Reading Notes: Part B More Jataka Tales

After reading the Jataka tales for week 10, I knew more Jataka tales was the easy choice for my reading for week 11. I enjoy reading short stories and folktales that have funny or clever endings, and this is so very true for the Jataka tales. For this week, I chose to focus on The Brave Little Bowman. This was the classic underdog story that is often presented in these folklore type stories like in the Rabbit and the Tortoise. For this story, there were some verbiage that I did not understand such as the word "page". After trying to find various definitions of the word, I found that the word also refers to a boy who is training for knighthood and is below a squire in service to a knight. Regarding the storyline of the plot, it seemed the take-home message of the story is that your size or strength does not better but rather your skill. Like with most short stories, it is a simple plot that could be enhanced with more details such as giving characters name. I also thought it was interesting the story mentioned that the bowman had a brooked back in the beginning, but this was never really explored afterwards. Why even mention the crooked back? If I were to retell this story, I definitely would make it much more exciting and expand more on the bowman. I could even see some David and Goliath parallels with the little bowman and big-man.

Source: More Jataka Tales, Ellen C. Babbitt, Ellsworth Young, 1922

The Brave Little Bowman - A Jataka Tale

The Bowman assisting the Big-man on the war elephant

Comments

Week 9 Story: Bhima and the Nagas

Duryodhana was a jealous warrior. He could not stand if anybody was better him, no matter the competition. From archery to running to strength training, he saw how his Pandavas cousins performed at the highest marks. However, no made Duryodhana more angry than Bhima. Now Bhima was the best of the spot. He could bench over 300 pounds, squat 450 pounds, and run a mile in less than 6 minutes. No one could match him physically and for this Duryodhana plotted to get rid of Bhima. He knew he could not do it face to face combat, so he decided to poison his food during dinner. He extracted poison from the venomous King Cobra and sprinkled onto Bhima's dinner for the night. As Bhima took his first bites, he passed out and laid asleep on the ground. Duryodhana seizing his opportunity, gagged Bhima and threw into the holy Ganges for him to forever lie. Yet, as Bhima fell into the river it was fated by the gods that he was not to die. His destiny lied far ahead in the future. Thus when Bhima...

Week 14: More Jataka Tales Part B

For Part B of Week 14 reading, I continued the Jataka Tales. Specifically for the week I read The Elephant and the Dog. What really sparked my interest to read the story was the title. As a fan of dogs and knowing the importance of elephants in Indian culture, I was curious to see how the two animals interacted in the story, and I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the heartwarming story of the dog and elephant's friendship and how they needed each other to live. It is always surprising to me how animals from different species are able to form friendships, but I think it highlights how even in animals, love and friendship has no boundary. If I were to retell the story, I would probably add a personal touch such as replacing the dog with my own dog, Max. He is a German Shepherd who loves to hang out with other dogs, so I think he quickly make friends with the elephant. Additionally, I think adding dialogue between the two animals could help showcase their friendship and add m...

Comment Wall

Shiva and Parvati with their son, Ganesha Link to Storybook

Indian Epics

Search This Blog