Week 2 Reading Anthology

     My favorite story was The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart , Marie L. Shedlock's translation. I always love reading a good underdog story and this is the epitome of an underdog. The monkey is first tricked by the crocodile since the crocodile offers the Bodhisattva, the monkey, a ride across the Ganges to the bank with more fruit. However, it was all a ploy so that the crocodile's wife could eat the monkey's heart. When the Bodhisattva realizes this he lies to the crocodile saying his heart is actually on a fig tree by the bank, tricking the crocodile to take him to the safety of a tree. With this the Bodhisattva is saved by using his cunning. One thing I would like to point out about this story is how static these characters are. Even though it is a short fable the only character development we see is in the monkey, but the lesson is still there: no matter how dire the situation looks there is always a way out. 

Life Lessons From the Jataka Tales | Madras Courier
The Jatakas from the MadrasCourier

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