Reading Notes: Part A of Rouse's Giant Crab

Book cover

(source: amazon)

To start off this reading assignment, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the variety this book had to offer from the other stories. Because it was from an actual copy of a book, there were illustrations in all of the stories which provided an aid for visualization in all of these stories.

I liked the story of the giant crab. The crab was a murderer as he would take these innocent animals that were drinking from the lake and drown them. He would also eat them after he drowned them. I was hoping he would die because I felt it was sad that the animals didn't have anywhere to drink.

The hypocritical cat was an interesting read to me because I have read another tale that uses different animals. Instead of a cat, there was a wolf. I forgot what the substitution of the rats were. It's interesting because the plot elements and dialogue are practically the same.

The mouse and the farmer was a pretty good story. I loved the relationship between the two as it showed loyalty and friendship. I thought it was pretty weird that the farmer killed his own cat though because he was bothering the mouse. He could have talked to the cat instead of death.

The talkative tortoise was such a sad story. I was so sad to see that the tortoise died simply because he was talkative. I think any message would definitely believe to follow directions of others and make sure to not talk if the moment one is in presents an improper sense.

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Bibliography: Rouse's Giant Crab
Link to these stories

Reading Notes: Part D of Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends

Book cover

(source: snapdeal)

The Crow that Thought it Knew was so sad. After reading this story, I was surprised that this was the ending that it decided to take. I appreciated the kindness in the warning of the crow to not dive into the water. I'm shocked that the crow decided against this advice!

The Judas Tree was sort of a weird story. I am not very aware of the lesson it was trying to convey. I understand the children were foolish in assuming they were all right about the status of the tree without thinking the incorporate that that all viewed the trees at different stages in its life. I'm just not sure of the message of the story.

The River Fish and Money was also somewhat confusing. The brother was a thief and not a very good person. There was a generous donation to the fish and this had its reward. I was just confused why the spirit warned him to keep it and he gave it to his brother anyway.

The Dreamer in the Wood had no message I'm almost sure. I don't think there was anything. It seemed that Buddha cared more about the animals being safe than there being no bad characteristics of man. I'm not sure, but maybe that was the closest thing to a message.

The Wise Physican had a fantastic message. It was easily my favorite of the reading. Basically, this woman wanted a cure from her dead child. Buddha told her to find an herb from a household with no death. She couldn't find one to show her that natural is natural and abundant.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends
Link to these stories

Story: The Loyal Giant

Giant of the Village

(source: legendary moonlight)

There once was a giant who guarded the entrance to a village. Everyone in this village worked together for a betterment of the community. They all supported each other's needs; they played to each other's strengths and aided in eachother's weaknesses. One day, one of the villagers was gathering water from a nearby river when he discovered a cradle floating gently down the stream. The man immediately dove into the water and retrieved the cradle. He brought it back to shore and was shocked at what was inside. It was a baby, but it was not the size of a normal infant. The baby was nearly the size of a teenage child! Without hesitation, the man brought the baby back to the village, and every single member of the community was in agreement that they should help the child. The villagers fed the child a healthy amount, they built him his own shelter, and they aided in his development until he became independent. Once the giant was a fully grown man, most of the village expected him to leave. The giant had no plans for this. Instead, he decided he would stay with the people that had saved and cared for him. He would protect them from any danger that they might come across. After all, the villagers were his family.

One day, a royal guard stumbled upon the village and immediately returned to his king to report his sighting of the giant. The king was completely outraged that there was a giant living in his kingdom. He would not have it. He immediately ordered a unit of his soldiers to take a visit to the village and dispose of the giant. The king wanted to see the giant for himself so he decided he would accompany the men on the trip to the village. It was not that the king was an evil man, but he simply believed that having a giant in his kingdom was an endangerment to his people.

The king and his men approached the village, and they gazed upon the twenty-foot giant that stood guard at the entrance of the community. All of the men got off of their horses and advanced toward the giant. The king led the large charge against the giant. They all removed their swords from their sheaths and made it quite clear to the giant what they were about to do to him.

"Wait!" the giant cried.

"What is it?" the king replied.

"If you strike me down here, I am afraid I will fall onto the village and squash many of the innocent people that reside here."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Please, remove small pieces from my body. This way, I will not harm any of the people from my village. It will be much more painful, but I am willing to take the pain. These people have done so much for me."

The king let out a long sigh. There was absolutely no way he could kill the giant now. There was nothing but kindness in his heart. It was clear that the giant cared so much for these people to the degree that he was willing to experience an extremely painful death.

"Giant, we cannot kill you. You are much too virtuous. Please, continue to take care of the villagers in these small town. They seem very important to you," the king said.

With that, the king and his men left. The giant and the villagers were relieved that the giant's life was spared on this day. The giant took the word of the king and never let any harm come to the people of the village. He guarded the village with all of his heart until the end of his days.

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Author's note: This story was completely based off of the Jataka tale called: The Spirit that Lived in the Tree. In this story, a king is clearing out a forest. He comes across a tree that is about the be cleared. The tree begs to not be cut down because he fears he will fall onto the grass and kill his kin. The tree requests to have all its branches cut off one by one so the grass below will experience to pain or death. The king is touched by this request and refuses to cut down the tree. In my story, it is clear that this is highly inspired by this story. I just changed the tree into a giant and the grass into people. I was also thrilled to end this story with a happy ending. All of my stories have had some sort of twist or filled with sinister plot points. This story was meant to be one of happiness where everyone wins. My favorite part of this story and the Jataka tale is the kind nature of the king. He spares the tree of giant in my story. I feel like a lot of these stories contain a king that is somewhat rude or evil. This king shows he his kind of heart and that is important for a happy ending.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends
Link to this story

Reading Notes: Part C of Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends

Eastern Stories and Legends cover

(source: internetarchive)

The Hawk and the Osprey story was also a variation of another Jataka tale that I've read. I think the most important thing to take from this tale is to take value from friendships. It's important to have these as the strength of friendship definitely has its benefits in everyday life.

The Elephant that Spared Life was also a good tale. I laughed a little at the line that said "And the King, without inquiring what they had done, gave orders to have them all trampled to death by elephants!" just because it seems somewhat extreme. I was happy to see that the elephant decided to not trample the villagers just because it showed he was good as character.

How the Antelope was Caught was somewhat sad. The antelope was just trying to enjoy a new taste for food and suddenly gets trapped in a palace that is much different from that of the forest. It is filled with men that has a scary sense for the antelope. I'm thankful it was let back into the wild.

The Man who Told a Lie was also an interesting story. I understand why the man decided to feel inclined to tell tales of false identity, but it was definitely a foolish choice. I also think that he deserved to be humiliated in front of his peers simply to have some sort of consequence.

The Pupil who Taught his Teacher was a great tale. I think the title is somewhat misleading simply because it was ultimately a test by the teacher to see if his pupil could teach him. I think that is the case, there is always the possibility that I read this story was some confusion.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends
Link to these stories

Story: Greed in Gold

Golden egg

(source: ammcollision)

Out in the countryside of Kentucky lived a family of four. Donnie was the father of the family who worked his tail off at a neighboring farm. His wife, Diana, was a stay at home mom. She also was responsible for homeschooling the couple's two daughters: Nicole and Christine. During one winter, Donnie began to grow dangerously ill. It wasn't before long that he ultimately met his fate. Diana was absolutely shaken as she had no clue how to live life without her husband. A few days after his death, the owner of the farm that Donnie worked at came to visit the widow and her children.

"How are you holding up, Diana?" the farm owner said.

"Not too well. We have no way of making money at the moment and I'm afraid the girls and I will starve," Diana replied.

"Well, I'll tell you what. Donnie was the hardest worker I have ever had the pleasure of having at my farm. It wouldn't be right if I didn't do something to help his family."

The farm owner reached into his bag and pulled out a golden egg. It was the normal size of a chicken egg, but it held its weight in gold. He handed the egg to Diana. Her hand dropped for a second as she did not expect the egg to be that heavy. It was solid gold.

"What is this?" Diana asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I know it's gold. It's the weirdest thing. About a month ago, one of my chickens produced that rather than a traditional egg. I wasn't sure what it was so I brought it into town. They assessed it as gold and I was paid in great value. It's been producing more and more ever since. I suggest you do the same, and bring it into town to sell."

"Oh...oh my. I don't know how to ever thank you."

"No need to, I would do anything for Donnie. I'll tell you what. Every week, I will bring you one of these eggs until you are able to get back on your feet."

So this arrangement worked well for several months. The farm owner would come to Diana's house and deliver her an egg from his bag. Diana would then go into town and exchange the egg for money. It was with this that she was able to provide for herself and her daughters.

One day, the farmer came to Diana's house just like any normal weekly visit. When he stepped into the home, he pulled out his bag and handed Diana an egg.

"Let me ask you something," Diana said.

"Yes?" the farm owner responded.

"How many eggs do you have in that bag? Why don't you just give me a few so I am even more well off than I already am?"

"I do not carry any more eggs with me than the single one I bring to you once week."

"You lie!" 

Diana grabbed the bag and shook everything out. A few common essentials fell out including a driver's license, cash, and a lighter. Diana looked down at the pile in shock. The man looked at her with a sense of absolute disgust.

"You have shown me something today that I did not think existed in you. You have doubted my good intentions. I do not think I can continue to honor our agreement." the farm owner said as he walked out the door.

Diana stood there with her mouth still wide open. She could not believe what she had just done. Now, she and her daughters were defenseless against the world. They still had some money for now, but that was eventually going to run out. What then? Nothing but hopelessness. 

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Author's note: I modeled this story completely after the story with the title: The Mallard that Asked for Too Much. In this story, a husband dies and he is resurrected as a mallard with golden feathers. He flies to the home of his wife and children and claims to be their husband/father. He told them to take one feather from him each day. One day, the wife grew greedy and plucked every feather from the mallard. The golden feathers then became those of a normal mallard. In my story, I believe it is extremely similar to that of the tale with some details changed. I wanted to keep the lesson the same but changing how the gold is given to the wife. The story I wrote is modernized by the fact that they live in the state of Kentucky. I really enjoyed writing this story simply because I think the reality of the plot is extremely true in nature. A chicken that produces a golden egg is obviously fictional, but the fact that someone would take advantage of someone else's generosity definitely is not. People tend to grow greedy when they are continuously rewarded with objects of material wealth. It's human nature to want more of this new-found wealth.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends 

Link to this story

Reading Notes: Part B of Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends

Another book cover

(source: amazon)

It is still very assuming to me that every single one of these stories starts with Buddha. At the beginning, it always addresses that Buddha is in the form of an animal which becomes very clear to the reader that such animal is going to have some sort of good fortune.

The horse that held out to the end showed one of great bravery. There was a lot of violence in this story but it did not give the horse any misdirection. Instead, there was definitely a sense of confidence and perseverance that the horse would indeed make it until the end.

The faithful friend story sounds extremely familiar. I am almost positive the same story was in my reading for last week. I think there was a little variation, but the concept and message was the same. This story just illustrates the power of friendship and the effects it can have.

The elephant that was honored in old age was definitely uplifting. I felt so sorry for the elephant as she lost all of her value and honor just because she had grown weak from age. Of course, Buddha pleads a case for the elephant which causes the king to restore the honor.

The mallard that asked too much was so sad! This man just wanted to provide for his family! I really think the mother should have listened to her daughters. If she would have been patient, the family would not have to worry about money at all but greed was her ultimate downfall.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends
Link to these stories

Reading Notes: Part A of Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends

Eastern Stories and Legends cover

(source: snapdeal)

These stories are a little different that the previous tales that I used for my reading notes. Not only are they longer in length, but there are also figures from Indian culture used. For example, Buddha was mentioned very briefly in the first story of the book.

The story of the Hare that Ran Away was an interesting one. What I took from it is how far the word of gossip can travel. It was really clear that it is dangerous as well as quick in nature. One person can have a whole group believing a false fact.

The hare that was not afraid to die was sort of confusing. I guess that entire point was to illustrate bravery? Buddha is once again in the form of the hare. He was willing to give up his life in order to serve, but this was just a test. Courage seems to be what comes to mind.

The story of the parrot feeding his family was one I liked. Once again, Buddha is in the form of the parrot. It seems that whatever Buddha takes the form of, there is some wisdom from this character that sets the theme of the story. This was one that showed great character.

The spirit that lived in the tree was my favorite story of the first part reading. It was a fantastic simply because it showed a story of sacrifice. Buddha was a tree spirit and he did not want to be cut down because it would kill nature. The king saved the tree for this bravery.

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Bibliography: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends
Link to these stories