Extra Reading Diary: Aesop (Jacobs)

These stories came from The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs.

The Wolf and the Lamb: I like this story because it illustrates a very real and harsh truth. It illustrates how when people are determined to find fault in someone they will come up with any excuse to do so even when presented with facts that would dictate otherwise.

The Wolf and the Kid: I like this story because I think it relates to our society very well but in a different way. The main message here is that it is very easy to be brave from a distance when we believe there are no consequences. The same could be said for how we act online. When we are online we often hurl insults and say things we normally wouldn't because we believe the anonymity we have online will protect us.

The Hare With Many Friends: I like this story because it's a very classic quantity vs quality illustration. While the hare had a great quantity of friends, they were not quality friendships. It made me think of the country song Find Out Who Your Friends Are by Tim McGraw. While it can be a good thing to have a large number of friends, it's also important to make sure we develop a small number of friendships into quality ones where we know we can depend on the person in a time of trouble.

(Hare and Friends)

Storytelling Week 3: Turning the Tables

Kane sat in the back alley looking over his scores for the day. It was a poor showing he had to admit. Two of the wallets he had managed to score didn't even have any cash in them. At this rate his reputation as the fox, the best local thief, was going to be in danger. Even tourists who were his usual go-to when business was slow were low in numbers these days. He let out an exasperated sigh, tossed the wallets into the garbage and exited the alley back onto the street. He wandered around for a few minutes attempting to find a new mark. He saw something that caught his eye. It was a kid, no older than twelve or thirteen. They were standing outside of a shop and looking around in a distressed manner. But what really caught his eye was how the kid was dressed. She was wearing expensive clothes not suited for this area of town. A wicked grin spread across his face. A lost child that came from money, this could work in his favor.

Kane approached the kid and tapped her on the shoulder. "Everything alright?"

The kid turned to face him. They were on the verge of tears. "I, I got separated from my big brother. I was looking for him but then I got lost and now I don't know where to go."

"If you would like I would be happy to help you look for him."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you, Mister!"

"Please, call me Zach. And what's your name?"

"Emily."

"Well, Emily, where were you last with your brother?"

"We were at the bookstore, the one by the elementary school."

"I know just where that is. Shall we head that way and start looking for him?"

Emily beamed at him and nodded her head enthusiastically. As they turned and started walking, Kane once again felt himself smiling. Everything was going smoothly so far. They walked several blocks to the northeast, into a more upscale part of the town.

"Over there!" Emily exclaimed, pointing across the street. "That's where I last saw my brother. He went down that passageway."

Kane flashed a smile at her. "Let's start there then."

The girl skipped ahead of him and he followed her down the passage.

Something hard and heavy connected with his head. Suddenly the world was tilting and he realized he was falling. But why was he falling? That didn't make any sense to him. He hit the ground and tried to look around. A pair of expensive shoes came into his field of vision and he looked up. Emily was standing above him, looking down with a smile. That didn't make any sense either. Something flickered out of the corner of his vision and he turned just in time to see a large boot come flying at his torso. Knocking the wind out of him, it collided with his chest. As he struggled to regain his breath, he managed to turn over onto his other side. Soon enough he felt himself being turned back over onto his back and his pockets being rummaged through. They found what they were looking for and stopped soon enough.

Emily knelt down beside him. "Silly little fox, you should've known better. This territory belongs to me and is guarded by my ever faithful dog."

He looked past her and found this dog happened to be a very large man.

"I hope you learn your lesson from this. It would be a shame if we had to review it," Emily continued.

The man lifted his boot above Kane. He tried to raise his arms to block but he wasn't fast enough. The boot collided with his head. Everything went black.





(Illustration by Milo Winter)

Author Note: This story is based on The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox. In the original story the fox hears the rooster and is trying to trick the rooster by pretending to welcome it to the forest but is really trying to eat the cock. However, the fox himself is tricked, directed around the tree by the cock who pretends to be grateful for the welcome where he is attacked by the dog. For my story I changed them to human characters as animals wouldn't have suited the direction I wanted to take the story in. I really love stories with deceptions and turning it back on the other person which is why I chose this story to retell and also why I decided to make it more of an intentional deception with my characters representing the dog and the cock being con artists in their own right. I chose the image I did because it is the illustration for the original story. I feel that the illustration is still very fitting even with the changes that I made to the story. The fox and the cock are having a seemingly friendly interaction but you can clearly see the dog hidden and waiting for the chance to attack.

Bibliography:
The Aesop for Children, with illustrations by Milo Winter (1919).

Reading Diary B: Aesop (Winter)

These stories were taken from Aesop for Children illustrated by Milo Winter.

The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse: I like this story because it's the classic don't judge a book by it's cover but told in a different way. Most of the time you see this lesson being taught so as to not make negative judgments about people who might be really good people. What I really liked about this one is that it went beyond that and also addressed the issue of assuming someone is really good or nice when in reality they might be deceiving you.

The Astrologer: I really liked this story because of the message it sends. Sometimes we get so caught up thinking about the big picture we miss what is right in front of us. We should pay more attention to the present and not worry so much about the future.

(Illustration by Milo Winter)

The Serpent and the Eagle: This story reminded me of a situation I was in. I once found someone's lost phone and turned it in. Later that same day I lost my phone and luckily someone turned my phone in and I was able to get in back. It's always good to be kind because you never know when you will find yourself hoping someone else will show the same kindness. 

Reading Diary A: Aesop (Winter)

These stories were taken from Aesop for Children illustrated by Milo Winter.

The Farmer and the Stork: I really like this story because it reminds me of a situation form my own life. My friend and I in high school were looking around a Halloween store in our mall. There were a group of girls near us who were making attempts to steal merchandise. They were caught by the employees and thrown out but then we got thrown out too because they thought we were with them. Even though my friend and I weren't doing anything wrong the outside perception meant that we had to partake in the punishment as well. Lesson learned, always be aware of the people around you.

The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox: I liked this story because it's a reminder of how quickly the tables can turn. We might think we have the upper hand in something but in reality we are the ones who are being tricked.

(Illustration by Milo Winter)

The Two Goats: I think the lesson with this story is a great one. Sometimes we have come to a sticking point on an issue we stubbornly refuse to budge. At some point it's possible that we might be being stubborn just to be stubborn. We've held out for this long and we can't give in now. But this can also lead to a more disastrous result than we expected.