Week 1 Storytelling: The Wolf And His Shadow
" Size does not determine your authority, it is the might of your heart to yourself"
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THE WOLF AND HIS SHADOW
Illustration of the Eastern story from Kalila and Dimna February 2011
A wolf left his lair one evening in fine spirits and an excellent appetite. As he ran, the setting sun cast his shadow for out on the ground, and it looked as if the wolf were a hundred times bigger than he really was.
"Why," exclaimed the Wolf proudly, "see how big I am!" Fancy me running away from a puny Lion! I'll show him who is fit to be king, he or I."
Just then an immense shadow blotted him out entirely, and the next instant a Lion struck him down with a single blow.
(Original Aesop)
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The Wolf Till the End
A wolf woke up one morning and headed out to find a breakfast of satisfaction. The wolf spotted a large rabbit nesting at the base of a tree. As he was slowly approaching the wolf began to see a shadow rising from behind him. Then before the wolf knew it, a lion then jumped over him and snatched the rabbit for himself. The lion then turned to the wolf, "You were foolish to think you could get to this rabbit before I could. I am the king of this forest and you don't stand a chance competing against me." The wolf was ashamed by what the lion had said to him. Still hungry the wolf headed towards the pond in hopes of finding breakfast. The wold saw a small duck sitting near the end of the pond. As the wolf approached the pond he paused in the sight of a reflection in the water. The wolf saw a magnificent creature, that was strong, cunning, swift, and fierce. The wolf was about to run off until he realized the reflection was his own. The wolf had forgotten his true heart and what he was. The wolf had been to scared by the lion to realize he can be strong too. He had forgotten that a wolf is a magnificent creature that has just as great of skills as any lion. The wolf then realized that even though he may be smaller in size to the lion he is just as skilled. The wolf's confidence then grew back. The next time the lion and the wolf meet the lion should be prepared for a competition. The wolf now goes to the pond everyday to see his reflection to remind himself that he is strong and will always stay true to himself, representing the history of the wolves.
Author's note: I picked the aesop The Wolf and his Shadow because the lesson learned was "do not let your fancy make you forget realities." The sum of the story was the wolf saw his shadow and how large it looked. Then he ran into a lion that struck the wolf down with a single blow. The wolf was killed due to him being stuck up. I choose to play a reverse roll in the story, I picked the wolf to rise up over the lion.
Bibliography: This story originated from the aesop The Wolf And His Shadow by Esop .
Picture by Milo Winter
You set this story up perfectly, Ashlie! The image is very attention-getting... and since the fable is not a famous one, it is a good idea to let people know what you started from, and that way they can see you bringing the wolf to life as a full-fledged character with all that detail, and changing the story around as you explain your note. And I love the way your wolf rebounded from his realization: later this week, you will be learning about growth mindset, and your wolf is a PERFECT example of that! So, when you get to that assignment later on, think about your wolf story: you'll see that your wolf totally has a growth mindset!
ReplyDeleteIt's really cool how you re-used that image, too! Originally that image is for the story of the Aesop's fable who dropped his food in the water - do you know that one? Aesop's fables were famous not just in ancient Greece and in Europe but also throughout the Middle East, and that image is an illustration from an Arabic collection of fables which includes the story of the dog and his shadow. Here's one version of that story; you might have heard it when you were little - it is still very famous! The Dog and His Reflection
I really like that you took the original plot line but completely changed the end result to which it led. Switching from the wolf being the conceited character to the lion being the conceited one is a really interesting twist. I also really like the use of the picture. Did it help inspire the story? Also, I like that you stuck with the format of Aesop and had a lesson at the top of the story.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashlie! I was really captivated in the beginning of the story when you were talking about how the god came up with the idea to create living thing son Earth. I thought it was a nice spin on the creation story that many people are familiar with. I wonder what the other gods thought of his idea, since in the story it seems as though he is not the only one, and he lives in a world of gods. It would have been cool know some backstory about the world that this god lives in, and what the other gods are like! Had any of them ever created something so amazing? What other deeds made this god the most talented, loving, and kind god? I also think it may be a good idea to have more paragraphs that are separated to make it a little easier to read, and not lose your place!
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