Reading Diary Week 4 : Fables of Bidpai

For this week, I chose to read Indian themed stories from the Bidpai Unit .

The Rustic and the Nightingale 

Nightingale

I felt so bad for the Nightingale when she was caught in the cage. It was so sad when she asked the Rustic how bad his sin would be if he let her heart and her die in the cage. There was such a strange plot twist at the end. Gold? That's the last thing I would have expected the Nightingale to reward the Rustic with!

Poor Man, Rich Man, Young Man
Wow karma really does exist in these stories and rightfully so! The Rich Man definitely deserved to get his house burned down buy the sticks he barley paid the Poor Man for! Hah! Be careful what you say!

The King, the Hermit, and the Two Princes 

Gold Coin of King Kanishka

I love the continuing theme of characters coming in 3's. Each character's individual is told and they all come together to make up the complete package. My favorite was when the King told the Hermit,  "They both have a portion of their own, and when they have spent that, let them first taste of want and poverty. Then do you bring forth the treasure and give it into their hands. It may be that after they have once known a little hardship, they will live more wisely." Loved the message and the way it was portrayed. 


The Ass, the Lion, and the Fox
I liked how the Fox is the trickster in this story. The fox as an animal is percieved and described as sly and stealthy. The Fox in this story definitely carry's out those typical stereotypes. And for the Ass, well being overworked and seen as dumb is true and definitely breaks my heart!


Story Source : The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton, with illustrations by E. Boyd Smith, 1908