This week I read through the
Tibetan Folktales unit of the Un-textbook. This unit contained a bunch of
folktales that took place in distant lands with both animals and human playing
the characters. At the beginning of each folktale there is always a Tibetan proverb
that is supposed to relate to the story. However, the connection to the proverb
and the story is not always obvious. My plan for this essay is to explore some
of the stories and see how the proverb relates to the story.
The first story I want to look at
is The Story of the Donkey and the Rock. The proverb for this story is “Between
iron and brass there is union if the welding is skillful.” When I first read
the story, I did not see how this could possibly relate. I then began to think
about the proverb. My first thought is “who is the welder?” The answer seemed
to most likely be the judge in the story. Then I needed to find an answer to
what he was bringing a union to. In the story, both the accuser and the
defendant were right, so a verdict was not clear. The judge, however, found a
way for both to leave happy. His union of iron and brass could be his
creativity in finding a solution. The skillful welding would be a wise
solution. Therefore, while the proverb did not seem to fit at first, it really
did have a connection to the story.
The next story I will examine is
The Ingratitude of Man. The proverb for this story is “Whatever you have
promised make it not as changeable as a loop in a string, but as firm as a line
on a rock.” This proverb is easy to connect to the story since promises are
made within it. The man’s promise was easily changeable. He promised to repay
the traveler, yet later falsely accused him of stealing. The animals’ promises
were firm as a line on a rock. They helped the man while he was in prison and
also helped him escape.
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| The Traveler in Prison. Web Source: Un-Textbook |
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