Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Pigeon and the Crow (Indian folktale)
One upon a time was a Pigeon, and it lived in a basket which a a rich man's cook had hung up in th kitchen. One day a Crow was hungry and wanted some food. So he decided to befriend the Pigeon to get some food. The Pigeon shared his food with the Crow. Crows and pigeons in general eat differently. Crows are more of meat eaters and pigeons eat worms and insects. The cook noticed this and strung up another basket for the Crow. The Crow was getting sick and tired of eating the same food as the Pigeon and saw the cook bring in some fish. The Crow waited for the perfect time to snatch a little bit of fish. The Pigeon asked the Crow why he didn't eat his meal. The Crow replied he has indigestion(from eating the same thing as the Pigeon). The Pigeon warned the Crow not to steal any food from the cook but the Crow did not listen. He persevered in stealing a little bit of fish but in the process he got caught. The cook plucked all the feathers out of his head except one tuft; he powdered ginger and cumin, mixed it up with butter-milk, and rubbed all over the bird's body. Then the cook threw the Crow into his own basket. The Pigeon came and repeated a verse of poetry. The Crow replied and the Pigeon replied with the third and last verse. The Pigeon could not stand the Crow and left. The Crow lay there till died.
The Crow represents a trickster, troubled maker, and a thief. The Pigeon on the other hand represents more of a friend. The cook, in my opinion, is like a shadow because you don't know if he is good or bad, in this case he's kind of both. He cares for the birds and if they do something bad, he punishes them (punishes the Crow). The Crow only befriended the Pigeon just to get food. He wasn't satisfied with his food and decided to steal some food. The Pigeon warned him not too but the Crow stole some food anyways and got punished for that. I think the point of this folktale is not to steal and not to covet what others have. Be happy and thankful for what you have and praise the provider. Our provider is God and in the folktale the provider is the cook.
The Crow represents a trickster, troubled maker, and a thief. The Pigeon on the other hand represents more of a friend. The cook, in my opinion, is like a shadow because you don't know if he is good or bad, in this case he's kind of both. He cares for the birds and if they do something bad, he punishes them (punishes the Crow). The Crow only befriended the Pigeon just to get food. He wasn't satisfied with his food and decided to steal some food. The Pigeon warned him not too but the Crow stole some food anyways and got punished for that. I think the point of this folktale is not to steal and not to covet what others have. Be happy and thankful for what you have and praise the provider. Our provider is God and in the folktale the provider is the cook.
1 comment:
Glad you finally got set up! This is a good folktale choice. Spend a few more moments on editing next time.
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