Author: Marie Shedlock
Year: 1920 (originally published in 1910)
- The two hawks, osprey, lion, and turtle build a friendship that lasts generations. For this story, I could tell a second part that features the children of each animal, and perhaps the children of the men. I could also tell a story of the hawk talking to the people and befriending them just as he did the rest of the animals.
- After not realizing the pot was gold, the woman tried to give it away for nothing. Even after learning that it was worth 100,000, she gave it away for 1,000. It is not surprise that this once wealthy family has been reduced to extreme poverty. This story could be retold where the second merchant tells her what it is worth and instead of giving her 1% for it, he takes her to the boat himself and gets her the entirety of its worth.
- I did not like the ending to the story The Elephant that Spared Life. In the end, the King, who refused to listen to the 30 men and sentenced them to death, gave them all of the slanderer's possessions and made him their slave. While they were waiting to get trampled, the Bodisat reminded the 30 men to keep the Five Commandments, loving those who were doing them wrong as they loved themselves. I could retell this story where at the end, the 30 men reject the slanderer's possessions and him being their slave, but instead ask that he come live and work with them for a year to see the way that they live.
- The story How the Antelope Was Caught shows the dangers of greed, using the antelope getting caught as a way to show that your greed can get you into trouble. It also shows, but does not mention, the power of kindness and how it can help those who put themselves in a bad position. I also don't know that it was entirely greed on the part of the antelope as it seemed that he came to trust the gardener, which could be another story on its own.
- In the story of the Banyan Deer, the golden deer is king. I cannot help but think of Rama trying to capture a golden deer for Sita. I could write a story where Rama kills the golden deer just as he did, but instead of being Marichi, this deer would be the Bodisat. When Rama kills him, he is then cursed and cannot rescue Sita from Ravana until he has fulfilled an oath of some sort.
- In the Pupil Who Taught His Teacher, the pupil really didn't teach anything. I don't like that the message is if you do the right thing, you won't die. Unfortunately, bad things happen all the time, and they happen to good and bad people alike. People shouldn't do good things to continue living, they should do good things because it's the right thing to do. If I were to retell this story, I would tell it in a way that incorporates that message, not the one that was told.
- In The Man Who Told a Lie, the man realizes that he does not possess the qualities needed to have a wreath. Instead of lying about having the traits, he could, now that he realizes he doesn't have them, change his life to start living in a way that would get him a wreath.
Golden Deer
Image Source: Wikipedia
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