Reading Notes: Talkative Tortoise, Part A

The Talkative Tortoise (Source: Archive)

Focus Story from Part A: The Talkative Tortoise

Bibliography. "The Talkative Tortoise" From The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Websource.

Premise: The Tortoise was extremely talkative to the point he would talk every second of every day. He lived in a pond and had two best friends, two geese. Those who live in the pond with the Tortoise have grown extremely annoyed with him.

1. The two geese ask the Tortoise to move in with them in the mountains but the Tortoise is concern as he can't fly. The geese offer to carry him.

2. The geese command the Tortoise to bite on a stout stick, that way the two geese can carry both ends. They warn the Tortoise not to talk as he has to hold on tightly on the stick.

3. As they start flying to the mountains, a lot of boys look up and see the tortoise being carried by the geese. This annoys the Tortoise but he is ignorant of the danger that he opened his mouth and started talking.

4. The tortoise fell down on stones.

Ending: The Tortoise dies as his shell split in half.

Thoughts: This story stood out to me from part A of this week's reading. Mostly, it is because the ending was abrupt and brutal. To me, this is a story of one's weakness that is so large that it ends one's life.  It is exciting as I really did not know how the ending is going to be.