Kreme and cinnamon sugar can be too messy and chaotic. However, the glazed donut has the nostalgia of a cakey donut, but the glaze on top gives it an extra punch of sweetness and adds on to the soft texture of the donut. Afterall, isn’t all we want in a donut a soft, fluffy bite that just melts in your mouth. It is this feeling that propels this donut to first place on my list — its reliability and texture are unmatched.

Jaguar

BY FRANCISCO X. ALARCÓN

 

some say

I’m now almost

extinct in this park

 

but the people

who say this

don’t know

 

that by smelling

the orchids

in the trees

 

they’re sensing

the fragrance

of my chops

 

that by hearing

the rumbling

of the waterfalls

 

they’re listening

to my ancestors’

great roar

 

that by observing

the constellations

of the night sky

 

they’re gazing

at the star spots

on my fur

 

that I am and

always will be

the wild

 

untamed

living spirit

of this jungle

 

Francisco X. Alarcón in his poem “Jaguar” reflects the modern day world and its unfulfilled need for the environment’s preservation.

From a jaguar’s point of view, it recognizes its own endangerment and the lack of understanding society has for its beautiful wildlife areas, such as its home. This poem stems from a series of poems called “Animal Poems of the Iguazu”, Iguazu being a park in Argentina and Brazil to thousands of tourists. As the area has slowly been filling with more and more people, the place has been displayed as less of a “wild” environment, but rather a place packed with change and the opposite of preservation. Placing the world as its audience, the jaguar wants us to understand the tremendous loss and major disconnect it would be for society to look past this issue before it is too late.

This poem contains six stanzas with three lines in each, no punctuation used throughout. Starting in the third stanza, an ABAB pattern occurs with the first phrases, “that by…” alternating with “they’re”. The use of short syntax along with short stanzas creates a relatively simple form of English, so that people of all ages can have a chance at understanding. The simple language can benefit younger readers as well as individuals without a complex understanding of the dialect, expanding the audience the message can protrude to. These methods are also utilized to create concise, to the point comparisons between what people deem as mere sensory aspects, to the jaguar’s connection to his ancestral importance. The point of view being from a jaguar, rather than a human, creates a bond between the reader and the jaguar, 

The jaguar does not use a condescending tone however, but speaks in a firm, hopeful tone, proving its greater outlook on the environment in general, as well as for its fellow extinct or soon to be extinct species. In the second stanza, the jaguar directly addresses the audience on our differing views, saying “…but the people who say this don’t know…”, exploring the gap between its knowledge and society’s. As the stanzas continue, the use of “they’re” also directly addresses people that have neglected the true beauty behind the environment, enforcing a focus to us that needs to be pushed like that, as time is of the essence for creatures like the jaguar. At the every end of the poem, the jaguar says “…I am and always will be the wild untamed living spirit of this jungle” to hold his legacy standing–even if it itself is not physically present as time goes on, the existence of it will always hold true, just as long as nature is preserved.

The theme of senses is heavily used throughout the stanzas. As said before, the ABAB pattern alternates phrases in their first lines, but also uses a play on words when describing what people do in a scene of nature. Stanzas three and four go from “smelling” to “sensing”, stanzas five and six going “hearing” to “listening”, and stanzas seven and eight going “observing” to “gazing”. This play on verbs is to enhance the acts of society in the wild for what they are really sensing around them, going beyond what meets their surface level observations. The jaguar wants deeply for us to recognize the significance history has brought to homes like its, and for so much alteration and superficial awareness to this issue, nature may soon become too late to collectively preserve.

Scenic descriptions are also implemented to a great degree, as the main theme is to bring awareness and understanding to the beauty of the outdoor environment. Saying lines like “…the orchids in the trees…”, “the rumbling of the waterfalls”, and “the constellations of the night sky” helps the reader envision specific aspects of the jaguar’s home, getting a feel for what is in jeopardy, what could be lost forever if nature were to not successfully be preserved. The jaguar chooses to use specifics to further exhibit the uniqueness and delicacy homes such as his have, and how these environmental aspects could be lost in addition to his own species.

Due to the constant degradation made by certain human activities, the environment is what is taking on the obstruction. This in turn poses deathly threats to many species as well as mankind, though mankind has yet to recognize this as they have not gone extinct yet, whereas many animal species have. The jaguar is used as the speaker to speak on behalf of both endangered animals and nature itself, as these voices suffer to be able to speak up, nor can they with society. Preservation to nature is what needs to happen at a rapid pace, as the longer time holds out, more change and destruction is made upon the world.

While reminiscing the good old corona free days, I thought back to when the local amusement parks/carnivals existed. The crowds of people, the smell of deep fried foods everywhere, loud game noises, and the hot summer air made me quite sad that those had to be postponed for quite some time. For those of you who still remember how the Last Fling was like, or perhaps the RibFest, these favorite rides of mine might spark some deep memories in you, and possibly have you agreeing with me as well.

#1: Freak out

This ride is definitely my favorite to go to when I see it at any local amusement park. The line for this is usually really long, wrapping around the sides of the gates, making it seem unworthy of waiting for. In reality, however, 16 people go on the ride at one time, so it’s deceiving in its looks. Out of all the rides at these parks, this would be deemed (I would say) as one of the “scarier” rides, but only in comparison to the rest. The ride spins in circles while also proceedingly getting higher by swinging up to different sides, kind of like a pendulum. The one thing I like about this one in particular is when it halts just for a second or two up at the highest peak, and whether you’re facing down towards the ground, or up towards the sky, this can probably be the most frightening moment for you.

#2: Kamikaze

I remember being afraid to go on this ride until just a few years ago, as it was the only one out of all the other rides at the Last Fling to have you go upside down at one point. This ride would just move a line of people in circles as if you were part of a yoyo’s around the world trick. The first time I went on this I remember feeling shocked after at how “unscary” it actually was. I had come to the realization that when you move in that circular motion, it doesn’t feel any different than moving normally (upside up). Sometimes though, if the employee likes to play around, they will pause the riders at the top for a few seconds; THAT is when one may become fearful, as all the blood is rushing to your head, and your grip starts to loosen.

#3: Gravitron

Honestly, the best part about this ride is seeing the smaller children either stick to the panels and not be able to get up, freaking them out, or when some people don’t have a care in the world and just end up going towards the middle of the ride rather than in their strapped up slots. This is also a good ride in the sense that it allows many people to go at one time, moving the line quicker, and you get to see the different reactions of everyone while you’re spinning around almost perpendicular to the ground. You can also feel all your face fat move around with this ride (or maybe that’s just me with my particularly fat face), which I deem as fun because it’s something that happens uncontrollably due to the different gravitational pulls. The duration of this ride is also seemingly good, as it goes on for probably up to a minute or a bit over, which is way longer than some other rides.

#4: Pirate Ship

Last but not least, this ride always gave me the heebie jeebies, as I swear I was about to fall face forward onto the track whenever it would reach certain high points. The bars to hold you down barely did anything at all, especially if you have thinner thighs that basically did not touch the bar whatsoever. There would be no upper body strap, so all you could do is grip onto the bar by your waist and pray for dear life. This ride also had a long line during the busy times of the parks, but there were also many seats making it go by faster. I have a love hate relationship with this ride, as it makes me scared (which is good), but because I could actually just plunge to my death due to the insufficient safety measures. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure the height requirements for this ride was around 5 feet, so for the ones 3.5 inches shorter than me, I don’t know how they did not fall. I’d still recommend this ride, however, as it is one of the classics there that you must try at least once in your life.

For those of you familiar with the disney princess classic, Mulan, you probably also know about the live action that came out recently this year. It had originally cost $30 to watch when it first came out on disney, but fortunately just a few days ago, it was made free on the streaming service. I of course took this as an opportunity to finally watch it without paying the lonesome amount, and after viewing this cinematic production, there are definitely many contrasting components between the two films that I need to delve into. 

**SPOILER ALERT**

This blog will be talking about aspects of the live action Mulan movie, and will contain major spoilers; so if you have not watched this, and would like to in the future, I will sadly have to advise you to NOT read this blog.

From the start, a young Mulan is shown, and we see how much of a ruckus she caused in her home village. There is also a segment of her conversing with her father on what morals, duties, and mindset she must maintain/fulfill in order to bring honor to her family and China, leading into the underlying plot of devotion to family and self one must have and the importance of it. In the cartoon version, we only get to see Mulan as a full grown adult, but still get to view the talk she has with her father about what place she has in her family, and what boundaries she needs to not cross over that would shame the ancestors from the past and her parents.

The recurring theme behind worship, respect, and strong gender driven morals is seen throughout both films, and if you pay attention closely to the lyrics within the songs in the animated version, these themes are embedded into all of them rigorously. Although the songs are not sung in the live action version (quite unfortunately as I thought the songs were one of the most promising components of the film’s storyline), the lyrics from the ones in the animated version contain topics surrounding matchmaking, a strong male figure as the head of the household/fighting force, and confusion with identity and values.

One of the biggest contrasts between the two films is the appearance of the guardian figure. In the cartoon version, Mushu plays a big role in what happens, the comedic effect, and the overall ending of the film, but in the live action, there sadly is no Mushu. In place of him, we see a Phoenix appear at instances, and see Mulan look to it for guidance. Although they do not converse, as Mushu did with Mulan in the animator version throughout the entire film, the occurrences in which the Phoenix appears are brief, yet meaningful. 

Lastly, how could I forget Li Shang! The love interest, and also one of the main pieces to the plot of the animated version. Li Shang served as the face of the second biggest underlying theme of the movie, love, and how beliefs/values are always questioned when facing a love conflict. Li Shand was the commanding officer in the animated version, but in the live action, we see a semi love interest that was never fully pursued by the directors in a fellow comrade, Honghui. In this way, the live action definitely focused more on the cultural and moral difficulties one can face in a setting such as China, and how important things such as bringing honor to one’s family, settling into the role of whatever gender you are born into, and portraying honesty is. People may view this as a gain or loss with the live action, depending on if they wanted to see more of a love plotline play out, or see just how rigorous the virtues are in a Chinese place setting.

In my opinion, I definitely liked how the animated version played out in comparison to the live action, as it was much more comedic, had the songs that are just classics in my mind, had a love interest but still successfully captured the virtuous theme as well, and had Mushu!! The live action is good too, not to get me wrong, and does a very good job showing how gender and imperial worship affects the lives of people in China at the time, and how contrasting this belief system may be to China now, and to other cultures around the world. I still highly recommend to watch both, if you have not already, just to see which one you find better suited to your taste! These films undoubtedly teach viewers about Chinese culture, and brings customs and traditions to life in an interesting, action packed way.

To all my boba tea fanatics, you have probably heard of these locations before; and if you are new to this fandom, or have yet to delve into this world of tastiness, welcome! I will be rating the top three boba tea places from worst, compared to the other ones on the list of course, to best, based on my experiences with them; specifically their order of the mango freeze with tapioca. I feel as though with also ordering the same drink at each location, it will serve as a good control variable in judging the quality of drink from each area. 

3. Ma Tea House

Coming in at number three, I would definitely say Ma Tea House is on the spectrum of the best bubble tea places to try. Ma Tea House is located inside Fox Valley mall, and to my knowledge, is the nearest one, or maybe the only one, around the Chicagoland area. This bubble tea house serves a variety of drinks, ranging from juices, to smoothies, to teas, and of course, the commonly ordered milk teas. I personally always order the smoothies with tapioca (the boba pearls) added into it, no matter the location I order from. Specifically, my go to order is the mango smoothie with tapioca from here, and will always order this as my first order at any new location. The classic drink type most people I know order, as this is the typical image of a boba tea beverage, is the milk tea with tapioca; I have never ordered it before, so I cannot really say my opinions about it. The smoothies here with tapioca, however, are in my great interest to recommend to you, as the price is not too expensive for the size, and the overall taste is rewarding. I base the quality of the smoothie off of the texture, coldness, and flavor, which in this case, the texture is well blended and smooth, the coldness was in my liking (which says a lot because I strongly dislike to drink things in the lukewarm/supposed to be cold but isn’t category), and the flavor is true to its mangoness and is quite refreshing.

2. Kung Fu Tea

As my second choice of bubble tea places to order from, I would for sure recommend Kung Fu tea, located in Chicago. This boba tea house also serves a variety of drinks, ranging from milk teas, to slushes, to teas, to punches, and even yogurts. As I have said earlier, I keep constant with my order type, and also order the mango slush with tapioca here. Compared to Ma Tea, Kung Fu Tea’s size large is around the same size as the large at Ma Tea, wide and short, while Ma Tea’s cups are long and skinnier. Their prices compared to each other are around the same as well, but I do think Ma Tea was a slight bit more expensive due to taxes of being in a mall location. Nonetheless, one of the most outstanding things I noticed about Kung Fu Tea the very first time I tried it was the quality of the tapioca pearls. I remember vividly trying their tapioca in my mango slush for the first time, and completely falling in love with it. This store has by far the best tapioca I have ever tasted, and its sweetness perfectly complements the drink, the texture of the pearls were soft yet lingering with chewiness, and just overall went down with the drink with ease. The quality of the slush is good too in the texture, as it is not too watery, holds good to its coldness and refreshingness, and the flavor of the slush mixed in with the flavor of the boba brings it all together.

1. Joy yee

Last but certainly not least, Joy yee is my all time favorite place to order from for boba tea. This location is so good that I order more than the mango flavored freezes here, switching between the mango tapioca freeze and the red bean and coconut tapioca freeze here. This boba tea house also has a restaurant place to it, but is most well known for its boba tea. Located a few minutes away from NNHS, this location is popular with a lot of the students there, and will always be one of my go to’s for a quality drink. First, I will say that the sizes of the drinks here are the biggest I have ever seen (or at least, pre quarantine, as it has sadly shortened in height since a few months ago). To go along with that, however, its pricing is the most too, but only by around a dollar compared to the larges at the other two locations. Joy yee is my favorite place to order my mango freezes with tapioca from, as the size compensates for so much, the boba is also great tasting, and the mango taste is always revitalizing as they make it with real mango slices right in front of you. The quality of the drinks’ texture is nice, as it is smooth and easy to swallow with the tapioca, but one thing about their drinks is that sometimes the coldness is not to my full liking, as I don’t find it as refreshing as the other locations, but still refreshing nonetheless.

Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter” takes a surprising twist, and keeps the reader engaged for the entirety of the story. In this story, Dahl approaches a less merry scene, differing from the traditional, relatively blithe stories he writes, such as “The BFG”, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Mary Maloney, months into her pregnancy, desperately wants to please her husband who works long hours as a detective. One day when he returns home from work, he gives her the cold shoulder, and eventually ends up telling her he wants a divorce. Obviously hurt and shocked, she decides to swiftly kill him by the blunt force of a frozen lamb leg to his head. To cover up her crime, and protect both herself and her unborn child from punishment, she then feeds the murder weapon to the police who arrive on the scene shortly after.

Dahl incorporates a well thought out title to the meaning of the short story, as “Lamb to the Slaughter” usually signifies obliviousness and true dumbfoundedness, something both the policemen and Patrick Maloney, Mary’s husband, faced from Mary directly. The contrast in the words as well (Lamb vs Slaughter) connect to the meaning behind the story as well, as the comparison between seemingly innocent and blameless notions within characters, to such violent and surprising acts are shown through Mary’s overall development in the story.

One of Lamb to the Slaughter’s most significant elements in its story is its plot/character development. Right from the very beginning, a melancholy and tense setting is portrayed, as the husband’s energy does not reciprocate that of his wife’s in the slightest. The wife, Mary, genuinely wants what is best for her hardworking husband, and takes upon common housewife roles such as cleaning, sewing, cooking, etc. The breaking of this stereotypical role of a pleasing and compliant wife leads the story into its key development stages, as an unexpectancy from what people would consider a more seemingly righteous character, to the polar opposite craft of it, acts as the glue for providing surprising turns of events. Towards the end of the story, the wife even expresses emotions of enjoyment and contentness, even after killing her husband and feeding the murder weapon to the policemen. This elicits humor in the story, as one would be shocked that this emotion would even be expressed at such a time, and especially from the apparent innocent outlook Mary gave in the very beginning. The contrast between the character of Mary in the beginning and end of the story is what keeps the reader engaged, as the reader wants to see more of what deviant actions could further occur as the story progresses.

The actual lamb leg, otherwise known as the murder weapon in this specific story, serves symbolically as well. A lamb is known for its innocent presence, always at the hands of wrongful doers; preyed upon. In this story, Mary is the embodiment of this lamb, as she too finds herself at the hands of submission and prone to vulnerability. When the lamb leg is used to inflict an act of violence, however, the tie to innocence is broken, and Mary and the lamb leg both start to embody the idea of evil within the seemingly good. The lamb leg also signifies being at the hands of sacrifice. When Mary hits her own husband across the head with the lamb leg, she resonates this feeling of relief to arise from the suffocating feeling of unimportance during their marriage. She is finally able to free both her and her child to the world of appreciativeness, having the dead husband serve as a sacrifice needed for this to happen for them. When Mary feeds the lamb leg to the officers as well, this also serves as a sacrifice, as she both literally and figuratively gets rid of the wrongful act on her conscience and record. To protect the future of both herself and her unborn first child, the lamb leg prompts a leeway into how a figure of innocence can sometimes be used to push to hide the truth.

Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” is a must read, as its plot development, use of symbolism, and humor will keep the reader captivated throughout. The startling plot twists have the reader on their toes, wondering what more cleverness could possibly occur as the story proceeds. This specific short story will have the reader in awe at the unique craftsmanship of the events, and how well all the aspects of the story tie into each other.