The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie

I have many ideas about activities I want my class to do when I become a teacher, but one I have had since I was a freshman in college was to use this fable and the song based on this fable as a puppet show. The original story is one of the lesser known fables written by Aesop.

Like most traditional literature the story has a simple setting known as 'the town', and only three characters the fox, the crow, and the baker. It teaches the lesson that you should not be too prideful. The fox follows the baker around every day trying to get some food, and while the baker is yelling at him the crow flies down from a tree and takes some food. The fox finds the crow and asks her to share, but the crow refuses. So the fox asks the crow to sing to him, because her beautiful voice will make the fox feel better. The bird is easily flattered and starts to sing which causes her to drop the food and allows the fox to take it and run.

The reason I know the story is because of this:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZEX6w3-KbE

It's one of my favorite songs.  As I said before I really want to use it as a puppet show. Here's how I would do that.  The last verse would be cut, because it does not actually tell the story. Also, some of the larger words would need to be replaced with synonyms; such as dive down for condescend. Well, that's my take on this story.  Let's see what my partner Glyna thinks about it.

-Phillip 

I believe that this tale by Aesop falls under the heading of a traditional story.  Furthermore, this traditional story can be considered a fable.  Here are some of the reasons I believe it is so.  Stories qualify as fables when they illustrate a moral lesson.  The story uses animals with human characteristics to demonstrate a moral lesson for the readers.  The tale ends with a succinct, "Do not trust flatterers."

Fables often contain talking animals and objects. This story has talking animals.  "That's for me, as I am a fox," states the fox aloud in the tale.    

The characters in traditional stories often represent stereotypes   For example, the fox is sly while the crow is foolish.  The motif of trickery is present in the story.  The fox, through flattery, is able to outwit the crow and steal a treat.  

"Good day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How well you are looking today: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds."

     The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox.

     "That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future: "Do not trust flatterers."

The plot of the tale is brief and centers around one main event. The straight forward plot and short tale allow the reader to easily see the moral behind the story.  So...the moral behind this blog is that if you ever run into a talking fox be prepared for trickery!

This is Just to Say...

What to say about this poem by William Carlos Williams?  First off, I laugh every time I read it.  It is written very simply, but is still outrageous.  What you might ask is 'outrageous' about plums in an icebox?  Below is the poem.  Read it and then we will talk!

This is Just to Say

I have eaten

the plums 

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet 

and so cold

Now that you have read the poem, what do you think? I think that this is one of the worst apologies I have ever read.  And that is why it makes me laugh!  It is so very honest and sincere.  This work is about plums being stored safely in an icebox so they would be crisp and cold for a breakfast snack.  But clearly the author didn't care that the plums were meant for someone else.  He ate them anyway and in my mind I visualize this lame apology held up by a magnet on the icebox door.  

Since this blog is all about future teachers takes on literature, let's do some evaluating!  Doesn't that sound fun?

Poetry.  What make up 'good' poetry?  Or even more simply, what makes writing qualify as a poem?  The writing has to contain certain elements and meet certain requirements. Let's see if the above writing has any of the common poetry elements.

To begins with I see some alliteration in the first stanza of the work.  The repetition of 'th'.  "the plums that were in the icebox."  The repetition of the 'th' sound  in the beginning of the words adds alliteration to the work.

Assonance?  Look at the words:  forgive, delicious, so, and cold in the final stanza.  The repetition of the 'o' in the words creates assonance.

Descriptive language?  When Williams describes the plums as, "so sweet and so cold," I can almost feel my teeth hurt after I bite one!

That is my take on the poem.  Let's see what my blog partner, Phillip,  has to say...(pun intended).

I allowed Glyna to pick the poem for this blog post, because poetry is not my forte. I have just never really gotten it, and when I read the poem chosen for the post I was less then excited about having to review it. My goal for the blog is to be positive, and try and think like a teacher. However the poem just was not what I like to read, and had all the attributes of poetry I did not understand. There was no rhyme scheme, and the meter was strange and I really could not find it to read the poem to myself. There is some alliteration within the poem with the "s" sound being repeated, but other then that the poem just seems to be prose written in stanzas.

Glyna wrote her post first so I was able to read her thoughts on the poem before posting my own, and after reading her post I decided to take a look at the poem from her perspective. In her post she asks an excellent question, "What is poetry?" and I wanted to look at that idea more.. Merriam-Webster defines poetry as "writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm". Using this definition I tried to put "This is Just to Say" in to context. Using this definition I gained new respect for the poem considering the imagination it took to write a poem about an experience that seems so minor. Also the poems seems to entice an emotional response from everyone who isn't me, because I showed the poem to multiple people who smiled or even laughed after reading it.

The poem is a good example of many things. I shows that people have different opinions on what they like. It shows that even if you do not like something you do not have to just dismiss it as bad. It is completely possible to find respect for something even if you do not really understand it. Finally, it shows that just because something does not rhyme does not mean it's any less of a poem.