[Haley Reading Groups Spring 2022]
By now, we're seeing that Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a really inventive, far out thinker who takes tidbits from current events and our contemporary society and stretches those ideas to some really dreadful conclusions in a near or distant future.Along those lines, Adjei-Brenyah's "Zimmer Land" showcases an amusement park where patrons role play in environments where they ultimately shoot (with fake bullets) people who they view as threats. The protagonist of the story is a black man. He is the most popular target of park visitors who are interested in acting out situations where they kill an alleged threatening or confrontational black man.
Adjei-Brenyah's work isn't classified as horror fiction, but the implications of some of the stories are scary.
Here are two questions:
1.) After reading the story, what's one good question that you would be inclined to ask Adjei-Brenyah about his approach to storytelling in "Zimmer Land" or about how his mind as a creative artist works in general? (Respond with just one sentence)
2.) Why are you interested in that question, or what good or useful response do you think your question would prompt? (Respond with just one sentence)
54 comments:
While creating these short stories, do they somewhat come from a place where you believe they could become reality in our future?
I'm interested in this question because the stories we have read so far can become reality depending on what happens in society in the future.
Are these short stories created to warn people of what could potentially happen in the future if the hate and discrimination continues at the rate in today's society?
I'm interested in this question because with the way the world is right now, it's possible, in the future, that people would think ideas like "Zimmer Land" is something that should be implemented.
I guess my question to him would be is this something that could happen later on in life if everyone keeps being so hateful to one another?
I am interested in this question because these are the things I think about. I think anything is possible and how the world is today there is a possibility of this happening.
Why do you tell stories like this?
I am interested in this question because it seems like you are trying to warn us about something.
1. Why is everyone hate the other so much that they live in fear to speak to each other.
2. I feel like Ajedi-Brenyah is trying to tell us this s how we actually act and just dont notice it yet.
My question to him would be do you think that the world will be this way in the future?
I'm interested in this question because there's so much hate in the world and it doesn't seem like it is really getting better. And by this rate that we're moving and seeing all the racist's people has me thinking if they would think ideas like "Zimmer Land".
A question that I would want to ask Adjei-Brenyah about his approach to storytelling is “Do you think that these stories can transfer into real life? Do you think they are going to eventually happen?”
I am interested in this question because Adjei-Brenyah thinks very creatively and in great detail. The way that he illustrates his stories and the details within them is something that I have rarely seen before.
How close do you think we are to becoming a more progressive country?
I believe that the only way to progress is to truly solve or minimize social issues. These social issues it what limits our money, food, and education. There are not many people of color that own stores that are international. Is this because they aren't smart or work hard enough? No its because the people who they are rivaling against have business partners that have money or they themselves do. Capitalism is truly a social way of dealing with money. Since the government has no way of elevating that social pressure to raise wages or have equal pay. Once we overcome these aspects we can understand where we truly stand. This is by know way a strategy to shame people for being born into money, but to acknowledge and even help others to build their businesses that could help communities. And when it comes to justice. Killings of innocent people and putting their killers in jail does not feel like true justice. Nothing really feels like true justice when someone kills another because killing is unjustified.
-Sheena Cumberbatch
1. Is the purpose of these short stories to spread awareness about what can happen in the future if hate and discrimination continue at the current rate?
2. This topic fascinates me since there is so much hate in the world, and it does not appear to be improving.
I would like to ask why they are writing these short stories. Are these stories relevant to our everyday life, and if so how.
The extremity of the stories are understood to show acts of racism, I just wonder why they are so extreme, things like this, I feel wouldn't happen in today's day. Is there still racism, yes, but to the point like in the first story we read where the man used a literal CHAINSAW, no I don't feel like that would happen.
Taylor C.
1.) What experience moved the author to create such short stories.
2.) I am interested in this question because it is so creative and uncomfortably resembles our world.
My question to him would be if this is how he thinks the world really works?
I feel like this is Ajedi-Brenyah's way of interpreting on what his view on reality is based on this story.
Raven Dewalt
1. Does these short stories relate to something in the authors life?
2. I would ask this questions, because these stories aren't just something you find. What I mean is that it has to come from somwhere or relate to something, so I wonder does it relate to the author in some shape or form.
1.) Is the purpose of these short stories to warn us about the dangers that lie ahead?
2.) I am curious about this because the short stories we've read so far, all involved realistic event that could be used to send messages to the readers.
1.) When you came up with this story, do you picture that Zimmer land is how people, most likely white people, are their inner thoughts about how they approach things without rules?
2.) They never told the one patron to call the worker an ape, shoot someone or say go back to Africa and they wouldn't have shown in the real world because of laws and rules restricting them.
1.) Does his format of writing in short stories format contribute to his overall message.
2.) I'm interested because I'm just curious if it's another way of him portraying his central message
-Udochukwu Chikere
1. My question would have to be, is he trying to foreshadow what the future could be like?
2. The reason why I would ask this question is because a lot of what I was reading seemed like it could happen in real life, it was very realistic.
Amy-Miriam Descollines
1. Is the purpose of the stories to keep us on the lookout or to grab our attention.
2. The purpose of my question is to see what's really going on because I don't these are made up stories but then again they could.
1) Could you determine the value of writing suck heavy topics in a style that could be geared towards children?
2) I ask because I wonder if maybe his style is meant to challenge the idea that certain topics are not suitable for young minds, or if it’s because there is something eerie about these intense topics being just as real for young people.
1. What perspective is this story being told from, despite the fact that it is technically being told from the perspective of the main character it still seems as if it is what an outside person may believe the main character thinks?
2. Though there is emotion in this text this seems like a look-through of someone else's perspective on the main character like it is not the full thing.
1. Why the protagonist even agrees to continue to be a part of these activities in Zimmer Land.
2. Zimmer Land's purpose was to create a safe neighborhood environment so maybe aiding that demographic would be a benefit but it comes at a cost if you have to pretend to be shot and died for it.
My question is how do you know what life could look like that in the future?
I am interested because I always wondered what the future would be from now and would things be way different than it is now.
I would like to know has the author been through any personal experiences that inspired them to write these short stories?
This question is important because if that is the case it sort of give readers the chance to see the situations through another lens.
-Arieona B.
1. My question to him would be is the storytelling in these chapters a warning?
2. I'm curious about this because these short stories seem very vivid to me as if they're a warning for what's to come.
1.) when writing these stories do you somewhat base them off of things you have witnessed or heard about in real life?
2.) I'm interested in this question because a lot of the scenarios in the stories are not far off from our reality now.
1.) After reading the story, what's one good question that you would be inclined to ask Adjei-Brenyah about his approach to storytelling in "Zimmer Land" or about how his mind as a creative artist works in general? (Respond with just one sentence)
2.) Why are you interested in that question, or what good or useful response do you think your question would prompt? (Respond with just one sentence)
1. What inspired you to create this short story?
2. I think that my question would prompt what inspires the author to create stories that
have a possibility of becoming true.
1.) Are these short stories to help us avoid this future or an exaggeration of our present?
2.) I am curious about this because I would like to see how the story will progress if it's about our future.
-Starr C
My question would be which story is he most proud of.
I wonder which story took the most effort to capture and why.
Amoya B
1.) What inspired you to write these stories?
2.) I am interested in this question because the stories were written so creatively but at the same time are super similar to our world.
1. My question for the "Zimmer Land" plot is, what makes him so highly attached to these stories?
2. Understanding his reasoning behind questioning will help understand much more beyond.
Why are the stories made like this? I am interested because I feel like there is a deeper meaning to all of this and has a lesson for all of us to learn from.
1. My question is what inspired these short stories? Did they come from reflecting on the world or are they just products of the authors creativity?
2. I am interested in this question because I would like to know if there might be some truth behind the themes of these stories.
A question that I would want to ask Adjei-Brenyah about his approach to storytelling is “Do you think that these stories can transfer into real life? Do you think they are going to eventually happen?”
I am interested in this question because Adjei-Brenyah thinks very creatively and in great detail. The way that he illustrates his stories and the details within them is something that I have rarely seen before.
Shelbe Davis
Damilola Adebisi said...
Damilola Adebisi
1. A question I would ask the author is what inspires you to write stories like this and what intentions do the author want his audience to have about his stories?
2. Why I asked these questions is because the stories the author writes are always very interesting and peculiar too. At the same time it seems like it has a deeper meaning the author wants us to understand. I think it would be quit interesting to know the author process to writing some of his short stories.
March 18, 2022 at 9:36 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/03/haley-scholars-group-1-nana-kwame-adjei.html)
1) My question to Adjei-Brenyah is why do everybody in the story hates each other.
2) I choose this question because I believe that Adjei is try to silently tell the audience the way how people act.
Chanel B.:
1. Has the author experienced the things that's explained in the story?
2. The reason I asked this because the details that the author describes during a certain situation it's too descriptive like the author experienced those things before.
Camille B.:
1. Do you write these stories from a place of creativity and entertainment, or do you write these as prediction to what the future may hold?
2. The way society is built today, it's very similar to his stories or even something our society could develop into, so it interests me to know if this is what he sees us headed towards.
What inspired you to publish such stories ? what's does these events mean to you personally ?
These questions are in the back of my mind while reading, I need to know a deeper meaning from the original view point.
One question I have is are these short stories created to warn people of what could potentially happen in the future if the hate and discrimination continues at the same rate in today's society as it was in the stories?
I am interested in this particular question because with the way the world is right now, it may be possible, in the future, that people would think ideas like "Zimmer Land" is something that should be put in place.
1. My question would be what prompted him to write stories like this?
2. It interests me because they are so detailed that it almost seems like he’s lived through it. So would he be trying to tell us something or is he just a really creative writer.
Deborah Adekale
Corey anderson said...
I really like the question why do you tell stories like that.
it pulls me in to think the worst could possibly happen. But it also just keep me interested throughout the entire story because I want to see what can go wrong.
Corey A.:
1) Why do you tell stories like that.
2) I like this question because it pulls me in to automatically think of the worst thing that could happen, and just keeps me interested throughout the whole story to see the ending.
1.) What challenges did you go through to inspire you to make these short stories?
2.) I am interested in this question because it keeps me interested in the stories and makes me want to learn more.
1.) What challenges did you go through to inspire you to make these short stories?
2.) I am interested in this question because it keeps me interested in the stories and makes me want to learn more.
-Ivorie Arthurs
My question is "How does author use Zimmer land to warn people in actual society about discrimination and hate?"
I am interested in this question because I felt like stories like this can easily be linked or connected to real life because it can also happen in the society we live in right now.
1.) My question would be what inspires these stories
2.)That would be my question because these stories are extremely different/creative with great foreshadowing and I want to know what inspired it or how he came up with it.
Ruth B.:
1.) After reading the story, one good question that I would be inclined to ask Adjei-Brenyah is what was the inspiration behind writing such a story?
2.) I’m interested in this question because it can enlighten the true purpose for why he created the story and the response might have connections with real-world problems that African Americans endure.
Tyler B.:
1. One thing I question about the author is does she experience these events firsthand, or if not, why does she publish them? In hopes for the future or to warn others of what is going to come?
2. I am interested in this question as in our current realm of the living, I feel like the idea of "Zimmer Land" could potentially come to light in specific aspects.
One question I would like to ask the author would be do these stories come from places of truth or are these just made up stories from his imagination?
I am interested in this question because hearing the authors insight always is better than one may interpret the story. I could read the story and think something completely different from what the author is attempting to portray.
1. How would you like your short stories to combat the racial issues in today's society?
2. I chose this question because I would like to know the author's thought process while writing these stories.
My question would be what is your inspiration behind these stories and do you have any personal experience with these stories that you have created?
I ask this question because the short stories from which I have been reading is very deep, detailed and kind of dark. Sometimes an author went through something in their life and they transform it into their writing. A lot of times inspiration can can be from real life experiences.
Harrison B.:
1) Did any personal experience inspire you to write stories like this?
2) I am interested in this because these stories are very specific and can happen in everyday life, even in 2022.
Thiane D.:
My question would be what is your inspiration behind these stories and do you have any personal experience with these stories that you have created?
I ask this question because the short stories from which I have been reading is very deep, detailed and kind of dark. Sometimes an author went through something in their life and they transform it into their writing. A lot of times inspiration can can be from real life experiences.
Allana B.:
Do you think things like this will happen in the future if discrimination and hate continue at this rate? Are you trying to spread awareness?
I am interested in this question because I believe the author is trying to warn us of something that could happen in the future.
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