The Curlew's Cry - J. Leslie Bell

Biography
Born in Nova Scotia, J. Leslie Bell moved to Alberta to pursue his dreams of being a short story writer.  He has won many short stories competitions and is recognized as a very successful author. Many of his stories have been featured in numerous anthologies.

Symbol

This is a curlew bird that the stories title is based about.

Response

More has been written about love, probably, more then any other topic. What does “The Curlew’s Cry” offer that makes what the author has to say on this topic fresh and interesting?

It offers a different perspective about love. It shows that someone can love someone else without having that someone else’s with them everyday. It shows that love can last as long as you work for it.

Does Mr. Sikirski of Sheila – or both of them – deserve sympathy? Explain your answer.

I think they do. It’s sad when you miss someone and there’s no way of them getting to you no matter how hard you try. In Sheila’s case it was a short period of time compared to Mr. Sikirski’s but still they both feel the same pain.

Critical Thinking

Why do you think the author wrote the text?
I think he wrote it because there are so many typical love stories out there that he thought it needed a different take on it.
What does the author want you to think?
That you don’t need to be with someone everyday to love them.
Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?
No, because I am not in love with anyone at the moment.
Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
Nothing to personal to me but my relatives I know have gone through out that at some point in there life.
Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?
Yes, the notebook.
How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
This story not so much but I still got the moral of it.
What action might you take from what you have learned?
To love everyone around you and be nice to a certain degree because you never no when you’ll get to see them again.
What big question has this text left you with?
I wonder when Mr. Sikirski will get to see his family again and if when Sheila’s boyfriend will come to see her.