Reading Notes - Babitt Jakara Tales Part A

The Monkey and the Crocodile

 - I liked that in this version of the monkey/ crocodile story, the crocodile is only trying to kill the monkey to please his mother. 

 - The wisdom, rather than just the cunningness of the monkey is evident by his last statement that he will still be on the lookout for the crocodile. 

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
  - Serves as a good illustration on the dangers of ignorance. If the princes has known that the turtle was not a demon his life never would have been in danger. 
 - The turtle probably didn't help dispel the notion that he was a demon when he started talking. 


The Merchant of Seri
  - I thought it was interesting that the greedy merchant was able to recognize the bowl as gold. Normally in folktales likes this, you have one character that does not recognize the value of something and another who does. In this story both men recognized value but one was honest in trying to gain it. 


The Turtle Who Could n't Stop Talking
 - I feel like this story was one that parents with talkative kids used to talk as a warning. The main message is to not talk when you are told not to talk. 


The Ox Who Won the Forfeit
 - I like the theme of the animals being able to communicate with humans in these stories, rather than just with other animals. 
 - The message of treating those who serve you with kindness is super prominent here. 


The Sandy Road
 - I feel like this whole story could have been avoided if they had just been intelligent and waiting till they actually reached the city to throw away their extra supplies. 



The Quarrel of the Quails
 - I liked the message that working together the quails were able to outwit the fowler but as soon as they started quarreling he won. 
 - I thought it was interesting that the fowler understood that he just needed to wait for the quail to start arguing. 


The Measure of Rice
 - I think the position of Valuer is a really interesting one. Its easy to see how something like that could get corrupted and how that corruption could cause major problems. 


The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

Wise Lion
wikipedia.org

  - I liked this story both times I read it. The idea that one person (or animal) could cause so much disruption and that one individual could also fix it is very interesting. 


Bibliography

• Babbitt. Jataka Tales. Reading Guide A