In the Kingdom of India there was Emperor, Sinha, who was always accompanied by his three sons and royal advisor. Emperor Sinha was prideful and liked to brag about his best qualities. This characteristic had rubbed off on his three sons. While at a large dinner party Sinha had a little too much to drink and exclaimed to his audience, "All of you, see how courageous I was in battle recently! This is how I have become the ruler of this great nation!" This ended up creating a ripple affect for the three princes. The eldest, Lōmarī, was known as the greatest hunter of all the kingdom. He exclaimed, "Gaze upon my swiftness and how well I wield a bow and arrow. This is how the people are fed!" The other princes were immediately envious of their brother's attention. The middle prince, Mōra, was known throughout to have the most elegant robes in all the land. He stepped forward and stated, "You all! Gaze upon my beautifully stitched attire, which bring tourists from far and wide just for a quick peek!" At this point a very muscular being stood up from his seat. This fellow's name was Hāthī, and he was the strongest of the nation's army. He took the floor, "All of you! Gaze upon my arms and their massive strength! I can take out half of an army on my own!"
(Assembly of Animals: Wikipedia)
At this point, the hall erupted into a great applaud. The citizens of the kingdom were very grateful to have such a wonderful ruler and his glorious sons. In the back of the hall sat Śuturamurga, the Emperor's royal advisor, who stated among his peer's, "Yes. Our Emperor and his three sons are wonderful in their own rite, but if they do not take care our enemies will learn our weaknesses as well." He continued, "The mighty one's courage will lead him to the enemy, but if he is not also wise, he will lead his men into a battle they cannot overcome. Lōmarī certainly is the best archer of the hunter's, but his ego may bring him to prey that may one day overcome his skill. Mōra may have the best fashion sense in the kingdom, but if he continues to brag he will attract the eyes of thieves and enemies. Oh, and our dear Hāthī may be the strongest our army, but if he is not careful a rival may want to capture him to use for their own benefit." He looked at those seated at his table, "The moral of all this my dear friends, is to always remember to remain humble.
Author's Note:
I created this story based on Indian Fables "The Assembly of Animals" Each fable in the collection serves a purpose to teach readers a moral. Below I have included the original version of the fable that I chose:
THE ASSEMBLY OF ANIMALS
ONCE there was a great assembly of the animals in a
wood. The lion said, "Look, how great my valour! 'tis this that makes me
king of the woods."
The fox said, "Look, how deep my cunning! 'tis this
that feeds me so well."
The peacock said, "Look, how bright my feathers! 'tis
this that makes me the wonder and admiration of the wood."
The elephant said, "Look, how long and powerful my
tusks! there is nothing that can resist them."
A toad, who lived secure in the heart [31] of a rock, close
by, said, " 'Tis the lion's valour that leads him to the herds, and
gets him killed by the hunters. 'Tis the fox's cunning that brings him to the
furrier at last. 'Tis the plumes of the peacock that men covet; hence his ruin.
The elephant is hunted for his tusks, and they are his bane. In the mark of
your vanity is your death!"
When writing my story I decided to take the animal names (lion, fox, etc.) and decided to use the Hindi version of their names. In the original fable the Toad gives the moral of the story at the end, but I decided to change it to an ostrich since my picture featured one. I really liked the underlying theme of the fable, and this is what inspired me to write my tale.
Bibliography:
"The Assembly of Animals" by P. V. Ramaswami Raju, from Indian Fables (887). Web Source: The Baldwin Project
First off, let me say you did an awesome job! I love how different your story was from the original it was very creative. I think it is hard to take a story that already has a plot and change it, but you did great. You kept enough of it that they had similar flaws, but you changed enough so it wasn't like reading the same story twice. I like that you took the animals from the original and made your story about people. I also enjoyed how you changed around the animals flaws to make them suitable for humans. I really liked reading this. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI really like that you took a "human" approach to a fable about animals. It makes it a little easier to relate to, than thinking of myself as a lion. The flaws were bold and obvious and the moral of the story was quite clear. I enjoyed your story. You kept it short and to the point, and made sure to have the moral clearly stated, just in case someone missed it. Good work!
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