Ancient forms of Story-telling I. Read the Resource: About Ancient Forms of Story-telling. II. Answer the following questions: 1. What are the characteristics of the ancient forms of story-telling? 1.
In the early years, the story telling was told orally because of the illiteracy of the society (very few knew how to write and read). 2. Stories where passed from generation to generation 3. The fable was one of the early forms of storytelling 4.
Greek and Asian stories of magical transformations where popular. 5. The plot is summarized 6.The setting neither characterization aren’t important 2.
Read the examples of ancient forms of story-telling (Resource: Examples of Fables, Parables, and Tales) Fables:"The Appointment in Samarra" and "The Wolf and the Mastiff," Parable:"The Prodigal Son" Tale:"Godfather Death" 3. Summarize what happens and explain what the teaching is in each one. 1. The Appointment in Samarra In the Appointment in Samarra there is a merchant that sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. In the marketplace, the servant encounters Death and threatened by her runs to Samarra.
The servant comes to the merchant telling him what happened and the merchant goes to the market. He then finds Death and ask her why she made the threatening gesture and she responded that it wasn’t a threatening gesture she was only astonished to see him in Baghdad because she had an appointment with him in Samarra. Lesson: If something is destined to happen it will happen, you can’t run from destiny. 2.
The Wolf and the Mastiff The Wolf and the Mastiff is about a skinny wolf and a fat dog that meet one night. The dog tells the Wolf that it would be easy for him to be fat like him.They trotted off together and the Wolf noticed a bare spot on the dog’s neck. The wolf asks the dog what was it and the dog responded that it was a consequence of the collar he wears when he is tied up.
The wolf thought that the dog could run when he wanted so he was astonished to hear these words. Then the wolf decided to run to his native forest. Lesson:Better starve free than be a fat slave. 3. The prodigal son In the prodigal son there is a man who has two sons and in response to the younger one demands, he gives him part of his property.The younger son enjoyed the fortune until it lasted then repents and decide to return home.
After returning, his father prepares a feast to celebrate his return. The older son refuses to participate of the celebration saying that his father in all the time the son has worked for the father, the father did not even give him a goat to celebrate with his friends. The father reminds the older son that everything the father has is the older son's, but that they should still celebrate the return of the younger son as he has come back to them.Lesson: In spite of doing wrong, we have to learn to forgive; Also, love is unconditional 4. The Godfather Deah A poor man had twelve children and worked hard enough to feed each one of them. When the thirteenth was born, he decided to find a godfather for his child.
He then ran to the highway and found God, God asked to be the godfather but the man declined. Then encounters Devil who asked to be the godfather too but the man also declined. Then, the man found Death and the man decided to make Death the godfather.When the child became older, Death promised the boy to make him a famous physician.
He then explained the boy that whenever the boy would visit an ill person he would appear next to the sick one. If he stood at the persons head, the person would be cured but if he appeared at the person feet the person would die. The boy became a famous physician and one day the king of all lands became ill and asked for the famous physician. When the boy came, he noticed immediately Death standing at the foot of the king’s bed.The boy felt pity and decided to trick Death by turning the king in his bed so that Death was over his head.
Gave him the herb to eat and the king was cured. Soon, Death approached the boy expressing his anger for tricking him but decided to not punish him, just give him a warning that if he was to ever trick Death again, he would take the physician's life. Later on, the king’s daughter became ill and the boy went to see her. The king promised the boy that if he cured her he would marry his daughter and inherit the crown.
When the physician came, he saw Death at her feet and decided to trick Death again. He then turned the princess so that Death was at her head, and then fed her the herb. Rapidly, Death dragged him to an underground cave surrounded by candles. Death explained that the length of the candles showed how much longer a person has to live. The physician candle was short so he didn’t have much time left.
The physician asked to Death to light a new candle for him and Death reconsidered. When he was going to light the new one, Death took revenge by letting the flame of the first candle fall. As soon as the candle extinguished, the physician fell to the ground, dead. Lesson: not be swayed by greed because you can end up worse 4.
What are the differences between a fable and a parable? 1. In fables, the characters often are animals or animated objects while in the parables the characters are human beings. 2. Although both have moral lessons, the parable focuses on religious principles 3.
In fables, the lessons learned are not allegorical while in parable usually are. 4. The fable usually consists on a story which has a fantastic element and a character that learns a lesson.The parable, on the other hand, is a form of comparison that presents daily living situations in examples that are easier to understand.
Bonus: (3 Extra points) 5. Read the modern fable "The Unicorn in the Garden" a modern fable by James Thurber Resource 6. Briefly summarize what One morning a husband sees a unicorn in his house garden and tells his wife about it. She doesn’t believe him and tell him that a unicorn is a mythical beast and went to sleep. He then went downstairs and give the unicorn a lilly to eat and return to tell his wife.
She threatens to send him to the "booby hatch" (a mental institution). He persists, and she decide to call the police and a psychiatrist. After she tell them what her husband saw, they force her into a strait jacket. Then they asked the husband if he told his wife about the unicorn and he denies Then they take the wife. 7.
Although this is a modern fable (Written during the 20th century), what characteristics of the ancient fables does it have? The plot is summarized and the setting neither characterization aren’t important. 8. What is the teaching found in "The Unicorn in the Garden? "
