Welcome to another blog post in my universe. Today I am going to compare two short stories, “Smokey Night” and “Fly Away Home”. I am going to be comparing the problems, and Symbolism.

The problems in both of the short stories are very different but they are handled pretty similarly.  For example, the problem in fly away home is that the main character, Andrew, and his dad are living in an airport: trying not to get caught. On the other hand, the obstacle in “Smoky Night” is handled differently. Daniel’s cat goes missing after a riot, where somebody burns his apartment down. He and his mother escape the fire at first, but not the cat. They both handle their problems by hoping. Andrew tries to solve his problem by earning and saving his money, he HOPES that he will find a safe home. Andrew and his friends “collect rented luggage carts that people have left outside and return them for fifty cents each. If the crowds are big and safe, we offer to carry bags.” This is an example of Andrew hoping, and trying to accomplish his dreams. When Daniel hopes that his cat, Jasmine, is still alive: the thought leads to him asking many people if they have seen his cat. For instance, when Daniel and her mother are escorted out of the building she asks a firefighter, “Did you see a cat?” “She’s yellow. Maybe she’s still in there.”

In both passages, I think that animals represent a symbol of hope. An example of this is in “Fly Away Home,” in the first story, a bird got stuck in the airport, it kept trying but after a few days, it escaped.  When Andrew thinks of the bird, he gets reminded of himself, but just like the bird, he can find a safe and happy place to live. An example of this is Andrew thinks to himself, “Sometimes I just want to cry. I think dad and I will be here forever. Then I remembered the bird. It took a while, but a door opened. ANd when the bird left, when it flew flee, I know it was singing.” This shows that the bird gives Andrew hope and the door represents a safe passage to a happy home. In “Smoky Night,” Jasmine is the reason why Daniel hoped: because he was left in the fire, Jasmine meant hope to Daniel and he hoped that Jasper was alive. If there was a continuation to this story, I think if there was a problem: Daniel would keep on hoping: I think Jasmine gave not only hope but something like a superpower, to Daniel. An example from the text is,”‘It’s a sad, sad night,’ Mr. Jackson says. I ask him about Jasmine. He says he’s pretty sure he saw her. ‘She got out, Daniel,’ he tells me. I hope he’s not just trying to make me feel better. ” This shows that Daniel is hopeful that his cat is alive because he hopes Mr. Jackson isn’t trying o make him feel better.

In conclusion, the two passages had many similarities, but also some small differences. Bye, see you next post!