by Ellen C. Babbitt
The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls
- Lesson #1: Don't be too proud.
- The reason the Girl Monkey got caught with the queen's string of pearls was because she became too proud and felt the need to show it off to others. The Girl Monkey's own arrogance is what trapped her.
- Lesson #2: All lies will become visible.
- The Girl Monkey stealing the pearls was a lie unhidden by the end of the story.
The Three Fishes
- My thoughts: This story reminded me of Finding Nemo, with Very-Thoughtful as the dad, Marlin, and the Thoughtful and Thoughtless both being Nemo. Both Very-Thoughtful and Marlin analyzes the situation they are in. When they both foresaw danger, they recommended to the others to avoid that dangerous area. Nemo, Thoughtful, and Thoughtless just wanted to listen to themselves which caused them to enter danger.
- Lesson: Listen to the wise ones around us.
The Tricky Wolf and the Rats
- Lesson #1: Do not deceive others - you will be caught.
- Lesson #2: Do not doubt the strength and wisdom of the little guy.
- Even if the rat is much smaller than the wolf, he was still able catch the wolf in his deceitful act as he outsmarted the wolf and was even strong enough to kill him.
The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer
- Lesson #1: There is great strength in true friendships.
- Lesson #2: It is with teamwork that we can succeed.
The Golden Goose
- Lesson #1: Do not be greedy. You will get nothing from being greedy.
- Lesson #2: While it is good to be giving and caring, make sure people don't abuse your kindness by being naive.
The Stupid Monkeys
- Lesson #1: Do not give your work to another.
- Lesson #2: Ask questions when you are unsure about how to do something instead of proceeding on your own where you might mess the project up entirely.
The Cunning Wolf
- Lesson #1: Do not consume all your goods without knowing where you will get your next goods from.
- This could be related to money. It is important not to spend everything we earned at one time, without saving some for later or for emergencies.
- Lesson #2: Do not lie to get what you want, because you never do.
The Penny-Wise Monkey
- Personal note: I really do not agree with the theme/lesson of the story. The story's lesson is: you will loose much when you try to gain a little. When this is put in the context of the Catholic Bible, there are many stories where Jesus leaves the majority of the lamb to find the single missing lamb. I think that everyone/everything has value. So, if this story was replaced with people instead of peas or islands, then I feel like it would be wrong to turn your back on the single person because you already have the majority.
The Red-Bud Tree
- Lesson: A single thing can be seen from different perspectives.
- I think this is a very interesting story. We must all remember that when we view a single person or thing, we are all looking at it with our own unique lenses, whether it be at different times, the same time but at different angles, or the same time and angle but with different mindsets due to past history and memories.
The Woodpecker and the Lion
- Lesson: Ungratefulness really bites.
The Others and the Wolf
- Lesson: Do not argue for the "best part" when it is already split in half and you get one. Getting one-half is enough.
"The Red=Bud Tree" was my favorite story because it pointed out a great lesson about perspective. Embracing the realization that everyone has different perspectives but that they are not wrong is an important lesson I want to keep close to myself.
Bibliography: More Jataka Tales, Part A. Author: Ellen C. Babbitt. Illustrator: Ellsworth Young. 1922.
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