"The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers" by Saki is a compilation of short stories that uses humor to playfully critique society in the early 1900s. It begins by looking at how toys shape kids' views, mainly through a man named Harvey Bope who wants to swap war toys with "peace toys" to teach his nephews about being good citizens. Harvey talks with his sister Eleanor about how violent toys affect kids negatively and mentions a plan by the National Peace Council urging parents to buy peaceful toys. When Harvey brings gifts, his nephews get bored with his dull presents, like models of city buildings and people from history. Rather than playing peacefully, the boys turn the toys into actors in wild historical battles, showing that getting rid of guns and battles doesn't stop a desire for conflict. This start sets the stage for Saki to explore values, innocence, and the funny gap between what we want and what actually happens.
The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers
By Saki
When a well-meaning uncle tries to promote peace with boring toys, rambunctous nephews hilariously prove that a craving for chaos trumps even the dullest of gifts.
Summary
About the AuthorHector Hugh Munro, popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is considered by English teachers and scholars a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling, Munro himself influenced A. A. Milne, Noël Coward and P. G. Wodehouse.
Hector Hugh Munro, popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is considered by English teachers and scholars a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling, Munro himself influenced A. A. Milne, Noël Coward and P. G. Wodehouse.
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