Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit, Jataka Tales - Ellen C. Babbitt

Character List:
- Inciting Rabbit
- Following Rabbits
- Monkeys
- Deer
- Fox
- Elephant
- Lion

Summary
A sleeping rabbit awakes to concern over the end of the world. Upon thinking this, the rabbit hears a sound and naturally assumes it's the worst case scenario; the world is ending. The rabbit panics and runs from the sound. The surrounding animals, upon seeing the flight of the rabbit, are concerned and fall in without taking the time to consider alternatives. Ultimately, the rational lion stops the onslaught of animals. After the lion has traced the story back to the first rabbit, they return to the site of the panic and unpack the issue.

"Analysis"
This is truly a case of pack mentality; a single animal responds negatively to negative thoughts, and this causes panic. This panic spreads to all surrounding animals, none of whom take the time to do the due diligence and check on the story. All it takes is one unwise animal to start a stampede. However, it takes one wise animal to end it - there's just the matter of the wise animal also being commanding enough to stop the herd; another rabbit wouldn't have commanded the herd as the lion did.



Goblin City

Character List
- Rakshasis (female goblins)
- Sailors
- Captain
- Wife of Captain
- Fairy (deus ex machina)
- Winged Horse

Summary
On the island of Ceylon lived She-Goblins. These goblins have no men living on the island, and as such are forced to use trickery to lure sailors to their shores. These sailors are shown a mirage of tradition; we see people farming, hunting, and living as they usually would. The sailors' hesitance is defused by this ruse and they head for land. After a few days of marriage and normality, the captain observes his "wife" returning from a night of dining on his predecessor. The following day this man alerts his mates to the conflict. There is dissent over the validity of his story. A fairy enters the story as a powerful conjuror whose power can free the men from this trap. Ultimately, a winged horse is sent by the fairy, and all those believing in the danger climb aboard and are saved - those who succumbed to the trickery of the She-Goblins, in their refusal to leave, are condemned, and promptly eaten.

"Analysis"
This story is an interesting balance of thematic motivations; we see hints of believe your elders, don't trust everyone, think for yourself, and be trusting. The sailors are damned due to their desire for comfort; they succumb to the goblins because they sought after the prospect of an easy life. This negligence and lethargy placed them in a world of danger, from which they weren't too keen to escape. Further, the observance of the captain should've yielded a quick wake-up and motivated the men to escape. However, some refused to accept the possibility of trickery; because of this, they were cannibalized.

Photo Credit:
1) Saw the Animals Running | Ellsworth Young
2) Demon City of Lanka | Ramayana, circa 1800