POST 5: Revision of POST 4

The short stories "Little Cog-Burt" and "Cotton Candy" both reflect on the social injustices that were happening in the Caribbean during that time period.  Although there are many differences between the two stories, they are also some similarities.

The author of "Little Cog-Burt", Phyllis Shand Allfrey, used her story to express the unfair differences in the social classes in Dominica. Allfrey highlighted the differences between the plantation owners’ and the plantation workers many times throughout the story. On page seven in "Little Cog-Burt", Allfrey wrote, " 'Well, I won't,' she said again, firmly; and in the words which she did not add, but which he so clearly heard her thinking: 'I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children, those dark children...' ". By including this quote, you can be sure that the character Moira believed she was better than "those dark children", thus putting herself on a higher level, or class, than the workers and their children.

The author Dora Alonso used her story "Cotton Candy" to portray the suffering of the lower class in Cuba during the Cuban revolution. On page fourteen in "Cotton Candy" Alonso wrote, "The monotonous years, for her repetitions of frustrations and renewed desires, killed her grandparents and uncles, and forced her relatives to emigrate. Her lonely forty years fought then, like a dog biting a chain, and her mother agreed to move to Havana". Dora Alonso added this statement because she wanted to describe what the Cuban Revolution was doing to Lola and her family and show how much that they suffered during it all.


Allfrey was an activist in social affairs and equality and Alonso focused on writing for marginalized characters that struggle in a corrupt society. The authors’ messages were not about the same exact struggles, but they are both alike in that they focus on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean. 

POST 4: Cotton Candy vs Little Cog-Burt

The short stories "Little Cog-Burt" and "Cotton Candy" both reflect on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean during that time period. Although there are many similarities in the two stories, they are also many differences. The author of "Little Cog-Burt" Phyllis Shand Allfrey, used her story to express the unfair differences in the social classes in Dominica. Allfrey highlighted on the differences between the plantation owners and the plantation workers many times throughout the story. On page seven in "Little Cog-Burt" Allfrey wrote, " 'Well, I won't,' she said again, firmly; and in the words which she did not add, but which he so clearly heard her thinking: 'I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children, those dark children...' ". By including this quote, you can assure that Moira believed that she was better than "those dark children", thus putting her on a higher stepping stool than the workers and their children. The author Dora Alonso used her story "Cotton Candy" to portray the suffering of the lower class in Cuba during the Cuban revolution. On page fourteen in "Cotton Candy" Alonso wrote, "The monotonous years, for her repetitions of frustrations and renewed desires, killed her grandparents and uncles, and forced her relatives to emigrate. Her lonely forty years fought then, like a dog biting a chain, and her mother agreed to move to Havana". Dora Alonso added this statement because she wanted to explain what the Cuban Revolution was doing to Lola and her family and show how much that they suffered during it all. Allfrey was an activist in social affairs and Alonso focused on writing for marginalized characters that struggle in a corrupt society. The authors messages were not about the same exact struggles but they are both alike in that they focus on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean.  

POST 3: Tétiyette and the Devil

The short story "Tétiyette and the Devil" is a literary text that has a much deeper meaning behind it, than shown. The story is about a young girl who does not listen to her parents and chooses a man based solely off of his looks. This was a mistake though because he was not who she thought he was, and ended up being "a terrible devil" that was "eating her up". The anonymous author of the story had a rhetorical stance that can be found by reading in between the lines. I believe that the intended audience of the short story is young, naive girls in the Caribbean that choose men and/or other things based off of appearance. The purpose of the story is to teach people that things are not always as they appear and although you might have made a mistake, you can be saved before you are completely gone/oblivious to the situation. The message is being conveyed when the author writes on page two, "The young girl looked down to see the young man, and found a good-looking gentleman. She was pleased. She said: 'Have him come up, have him come up, I want him'" (Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam). By reading those lines, you can assume that the girl made her decision based off of the man's looks. Then near the end of the story the author included that the girl regretted her decision and cried out for help from her family. Although they are her parents, they did not go help her and instead her brother did. The author wrote on page four, "When he reached the room, the devil had swallowed half of his sister's last toe. He slit the devil's belly with one single blow, and his sister emerged all whole" (Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam). The meaning behind this line was that although his sisters toe was the only thing left when he came, he was able to save his sister as a whole, before she was completely "swallowed". I believe that this short story was very interesting, and semi weird to say the least but as I continued to reread it, the author's rhetorical stance revealed itself.