Japanese Fables
The influence from within and everywhere else.
Think back to when you were a child and to when your parents read you stories. Chances are pretty good that some of the stories you encountered were fables. For those people who do not know what a fable is, it is a story that uses animals in the place of using human beings. In researching Japanese tales, I did not have a hard time finding an abundance of fables. In relating fables to the Japanese life, I discovered that animals play an important role in Japanese culture. And as in most cultures, stories play a big role just as well. So by the simple use of common sense, any person could assume, and be accurate, that there is a wealth of fables in Japanese culture. So, Animals
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This appeal of animals applies to all generations. Whereas younger generations are more interested in the ideas of the animals, the older reader can use these stories as an escape from the normal. It is generally assumed that most adults live stressed lives, and at some point in time they will want a break. Instead of taking time from away from a life that has no time to spare, why not just read? It is an easy way in which someone can escape to a place out of the ordinary. But in some cases, like the book “Animal Farm”, the use of a fable is just magnifying the current culture, but in a more subtle way that just writing an excerpt that could be taken straight from a history magazine. And even with this example taken into account, these fables can still help a more adult reader to escape, even if just enough so the mind can feel escaped from whatever may be on it.
Aesop was famous for his use of animals. He used animals instead of humans because it makes people able to learn lessons without having to see themselves of someone they know as the character learning the lesson. This was a way to keep the readers engaged without their flaws being pointed out to them. Along with steering clear of allowing people to see the negative side of themselves, animals also make for a fascinating read. When the stories were written, people were close with nature and this was another major reason
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There is not a most commonly used animal in stories from around the planet. But there are commonly used animals in the Japanese heritage. According to Juliet Piggott, “The dragon is the oldest creature in [Japanese] mythology.” (Piggott 109). She also said “the fox is the oldest [animal] in superstition.” (Piggott 109). The fox is a shape shifter. It is able to change from the fox form, to the human form, and back to the fox form. Other commonly popular animals are the cat, the dog, and the badger. Of course there are many other animals used in stories, such as the animals in the Japanese Zodiac.
Japanese culture has a zodiac which puts emphasis on the year and which animal it is represented by. There is the year of the Hare, Ox, Tiger, and of course more, just as in Chinese culture. Although in Japan, it is very heavily populated so there is not many wild animals people see, but there are still animals. The animals that are part of the zodiac are the Rat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Cock, Dog, Boar, and the Hare, Ox, and Tiger (Schaap
Margaret Wise Brown was truly fascinated by animals, and she understood children’s attraction to animals. Tellingly, when Brown reflects on her childhood she mentions her “thirty-six rabbits, two squirrels…a collie dog, and two Peruvian hens, a Belgian hare, seven fish, and a wild robin who came back every spring” (Days Before Now). From this information about Brown, one understands where her love of animals originated--her childhood. Additionally, animals were kind to her and did not restrict or belittle Brown the way some individuals did regularly. Brown was allowed to have constant interaction with animals, which proved to be influential in her writing career. Overall, Margaret Wise Brown used numerous animals, especially rabbits because of her love for creatures and the understanding she possessed of children’s love of and interest with animals.
The Storytelling Animal is an expository non-fiction book by Jonathan Gottschall analyzing the history of stories and human’s attraction to them. It was published in 2012 and thus contains many up-to-date references and comparisons. I believe Gottschall’s main objective in writing this book is to bring us all to the conclusion that he has reached in his research. Throughout the entirety of his book, Gottschall effectively pulls us back to main ideas he wants us to understand and accept, that we are innately storytelling animals, that are addicted to stories ourselves, have always been and will always be, by using topics that build upon one another, using relatable examples, and supporting arguments with research and studies.
American folklores are used to refer to American traditional beliefs and folk knowledge and culture are mostly legends. There are many very famous/ well known stories that many children are familiar with. American values are reflected in the culture’s folklore by including myths, legends, and fairy tales that use the “American Dream” as a reference in the stories.
In this semester, I have read the Aesop’s Fables, which dates back to BC sixth century .So some of the words and expressions are little bit different from these we use nowadays. Though most of the fables are short narratives, they convey some hidden meanings worth thinking.
As I have progressed through this class, my already strong interest in animal ethics has grown substantially. The animal narratives that we have read for this course and their discussion have prompted me to think more deeply about mankind’s treatment of our fellow animals, including how my actions impact Earth’s countless other creatures. It is all too easy to separate one’s ethical perspective and personal philosophy from one’s actions, and so after coming to the conclusion that meat was not something that was worth killing for to me, I became a vegetarian. The trigger for this change (one that I had attempted before, I might add) was in the many stories of animal narratives and their inseparable discussion of the morality in how we treat animals. I will discuss the messages and lessons that the readings have presented on animal ethics, particularly in The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Dead Body and the Living Brain, Rachel in Love, My Friend the Pig, and It Was a Different Day When They Killed the Pig. These stories are particularly relevant to the topic of animal ethics and what constitutes moral treatment of animals, each carrying important lessons on different facets the vast subject of animal ethics.
Owl's character as knowledge over amusement may be boring to children listening to his intellectual rambles e.g. Roo's boredom with the encyclopedia. Hence, characters like Winnie the Pooh, who brings amusement, may seem more attractive than Owl. While the character of CR is used to demonstrate the relationship between children and adults by the use of many parallels, speech and actions, it is the animals that represent the author's construction of different types of childhood. In addition to this, the animals are also the providers of amusement and entertainment which draw children's love and interest.
While researching fairy tales I came across an article titled “Fairy Tales and Fables”. As I
The Maus series of books tell a very powerful story about one man’s experience in the Holocaust. They do not tell the story in the conventional novel fashion. Instead, the books take on an approach that uses comic windows as a method of conveying the story. One of the most controversial aspects of this method was the use of animals to portray different races of people. The use of animals as human races shows the reader the ideas of the Holocaust a lot more forcefully than simply using humans as the characters.
“Fables” Introduction: Now I know a little bit about fables, after doing a little bit of research in my English class. I know that fables are short stories that center on animals. Fables also all have morals at the end, stated outright, or inferred. These morals are sometimes called Aesops, after the original creator of the fables. Aesop was a Greek slave who wrote a lot of fables.
...uthority, slaves turned to their make believe folk beliefs. In a world which slaves were forced to live in, slaves turned to their tales to get them through the hard times (Brown & Holt, 2000). Through the slave animal tales, slaves shared their inner emotions and wanted to be treated equal in the world (Brown & Holt, 2000).
At first glance, what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale may seem obvious—some kind of magic, hidden symbols, repetition, and of course it’s evident it’s fiction—but fables are more than that. As Arthur Schelesinger puts it, it’s about “[expanding] imagination” and gaining understanding of mysterious places (618). While doing this, it also helps children to escape this world, yet teach a lesson that the reader may not be conscious of. A wonderful story that achieves all of this is Cinderella, but not the traditional tale many American’s have heard. Oochigeaskw, or The Rough-Faced Girl, and Ashputtle would be fitting for a seven-year-old because they get the gears of the mind turning, allowing for an escape on the surface, with an underlying enlightenment for children of the ways of the world.
Fairy tales have been part of our lives ever since we were young children. We all either grew up watching Disney renditions of fairy tales, or we had storybooks filled with vivid pictures of a tale. Fairy tales are so important in our culture that it would be difficult to find someone who has not heard of Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, or other fairy tale protagonists. Interestingly enough, fairy tales have been a very integral part of Western culture since the time they were written. Fairy tale writers, such as Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers, revolutionized culture in the 17th and 18th centuries with their writings. Not only did these writers write these tales for entertainment, but they also accomplished to influence the
Fairytales and folktales have been told around the campfire, in the living room, the class room, and before bedtime for centuries. First told orally, the “… stories had to have remarkable features in order to remain memorable (Nodelman 246).” These stories were passed down from storyteller to audience until they were eventually written down and collected for consumption by the public. Due to the passing of time and fallibility the stories have changed throughout the years and slightly differ from culture to culture, however, “Stories similar to “Cinderella” can be found in historical records from as far back as the seventh century, and from a variety of places around the world (Nodelman 246).” Although the classic tales differ in various ways from their modern counterparts (such as Disney films, etc.), the characters and their journeys are still very much identifiable.
Later on, it started to head to other places, such as Russia, Scotland, and central Asia; they were written by authors in those countries. Fairy tales were starting to become worldwide. “Fairy tales are one of their dominant expressions, connective tissue between a mythological past and present realities (Warner)”. Fairy tales were short narratives stories, usually a page long, and second, they were familiar stories passed down to generation to
A Folktale is described as the general term for the verbal, spiritual, and material aspects of any homogeneous preliterate or subliterate culture. These stories have been around and past down generations for thousands of years. Much controversy surrounds Folktales in determining the authenticity of the story. Many cultures strongly believe in their history and the tales that come along with it. On the other hand, many skeptics are headstrong in their beliefs that such characters featured in these folktales cease to exist and are told as entertainment and a way to promote strong ethical values in the generations to come. Folktales fall into the non-fiction genre of literature, which may cause confusion with some people considering we were all