Week 2 Story: The Tiger, The Man, and The Jackal
One day a tiger was walking through the jungle and stumbled upon a cage. To the tiger’s surprise it noticed there was a man inside of it. The tiger was very happy when it saw this because he was very hungry and had been searching for food for quite some time now.
The man became worried instantly and feared for his life. The tiger asked the man “why are you trapped in the cage” and the man replied “I have been stuck here for a few days now because I have been captured by a tricky jackal.
Upon hearing this, the tiger became very excited because that was a new opportunity for him to get more food. After hearing this, the tiger stayed at the cage so he could plan how to get the man out so he could eat him. First he tried ramming himself into it. That did not work. Next he tried reaching through the bars to grab the man but the man was too quick and the cage was too big so that did not work either.
As the tiger continued to try to grab the man from the cage, the jackal snuck up behind and watched him struggle from the bushes. The human saw but the tiger did not. Knowing the tiger was beginning to become frustrated, the human started making jokes and calling him mean names. This made the tiger angry and he began to hit the cage harder and harder until he finally “broke” it! Little did the tiger know the man had a latch on the inside and was able to open the cage the entire time!
The man stood in the cage and continued to taunt the tiger even though there was no longer a barrier protecting him. The tiger lunged at the man but he jumped out of the way, ran out of the cage, and closed the tiger inside.
Once the tiger was inside, the jackal came out from the bushes and began to talk to tease the tiger with the man. The man and the jackal explained to the tiger that it was a trick all along and the man was never actually captured! The tiger asked how the man was able to escape and the man replied “it’s a magic trick the jackal taught me.”
The tiger replied “I love magic, will you guys teach it to me”
The man said “then it would not be magic if I told you!”
The tiger turned to the jackal and asked him as well. However, as the tiger turned, he noticed that there was a latch inside of the cage and that was how the man got out. The tiger continued to play dumb and act like he was completely clueless. He continued to ask questions and convinced them to come closer to the cage. As soon as they were close enough, he opened the cage and ate them both.
Authors note: in the original, the man lets out the tiger and the jackal tricks the tiger to going back in. I wanted to switch things up and let the tiger win and have to trick the jackal. The jackal was featured much more in the original; however, I do not use him that much because he was not needed as much in my version of the story. I used some similar ideas from the original and liked the idea of "tricking" so I kept that in this story. Hope you enjoyed!
Bibliography: "The Tiger, The Brahman, and The Jackal" from Myth-Folklore Anthology written by Joseph Jacobs.Tricksters
I have never heard this story before but I love it. I think that it is always a fun twist whenever they pick fun or they taunt an individual and that individual is the one who later holds their lives in their hands. I think you did a great job writing it. The story flows rather well and I see an image in my head of the scene playing out. I like that you chose a more obscure tale to tell (or maybe it is popular and I just read the same ones over and over as a kid). It adds a whole new layer to the old tale.
ReplyDeleteRobbie! This was super interesting to read, and like Brynlee said, I had never heard the original. You did a great job with your retelling though, and I am excited to read more of your stories going forward. You had a good balance of dialogue with story telling, which kept it enjoyable but also detailed enough to know what's going on in the story!
ReplyDeleteHi Robbie! I like your retelling story. I think this story tells us some profound things which could be related to our real world. For instance, no one should make fun of others since they do not know what would happen in the future. Maybe the man who is laughed at would get success. Also, in terms of style, I like your story's length. It is long enough to tell an excellent story. Meanwhile, it is concise and terse.
ReplyDeleteRobbie,
ReplyDeleteI love the twist. This is a perfect example of the quote,
“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” ― J. Nozipo Maraire
It's a good thing the tiger had you to tell the story. I like how you set it up that the audience can deduce that the man and the jackal were in cahoots to mess with the tiger. I'm glad that the tiger ate the jackal as well as the man.
Your writing style for this story is tight and flows well. I think it would be a good addition to a Portfolio where the stories are twisted so the hunter becomes the hunted.
-Eden