I've decided to focus my work this semester on tricksters, so I wrote a some tiny trickster stories for Week 2, and now I'm going to settle into writing trickster stories every week. I'm curious to see what I learn by looking specifically for tricksters every week.
The obvious place to start this week is with Aesop, so I chose the Aesop with Milo Winter's illustrations. Here are some tricksters I found there, retold in 100-word style.
The Kid and the Wolf
A young goat sprouted horns. Feeling brave and bold, he wandered away from the flock, looking for fresh grass to eat.
A hungry wolf saw the kid wandering alone, far from the flock.
"You'll make a nice little feast!" he growled as he grabbed the kid.
"I'm glad to oblige, Mister Wolf," said the quick-thinking kid. "Let's sing and dance to celebrate your feast!"
The kid started singing and whistling and clicking his heels. Enchanted by the music, the wolf also started to dance, letting go of the kid, who laughed and ran back to the safety of his flock.
Rooster, Dog, and Fox
Rooster and Dog decided to travel the world together. At night, Rooster flew up in a tree, while Dog slept down below. Each dawn, Rooster crowed, just like back on the farm.
Fox heard Rooster crowing. "I've found my breakfast!" he thought, running towards the sound.
"Hello, Rooster!" Fox shouted. "I see you're a stranger here. Let's get acquainted! I'll be your new friend."
"Gladly!" said Rooster. "Go tell the doorkeeper below to let you in."
Fox eagerly ran to the tree, where Dog was waiting. He tore Fox to pieces, and then shouted to Rooster, "Thanks for the breakfast!"
The Eagle and the Crow
An eagle swooped down from a lofty cliff and snatched a sheep from the flock.
When the crow saw this, he wanted to do the same thing. "I'm strong! I've got wings! And a sheep would be something very nice to eat!"
So, squawking loudly, the crow swooped down and landed on a sheep, but instead of carrying the sheep away, all he did was get his feet tangled in the wool. He couldn't even fly away!
The shepherd saw the crow and laughed. "You thought you were an eagle," he said, "but now you know: you're only a crow."
The Owl and the Grasshopper
The owl likes to sleep during the day, which is when the grasshopper likes to sing.
"Please be quiet," the owl asked politely. "I'm trying to sleep."
But the grasshopper just laughed and sang even more loudly.
Then the owl said, "Since I cannot sleep, let's enjoy a drink together! I have a bottle of wine that my mistress Athena gave me. As your divine music is worthy of Apollo, I'll share it with you."
Flattered, the grasshopper entered the owl's house.
And as soon as he did so, the owl ate him up, and then went promptly to sleep.
1. The Kid and the Wolf. This is Perry 97. The illustration is by Rackham; it shows the wolf playing a flute, but I couldn't figure out how to get the flute into this tiny version of the story. This trickster uses his wits to escape from an enemy who is far stronger than he is, but not very smart.
2. Rooster, Dog, and Fox. This is Perry 252. The illustration is by Weir. This story has the nice twist of the trickster-tricked: the fox is trying to trick the rooster, but in his greedy hunger, the rooster is able to trick the fox in the end.
3. The Eagle and the Crow. This is Perry 2. The illustration is by Crane. This is an example of "foolish imitation" which is not exactly a trickster story, but it is a common element in trickster stories: either the trickster gets in trouble for trying to imitate something beyond his powers (as here), or else a foolish character imitates the trickster and the trick fails. In the original story, the shepherd clipped the crow's wings and took it home as a pet for his children.
4. The Owl and the Grasshopper. This is Perry 507. The illustration is by Bull. The story is found in the Roman poet Phaedrus, and you can see how he uses a bit of mythology woven into the story, mentioning both Athena (the owl was Athena's special bird) and also Apollo. The owl knows how to use both flattery and greed to trick the grasshopper.
Hi Laura!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your stories. Although you weren’t able to incorporate the flute into The Kid and the Wolf, you still were able to incorporate music in some way which is still creative. I liked your retellings and twists on each story. I also appreciate how you explained the original story and your take in the author’s note. You were able to provide a clear understanding of how each story inspired your own.
Hi Laura!
ReplyDeleteI love how you've chosen a theme for all of your stories to be centered around this semester! I really enjoyed how your stories were all broken down to be short, easy to read 100 word short stories. They were all very interesting to read from beginning to end, and short enough to keep my attention the whole time! Honestly might steal this idea for any upcoming stories!