A Valuable Suggestion
"A Valuable Suggestion" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce, first published in 1893. The story follows a man named John who is struggling to find a way to make a living after his business fails. One day, while walking through the woods, he comes across a talking tree who offers him a valuable suggestion: to start a new business venture that will guarantee his success. John is skeptical at first, but the tree's words resonate with him and he decides to give it a try. The story explores themes of perseverance, hard work, and the importance of taking advice from unexpected sources.
By Ambrose Bierce · First published 1899 · Genre: Fiction, Satire, Short Stories · 194 words
First lines
A Big Nation having a quarrel with a Little Nation, resolved to terrify its antagonist by a grand naval demonstration in the latter's principal port. So the Big Nation assembled all its ships of war from all over the world, and was about to send them three hundred and fifty thousand miles to the place of rendezvous, when the President of the Big Nation received the following note from the President of the Little Nation:
"My great and good friend, I hear that you are going to show us your navy, in order to impress us with a sense of your power. How needless the expense. To prove to you that we already know all about it, I inclose herewith a list and description of all the ships you have."
What this Textopian page supports
A Valuable Suggestion is listed on Textopian as a fable by Ambrose Bierce, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Ambrose Bierce
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Satire, Short Stories
- Length: 194 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Valuable Suggestion by Ambrose Bierce
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Valuable Suggestion?
- How does this fable by Ambrose Bierce fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- A Fool by Ambrose Bierce
- Yorick by Ambrose Bierce
- The Woful Tale Of Mr Peters by Ambrose Bierce
- Contemplation by Ambrose Bierce
- The Dog And The Physician by Ambrose Bierce
- An Explanation by Ambrose Bierce
Genres
- Fiction — Bierce's work is a fictional piece
- Satire — Themes in Bierce's work often involve humor, irony, or ridicule
- Short Stories — Bierce's work is typically a brief narrative
Tags
gothic · horror · mystery · thriller · fiction · short story · supernatural · irony · satire · dark humor · psychological · literary