From The Elephant Pit Analysis

It is the famous fable called the “The Scorpion and the Turtle”. The fable starts with a scorpion trying to figure out how to get across the river and he sees a turtle and says “ Would you give me a ride across the river?” the turtle thought that the scorpion was crazy because if the turtle let the scorpion on his back he would sting him and he would die. The scorpion of course denied that he would sting him and he said that “if I sting you, then you’d go down and I will die to. The turtle was still had cold feet about giving the scorpion a ride but the scorpion gave him his word that he would not sting him. The turtle finally gave in and gave the scorpion a ride. When they had gotten half way the scorpion let his natural instincts kick in and he jabbed his stinger in the turtle's head. The turtle becomes very sad and starts to cry and asked why he would sting him after he got his word that he wouldn't. And the scorpion replies I’m a scorpion. It is my nature to sting.” And that is why this story represents that some people or things can not

thought about the fable once he was almost attacked by a group of wild boars. Incorporated in A

These Grandfathers presented Black Elk with gifts to help him on his journey. A wooden cup, a bow and arrows, a white wing of cleansing, an herb to heal, a sacred pipe a flowering stick and the power to make live and to destroy were the tools that were given to him. Then, the Grandfathers showed Black Elk what was to become of his people. He was shown a holy tree which once had been flowering and was now gone. The people he was supposed to lead were thin and starving, and Black Elk cried as he saw the fate of his people.

Throughout history the most famous poets have devoted their entire lives to literature and in doing so, have become very well known. George Orwell easily became one of the most famous poets of the modern century. Although he did not grow up as an avid writer, he quickly made a name for himself. The officer would write one of a kind stories about his own experiences and the lessons learned from them. Resulting in a great amount of attention and praise for his excellent work. Cindy Johnson, a biographer explains, “He wrote numerous essays and reviews over the years, developing a reputation for producing well-crafted literary criticism.” This obviously meaning that Orwell endured a great deal of criticism in his officer duties as well as in his writings. One of Orwell’s most famous poems is, Shooting An Elephant, in which he explains the messages of the effects of peer pressure, the realization of the importance of experiences long after they have happened, and the disappearance of imperialism.

However, the author also uses the literary device of word choice to convey the respect the narrator has for the snake. Although the narrator gives reasoning for killing the snake, the development of the narrator with word choice verifies that the narrator is very reluctant to do so due to his respect for the snake’s life. For instance, when describing the first encounter with the snake, the narrator states, “My first instinct was to let him go his way… I have never killed an animal… the sport in taking life is satisfaction I can’t feel.” The use of the word “instinct” shows that the narrator naturally and automatically wishes to leave the snake alone instead of killing it. His respect for the snake is also shown when the narrator says,“I did not cut the rattles off for a trophy… I could see him as I might have let him go, sinuous and self-respecting in departure over the twilit sands.”

To start with, the narrative in “The Elephant in the Village of the Blind” is very simple; the main

The diction which is emphasized upon the story gives a clear picture of how everything happened in a sudden and fulfilling way. The man noticed that the snake “lay rigid” and had “suddenly arrested” and eventually watched him in calm watchfulness. The snake was placid and was not doing any violent action. The man, instead, decided to fulfill his duty concerning the community. The man describes seeing the snake as he looked like a “live wire” while his “tocsin sounded”. The man’s sudden encounter with the snake was still calm up until he decides to bring out the hoe.

“Until lions tell their stories, tales of hunting will glorify the hunter.” - African Proverb

In the folktale “The Burro and the Coyote” from book “The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature” the main character, a burro was in route to deliver food to his master. The burro stopped to lend a helping hand to another character a fox asking for a ride. Without hesitation the fox gobbles up all of the master’s food the burro was carrying despite notifying the burro. The coyote takes the burro for granted when the burro only was portraying kindness. The theme of this folktale is directed for the audience to understand that the actions and decisions you make always comes back around in other words karma.

However, the image of the snake actually waiting for the man to act first indicates an ability to reason and avoid conflict and gives it a sense of humanity and complexity animals do not usually possess. Humans have an inclination to feel more sympathy toward characters they can relate to, and giving the snake this uniquely human characterization certainly exploits the reader’s human nature. Moreover, the author repeatedly romanticizes the snake, describing it less as a danger and more as an alluring, mystical creature. When the snake first detects the man’s intentions to harm it, “he lay there like a live wire,” rattling his tail in a “little song of death.” Rather than describing the snake as a menace to the man’s safety, the author chooses instead to describe it as a “live-wire”—unpredictable and risky, like an open wire.

The reader is made to understand the man through speech and details about him. The man is not a violent person; he explains how his first thought was to “let [the rattler] go his way and I would go mine.” The narrator did not want to harm the rattler, but he does so regardless, because his job is “to kill the snake.” Everyone, even animals, have their duties. The man is only carrying

Language, details, and actions are used to make the readers feel sympathy for the snake. In the story, the snake is very relaxed, calm and non-aggressive. When the snake is first noticed, its head is not “drawn back to strike” the man. This shows that the snake is not being aggressive, which means that it’s intentions were not to fight the man. The snake also “held his ground with calm watchfulness”.The

The reader understands that the man’s risky choice to attack the snake is one to be put more thought into, and the man makes his final choice during the listening of the snake’s death song. After the snake’s death, the man’s decision not to cut off the rattles for a trophy displays his respect and sympathy for the dead creature to the reader. In the end, the reader shares the same feelings about the death of the snake with the narrator because of the use of the first-person point of

If you’re not paying attention, the mind can be a tricky labyrinth. The less you know about it, the more inexplicable and frightening it becomes. For example, why do seemingly benign elephants wreak havoc upon villages? In “An Elephant Crackup,” Charles Siebert explores the aberrant nature of these elephants and correlates them to their traumatizing upbringing, deprived of community and kinship. The biochemistry of the human mind, analyzed in “Love2.0” by Barbara Frederickson, serves as a worthy addendum to Siebert’s conjecture. “Love2.0” explains that the brain, hormones, and nerves work in unison to build emotional fortitude, stimulate oneself, and express positivity resonance. Siebert’s ideas of elephant culture and trans-species psyche can put Frederickson’s theory of emotions into practice. The absence of certain hormones within elephants, provided their fragmented community, can explain their volatile outbreaks. Alternatively, the reinstitution of human parental roles into elephant culture can help reconstruct their broken emotional states of elephants and rebuild their resilience; this healing process can also extend to humans.

Animal Man confronts the villain with a confident posture and brave tone, he saved the little rat from getting stepped