FABLES

Have you ever heard of the Frog in the Well? Have your parents ever tucked you up in bed and told you the inspirational tale of the Archer? Has the wind ever carried to your ears the heroic adventures of Brave Hero the cricket in the Emperor and the Cricket? Have you ever marvelled at the Millet Dream, wondering over the well-meaning moral “Good things don’t come easily?”  No? Well, I wouldn’t have expected you to, living in Australia in the 21^st century, the Western society heavily influencing the way you think. These unknown fables come from far out China, a country in the prodigious, colossal continent of Asia, famous for their humungous size and prestigious economy. However, another tremendous factor that still remains unknown to this day is their wondrous, noteworthy fables.

So, you may be wondering, what is a fable? According to the Oxford Primary Dictionary, a fable is a short, (usually supernatural) story not based on fact, often with animals as characters and conveying a moral. Every culture has its own fables, which, if you can understand them, remain a strong cultural interchange between countries & their cultures. Here are some of our students’ fabulous re-telling of a fable in their own cultures…

- Bella

The Dove and the Ant

The dove witnessed the ant struggling in a river on the verge of drowning, and saved him from certain death. The grateful ant thanked the dove for his kindness. A few days later, the ant saw a man about to shoot the dove and bit the man on the leg. Consequently, the arrow missed the dove. The ant had managed to save the dove’s life.

The Ant felt great that she had been able to repay the kindness of the dove.

The moral of the story is- one good turn deserves another. He who does good things shall have good things returned to him. A truly grateful heart will make sure he gets the chance to return the good deed or favour to whoever gave it to him.

Amos

The Stork and the Fox

The stork and the fox is just one of my own culture’s fables- stories that express a moral. These morals can relate to our own lives and can give us valuable inspiration. The moral of the stork and the fox suggests that we, as people, shouldn’t challenge each other or state we are better than each other just because we are all different. We don’t need to prove to each other our strengths and weaknesses.

The fable is about a stork and a fox who invite each other over to their houses for supper. However, they soon realise they are not the same. They are two different animals and their eating habits are particularly different. In the end, they are angry with the other for cheating- showing off the way they eat. By this time, you can clearly see what the moral is; Even though there are many different people in our world, it still doesn’t mean that we should look down on others for their differences.

Mikayla

The Old Couple, the Crocodile and the Very Intelligent Rabbit

Long, long ago there lived an old couple who loved to eat crocodiles. The husband was a hunter and the wife loved to sew and mend clothes.

One day, the hunter saw a huge crocodile lying down asleep. As he approached it, it woke up. The hunter was disappointed hoping to have crocodile stew for dinner, made from such a large crocodile. The hunter then decided to deceive the crocodile by then inviting him over to his house and cutting him to pieces. “Hello, crocodile. Would you like to come over to my house for some nomn pao (Cambodian bread)?” the hunter asked the crocodile.

“Oh I would love to!” the crocodile replied. However, the crocodile was also plotting to eat the old man. “My wife would also love your company.” The Crocodile grinned. “How wonderful, to kill two birds with one stone!” he thought to himself.

Secretly, from above, a moon bunny watched them closely. “Judgement must be placed upon them.” he demanded.

Later, when the crocodile slipped into the house, the hunter and the crocodile armed their weapons and prepared to attack when, all of a sudden, the bunny appeared and sentenced both the hunter and the crocodile to hell for their trickery. The hunter’s wife wept for the rest of her life and eventually died alone.

The moral- Do not deceive others.

Elycia