What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

Using evidence from the book, explain how Oyeyemi uses magical realism to reflect contemporary European society.

How do fairy tales and mythology inform the stories collected in What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours? Use at least three examples of allusions or adaptations to support your answer.

How does Oyeyemi emphasize culture in What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours? Using evidence from the stories in this book, explain and discuss the use of interculturalism and diversity.

In both “Books and Roses” and “Drownings,” people in power accuse working-class characters of heinous crimes. What can you infer about Oyeyemi’s perspective on class from these stories? Is this view consistent with other stories in the collection?

In “Is Your Blood as Red as This?” Gepetta is a living puppet, and Rowan is a puppet who is alive. Using textual evidence, explain how the title of the story relates to their conditions in comparison to the humans or the other puppets.

What elements from these stories could be considered examples of “magical realism”? Using textual evidence to support your argument, explain why these collected short stories fit the genre, and how this informs Oyeyemi’s themes.

What role do death and the afterlife play in these stories? As a motif, how do they relate to The Magical in the Mundane or Love in Its Many Stages?

The collection’s stories feature female and/or LGBTQ characters prominently. Would you describe Oyeyemi’s stories as feminist in tone? Explain why or why not with reference to the text.