Once there was a man who was sleeping under a beautiful tree. He was not a lazy man but he got to spend his day sleeping because of the beautiful sunshine and the fact that it was a Saturday. This man loved to be outside so every Saturday he would go outside to spend time resting under the tree and taking a long nap. But every once and a while something slightly annoying happened. There was a little boy in town who loved to play some jokes on people. This boy loved to play jokes on this man in particular because he always saw him sleeping under the tree.
Today this little boy had some friends with him and he wanted to show off what all he would do to this man to be funny. He said to them, “Watch this guys, I am gonna make him so mad!” Referring to the man under the tree. The boy picked up a stick he found on the ground and started poking the man in the arms and in the face. He was trying so hard to make the man mad but the man just sat patiently watching doing nothing. Finally the man got up from his nap under the tree and began to walk down the road. The little boy had another idea of how he could make the man mad. “Let me jump on his back, I will force him to give me a piggy back ride.”. As the boy ran towards the man he jumped and got on his back. He waved his stick around and pretended the man was a horse he was riding into a battle. Yet, the man did nothing but hold the boy on his back and continued to walk down the road. It seemed to the little boys friends that the man cared for this little boy and that he would never be mad. So the friends started to walk away thinking that the show was over. The boy hopped off the mans back and began to walk with them, admitting defeat.
As the man continued to walk down the road he came across a monk who had watched the interaction between the little boy and this man. The monk asked the man, “Why do you not act harshly towards the little boy who persistently annoys you. Don't you know that you have authority over the younger people and that you could force him to stop what he is doing?”
“Now why would I do that to the little boy?” The man asked the monk, “This boy is not smart, and he will learn, but I have no reason to force that on him. He is not a smart boy and I understand the mind of a child.” The man finished.
“You answer well, sir.” The monk pulled off his hood to show his beauty, he was not just a monk but a fairy. “I grant you this, peace from all things on this earth, you will be happy and no little boys will be able to mess with you ever again”.
Buffalo & Monkey
Title: Twenty Jataka Tales
Author: Noor Inayat (Khan)Illustrator: H. Willebeek Le Mair
Year: 1939
Author’s Note:
In this story I decided to base it off of one of my favorite Jatakas that I read, The Patient Buffalo. In the Patient Buffalo, a buffalo is being messed with by a monkey and the monkey is trying to make the buffalo mad. I chose to make the buffalo and monkey into human characters in order to give it a bit of a change. I liked the story though, so I wanted to keep it based off the same aspects. The fairy in the end I chose to make a monk because I wanted to relate it to something we could know better. I wanted to keep him a fairy though so that I could grant something magical to the man and it still make sense. I really enjoyed seeing the patience and resolve of the buffalo in the story and the man in my story because I feel that it really shows the way that the Buddhist people live. Not putting their own desires first, but keeping no desires at all. I thought this was important and I hope that I was able to relate this as I wrote my story. I hope that you enjoy my version of this Jatakas.
I enjoyed reading this tale very much. It was a lighthearted piece that taught the virtue of patience through a silly tale of a poorly behaved boy. One recommendation I would make to help you with writing would be to try and vary your sentence structure as much as possible. The more different types of sentences you can include and mix and match the more interesting and engaging your pieces will become!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great read. I enjoyed the change of pace this story brought. We are usually reading about Rama or the Panadava brothers. I like the details you changed as well. Most people can relate to an annoying child bothering them. I like the lesson that this can teach people. I often find myself getting angry over small things and this story was a good reminder to not stress about the small stuff. Great work this week!
ReplyDeleteI thought this story was very enjoyable. I really like remaking the Jataka tales. They are so easy to modernize and remake into a story of your own. I thought it was a great thing you did with the monk. A monk can be seen as a very spiritual person. Conveying the fairy with such a person worked out very well.
ReplyDeleteTyler, I really enjoyed your story! Something I would recommend would be to slip up your paragraphs a little more. All the words seem to be clumped together in the middle of the page. Besides that I thought the story was a fun and easy read.
ReplyDeleteTyler, interesting story you have. I like the underlying themes that are within it such as patience, and, in a sense, strong will. The man understood the situation perfectly, and there was no need to be harsh to such a simple issue. He stayed calm and composed. I thoroughly enjoy tales with these kinds of meanings. Good job.
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