Once Upon a Time

I found the story to be very interesting. It was relatively easy to comprehend and some questions came to mind as I was reading it. I wondered if the underlying theme of this story was racism and segregation. I also was able to identify some literary elements including repetition for effect. The phrase, ‘happily ever after’, was repeated throughout the story. This made the story seem more like a fairy tale with a happy ending. However, I was surprised the ending was extremely violent and gruesome. I found it useful to visualize the setting to get a better understanding. With future readings, if I came across a story that was considered a ‘difficult read’, I would perhaps have to read it several times and try and grasp the meaning of each paragraph in depth.