Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

on
"Two Turtle Jatakas" 

From Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt [Story Link]

Title: The Turtle and the King
Characters: king, turtle, king's men, young princes
Plot:
  1. King had a lake for his sons that they could sail their boats on
  2. One day, when fish were added to the lake, boys saw a turtle for the first time
  3. They were scared of turtle and told their father a demon was in the lake
  4. King's men brought in the turtle and king orders them to kill it
  5. The men brainstorm how best to kill it
  6. One man says to throw it in lake, because he is terrified of water
  7. Turtle pretends that is the worst option; king orders men to throw it in the lake
  8. Turtle happily swims away, safer in water than anywhere else
My thoughts about the moral of the story: The king tries to kill an innocent turtle just because of his affection for his sons. He fell for the turtle's tricks and threw the turtle safely back into the water. Therefore, I feel that the moral of the story is that when blinded by emotions such as love, anger, or fear, one may be more susceptible to becoming a fool.

I liked this story because of how easily the turtle outsmarted everyone. The turtle saw the opportunity to get away from this life-or-death situation unscathed, and to the false sense of satisfaction of the king. Both the king and the turtle were pleased with the outcome, although the king may never know that the turtle actually didn't die after being thrown into the lake!


Sculpture of the Tortoise and the Geese

Title: The Turtle and the Geese
Characters: turtle, geese, village children
Plot:
  1. Turtle lived in pond; two geese came to pond and became friends with turtle
  2. One day, geese told turtle they are going home and ask turtle to come with them
  3. Turtle states that he has no wings
  4. Geese say that they can take him if he keeps his mouth shut and does not speak
  5. Turtle says he can do that so he can go with them
  6. Next day, geese bring a stick and have turtle take the middle with his mouth
  7. Geese hold the two ends of the stick and then they take off
  8. The village children make fun of them by calling them ridiculous
  9. Turtle opens his mouth to talk back at them, but then falls to his death
My thoughts about the moral of the story: People that came to see poor turtle say that because turtle could not keep his mouth shut, he fell to his death. Therefore, I think that the moral of the story is that even when someone is mocking or ridiculing you, sometimes not saying anything is better than replying back and facing more serious consequences.

I enjoyed this story because it has a very interesting message. The turtle was hanging onto the rod with his mouth; if he opened his mouth, he would fall to his death. However, when the village children were mocking him, he couldn't resist saying something back and thus met his demise. This story speaks volumes about holding your head high even when being ridiculed and not risking facing more serious consequences by talking back. Sometimes silence can be the best answer.

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