Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

 

The Cunning Crane and the Crab

Story source: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse.

Cunning Crane and Fish illustrated by E. Boyd Smith. The "cunning" crane is looking down at the numerous fish jumping out of the hot summer water seeking help.

Plot

• This story had an intention of teaching a lesson: those who try to deceive others will end up paying for it. I liked how this story was set up in the beginning to bring up the main reason the fish were tempted to leave their “hot pool”.

•  The author did a good job depicting the hesitation the fish had at first, but when the “cunning crane” finally got their trust, the fish were pushing to go first to the cool lake.

This held a bit of symbolism in my opinion. It showed that when an individual does not trust you one bit, they will not fall for your words. But the moment they are tempted to get out of a situation, the mentality of I must go first before anyone else comes into play. I would like to incorporate how the author relates humans to animals through a story. It is a very subtle but important message that is being conveyed.

Dialogue

• The story also did a good job of incorporating dialogues for all the characters involved. As a reader, it allowed me to imagine each character and perceive how they had interpreted the situation.  

Repetition

• Throughout the story there was this theme of repetition. The repetition of the crane “tricking” each fish that it will go to the “cool” lake, with the intention of only eating it. We saw this happen until there was no fish at all, and then only a crab was left. 
• The crane, just like the fish, agreed to whatever the crab had to say because it was hungry. This pattern of temptation to leave a “worse” situation creates a fog in one’s mind. 

The crab however taught the crane a lesson by deceiving the crane and further killing it.

Ending

• It is a very subtle but important message that is being conveyed. The ending was strong and left a very powerful message that holds true to any circumstance – sort of like karma.