Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

Jataka Tales Part A

Turtle Swimming
Source: Google Image

Common Theme

For this week's reading, I decided to read the Jataka tales. I noticed I wasn't able to recognize a lot of the stories my peers were recreating on their blogs because I simply had not familiarized myself yet with the many other Indian stories there were. Once I started reading the tales for part A, I recognized a lot of the original versions of stories recreated by my classmates! 

Something I noticed about all of the stories were there were very specific themes associated with each one, and they were very clear to the reader. Other Indian stories and epics that we have read were also filled with lessons, but this story-telling style is much more direct, concise, and humorous. I actually appreciated the easy reading level these stories were because it allowed me to focus more on the lesson and the story rather than try to put all of my mental energy in keeping characters and settings straight.

Favorite Story

My favorite story in part A was "How the Turtle Saved His Own Life." I really liked not only the lesson within this story, but the comical, concise way it was written. The lesson here is about fearing the unknown and reverse psychology. The humans thought the turtle was a demon so they wanted to kill it by throwing it into the water. The turtle begged them not to throw him in the watering knowing they would do the exact opposite of what he said. I thought this story was cute, funny, and taught a lesson in a very meaningful, but easy way. This may be a story I recreate in the future, but with a different animal or different characters! 

Bibliography: Ellen C. Babbitt's How the Turtle Saved His Own Life