Reading Diary B: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Here are a few of my favorite stories from the second half of the unit Aesop's Fables (Jacobs).

Birds, Part 1: My favorite story of the Birds was The Tortoise and the Birds. This story took me by surprise. It was one of the few stories where I was not expecting the ending to take such a sinister twist. Initially, the eagle helps out the tortoise by flying him home, but a crow easily convinces the eagle that the "tortoise is good eating." Immediately, the crow informs the eagle to drop the tortoise on a sharp rock to crack open his shell. Therefore, the eagle and crow get an evening meal. This surprised me because I thought the eagle and tortoise befriended each other, but the story ended in betrayal. I guess be careful who you trust because the outcome could be unfortunate.

Frogs and Fish: I enjoyed the symbolic meaning behind The Fisher and the Little Fish. A small fish pleads with a fisherman to let him go and wait until he is bigger to catch him. Therefore, the small fish will be bigger so the meal will be more plentiful. However, the fisherman disagrees and takes the fish anyways. This means that every little part of life should be seen as a large opportunity. Do not take things for granted even if they are as small as a tiny fish. Never pass on a small opportunity even if it isn't as big as you would like.
"A little thing in hand is worth more than a great thing in prospect."

Nature and Inanimate Objects: The story of The Man and the Wood was complete irony. A man pleaded the trees to give him one branch and finally they did. However, with that small branch, he made an axe head and began cutting all the trees down. The outcome of this story was so ironic that it was humorous. It reminds me of when I helped some people out, but it ended up hurting me in the end. I enjoyed this read.

People Wise and Foolish, Part 1: The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner was my favorite story from the second half of this unit. I liked the fact that the trumpeter attempted to not be taken prisoner because he merely played the trumpet. He did not consider himself a soldier, but the opposition stated that he encourages the men with weapons to fight. I interpreted the story as words are just as violent as weapons. Using verbal tactics, such as modern bullying, is just as bad as a fistfight. Even though both types of conflict are very different, they can have brutal outcomes.

Aesop's Fables (Jacobs): Nature and Inanimate Objects