In this epsidoe, Khyler and Shine discuss Chinua Achebe’s short story “The Sacrificial Egg." In addition to the story, they talk about tradition vs change, tradition as community, cultural identity, being torn between two cultures, how we lose tradition over time, the importance of family in maintaining cultural identity, how material goods replaced abstract ideas as something significantly cultural, how superstition impacts a person’s ability to change, forced conformity,  how much of...

Kahlia and Jordan discuss David Foster Wallace’s “Good People,” a short story about a young couple facing a huge decision. Along with some insightful analysis of the story, the pair also hit on topics such as how can we tell if others... or ourselves... are good people, how much guilt factors into our decision making, how to define selflesness, is guilt a necessary evil, the utility of considering other peoples' thoughts into our decision making, what is entitlement and when is it unhealthy,...

Scotti and Katelyn talk about Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.  The story raises questions about the nature of love and whether or not it can truly be defined. In addition to the story itself, Scotti and Katelyn discuss topics such as... What is love, Is there a wrong way to love, Toxicity masquerading as love, How the media puts pressure on people to find love, Obsession vs adoration, Why people put up with abuse, Is it possible to learn how to not feel in love,...

High school seniors Katelyn and Daylin have a chat about Hemingway's "A Clean Well Lighted Place." They discuss topics such as the conflict between generations, the dangers of becoming too comfortable with a routine, how we gain empathy for others, the nature of Happiness, how the low points of life shine a new light on the high points, why we emotionally or socially shut down, whether an individual determines meaning, or if meaning is derived from the external, social anxiety, the value of...

High School Seniors Daylin and Luke chat about Kate Chopin, irony within her stories "Story of an Hour" and "Desiree's Baby" and the comparison of the demise of the heroine in each. The guys also delve into other topics such as why we like stories in the first place, how much a person take before reaching their limit, when it's ok to laugh at tragedy, real life coping mechanisms, how we tend to internalize problems and more.

High school seniors Bryce and Jordan discuss Charlotte Perkins Gilman's icononc short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and talk about topics such as gaslighting in the 1890s vs modern times, the negativity of the internet, how a person's internal struggles might not be manifested outwardly, how people often create a false reality to hide from what's really going on,why people don't ask for help when they need it, a person's struggle being perceived as weakness, writing as an outlet, the value of...

High school students Kahlia and Kyler discuss Franz Kafka's story "A Hunger Artist" by questioning why we put so much stock in the value of social media. They also address falling prey to trends, the importance of perspective when it comes to social media, feeding our brains on background noise, the epidemic of low attention spans, how trends influence our perceptions and cheapen the value of things, what defines "Good Art," how we form group connections via mindless art, abstract art,...