These stories are from the Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang) Unit.
Schippeitaro: Hmm…
While of course I am glad that the youth of the story was successful in saving
the innocent maiden, I am not at all pleased that the villains of the story
were cats and that so many of them died! It is interesting, though, that this
story is so similar to stories from Greek mythology in which a hero puts an end
to innocent sacrifice.
The Crab and theMonkey: What a great story about the power of friendship (and about getting
what’s coming to you). The crab was bullied and taken advantage of by the
monkey, who was bigger and stronger than her. But with the help of her friends,
who were also small, she was able to defend what was hers and punish the monkey
for his crimes. Yay teamwork!
How the Wicked Tanukiwas Punished: Wow, this story took a turn! I was not expecting the tanuki
to betray his wife! How sad. I don’t know what the tanuki was expecting to do
the next time they ran out of food since his accomplice was gone. Maybe he
planned to use his son. The little tanuki was very smart in his scheme to
avenge his mother.
Uraschimataro and theTurtle: Wow, what an awesome story! This should be a Disney movie (with
maybe a happier ending). I was interested the whole time. Although I am sad
that the youth did not end up living happily ever after with the sea princess,
the strength of his love for his parents is touching.
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| (Illustration by H.J Ford) |
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