Johnson's story "Menagerie, a Child's Fable" is a fable about social inequality and power struggles between different identity groups. Learn more about a societal conflict currently taking place anywhere in the world. This could include any group of people organized to struggle against legal, governmental, or societal powers to which they are opposed. (Examples might be the struggles between Israelis and the Palestinians, or between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.) Try to explain the perspectives of all parties involved in this struggle. What does each group wish to achieve through this struggle? What are the major points of disagreement between the various sides in this conflict? What do you see as a possible solution that might be fair and satisfactory to all sides?

Johnson's major literary influences include the authors Jean Toomer, Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, and John Gardner. Learn more...