Week 2 Reading Diary: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Below I have presented my favorite stories from Aesop's Fables (Jacobs).

Wolves: I enjoyed this overall theme to the story and I like that the wolf was able to possess both characteristics of good and evil. My favorite story was the one titled The Dog and the Wolf. I really liked this story because it taught a good lesson about how you have to work for things and that they will not always just be given to you. This story shows that there are lazy people in the world that just expect everything to come with no work but we need to teach that with work comes gain.

Dogs and Cats: Overall I find it interesting that the dog possess more “dark” characteristics and then that the cat possess more positive characteristics. My favorite story from this is title The Cat and Venus. This story was interesting because it was talking about how a woman fell in love and wed but then a temptation presented itself and she took it. I feel that the message that can be taken from this story is to not let temptations succeed when they are presented to us because we will most likely regret them later on.

Deer: In this section my favorite story was The Hart and the Hunter. I liked this story the most because of the overall message that it presented. As a society we need to be more aware and accepting of the qualities we possess and not be ashamed of them. In this story the final line is "We often despise what is most useful to us." I really like this quote because it is showing how we need to be confident in who we are instead of trying to hide and get rid of the things that make us unique.

Mice: One thing that I like and appreciate about this story is that the mouse represents different things throughout the mini stories that are present within the larger story. I think it is good to add in different personalities because then more readers can feel relatable. My favorite story within this was The Mouse and the Lion, I really liked this story because it shows that everyone can offer something no matter how small one may be. I think this is a good lesson to instill within those who are reading the story because everyone should feel that they can do things that are appreciated.

Frogs and Fish: My favorite mini story from this story was titled The Frog and the Bull. One of my favorite things about this story is the message that it is giving off, if you try hard then you can become anything you want. In the story the bull felt he was superior because he was larger but to his surprise the frog was able to puff himself up to be equal with the bull. Its important to remind readers that anything can be done if you put your mind to it.

Family and Friends: I like that this story is able to incorporate many lessons and both positive and negative themes in to one story. It is important to learn lessons from both sides because then you gain a better appreciation for the positive ones. My favorite story in this is The Man and His Two Wives. I really enjoyed this story because it preaches such a vital lesson to the reader: “you can’t have it all”.  This an important lesson to understand from a young age because there will be situations in life that occur quite often that show you that you can’t have it all.