Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales; Part B

All stories retrieved from Twenty Jataka Tales by N. Inayat

The Two Pigs

  • Usage of onomatopoeia as the introductory sentence to create curiosity within the readers. This can be a great way to get the readers' attention by using simple sound-like descriptions, such as "tick-a-tack" in this story
  • Also included traditional fairy tale-like ending "... lived happily ever after" to create sense of comfortability and sense of happy ending in a story meant to be read to children
  • Again, inclusion of something mystical that influenced the behavior and thought processes of humans and their faults, which in this case is the power of love to conquer all
  • Also included the instance of royalty, such as a king
    • What is the effect of inclusion of a king and why is it effective?
    • What feelings does this inclusion create?
    • How does it essential to the plot of the story?
  • Ways to rewrite this
    • From the perspective of the drunken men
    • From the perspective of the king
    • Told from story where one of the brother did die, and the other still had the effects of his words
(Mischievous Monkeys. Source: Unsplash
The Patient Buffalo
  • There are several inclusions of monkeys within these jatakas
    • What is their role?
    • Why is it always monkeys?
    • Is it a representation of humans in their most primal ways? Such instincts as mischievousness and faulty curiosity? Blind morals?
    • But there are also intelligent characters as well
  • I liked the theme on the buffalo never cared for the monkeys messing with him because he believed that they were already dealt a bad hand to begin with

 

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