Today I read the story, “The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind,” by Ray Bradbury, which is about two towns and the symbolism in the shapes their city walls are built in. One town’s walls are built in the shape of an orange, while another town builds its walls in the shape of a pig that can eat the Town of the Orange. As a result, the town with walls shaped like an orange rebuilds its walls in the shape of a club to drive away the pig. The Town of the Pig then changes the shape of its city walls to resemble a fire that can burn the stick, and in response the other town changes its city walls’ shape to that of a lake. This continues for a great period of time, depriving both towns’ inhabitants of a chance to have fun and enjoy their lives and causing sickness and death. Both towns are cursed until, finally, the daughter of the first town’s emperor suggests that one town build its walls in the shape of a kite, while the other town’s walls are built in the shape of wind. The kite needs wind to fly, but the wind needs a kite to beautify its otherwise dull existence. Once this is done, both towns thrive, and the sickness stops. I would rate this story 9.7/10 and recommend it to anyone interested in reading a good short story about how cooperation is much better than argumentation.
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