Week 2 Story: The Turtle and The Geese
A new spin on the Turtle and the Geese Story:
Once upon a time, a turtle was sitting on the riverbank
enjoying the warm sun. The turtle has always wondered about the sun and how to
become closer to it. The sun was bright and warm, and it made the turtle happy.
One day, a bird came down to the riverbank for a drink. The turtle saw the bird
flying closer to the sun and wondered what it would be like to fly.
“What does the sun look like up close?” asked the turtle.
“I feel so warm and bright when I fly, I love the sun. You
should fly up there with me tomorrow” replied the bird.
The turtle was engulfed with excitement about flying, but
suddenly realized that he had no way of flying.
“Don’t worry, friend. I will take you on a flight; you don’t
need wings. Just find a rope to hold onto while I fly, but don’t speak of this
to others until after you return to the ground” said the bird with a stern
voice.
Other animals at the river began to notice the commotion,
and they overheard the turtle boasting about flying with the bird. The animals
did not like the bragging words of the turtle, so they ignored him. Immediately,
the turtle began searching for a rope to cling onto, and brought the strongest
one he could find back to the bird. He reminded the turtle that he could not
speak during the journey, but the turtle was not listening—he was only staring
up towards the light in the sky.
The bird took flight, carrying the little turtle on the
rope. The turtle was so excited and wanted to share his joy that he looked
downward to the other animals on the riverbank.
“Look how high I am! I am above every animal in the river, I
am certain that everyone is jealous!” boasted the turtle.
Forgetting the bird’s words about speaking during the
flight, the turtle fell to the ground and was killed because he opened his
mouth to brag and let go of the rope. Opening his mouth when he was advised to
keep it closed led the turtle to a premature death.
Author’s Note:
A Turtle lived in a
pond and two wild Geese talked to him while looking for food. They wanted the
Turtle to go with them back to their beautiful home, but he stated that he had
no wings. The Geese offered to take the Turtle as long as he didn't tell
anyone, so he went. The next day, the Geese brought a stick to hold on to and
took off with the Turtle. Village children saw the three animals in the air,
and the Turtle spoke a snarky reply to the children and let go of the stick; he
lost his life because he did not keep his mouth shut like the Geese said.
The original illustration of the Turtle and the Geese Story
Bibliography:
“The Turtle and the Geese” Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, Sacred Texts
Great story, Leah. This is a great story with an even better moral behind it. When the story starts you think it will be a happy one, of two different animals working together and being friends, but it takes an unexpected turn. Bragging is not good for anyone and obviously can have some horrible repercussions (usually probably not death, but still).
ReplyDeleteHi, Leigh!
ReplyDeleteI retold the same story too, except that I combined both the story of the smart turtle and the stupid turtle. I see the changes you made on the story, such as carrying the turtle by a rope instead of a stick, other animals instead of village children. Although I don’t like the ending of the stupid turtle. I would agree with the lesson it teaches.
Leigh,
ReplyDeleteI told the first part of this story that dealt with the turtle and the king. I enjoyed hearing your perspective on the second story because I had a difficult time deciding how I would change that story, which is what made me choose to retell the other one. Although sad, I enjoyed the short and sweet ending, as it made it a contrast from the rest of the story.
I really like your story, Leigh! I think your spin on the story was quite creative, and it still managed to capture the moral of the original story. I do feel a bit bad for the turtle, but it was in complete control of its own fate. There were no other characters but the turtle to blame for its death. When I first read the original story, I thought perhaps the bird would kill the turtle and eat it or something, but after reading it, I learned that the moral was much more important. Great job on this work - I look forward to reading your stories in the futrue!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting story. like many of the Indian parables we've read for this class it has a few different morals. I think it would be interesting if when you rewrite it that maybe you focus in on one specific moral. For Example, in this story you could possibly take it from an angle similar to that of Icarus, where the turtle's ambition ruins him. As far as storytelling goes, I always find it more interesting when the character's journey in the story mirrors the audience's intended journey. Obviously as is that isn't the case in this story, since the turtle dies. It is a cautionary tail. But what if the turtle instead learned his lesson. i'm not entirely sure how you'd accomplish this, but this would make the story very different from it's source material and might add something. Anyway I did really like the story, and compared to the original, I thought the change from stick to rope was a good one.
ReplyDeleteLeigh,
ReplyDeleteI love these comic books as I think they add some insightful info to our daily lives. I like how you put your own spin on the story and made the story how you wanted it to be perceived. You changed the story but kept the ending the same and I think that is the overall goal of storytelling. Great Job and hope to read more stories soon!