The stories "The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed" and "Don't Count Your Chickens" have similar plots and characters. In "The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed," there are two brothers named Heung Bu and Nol Bu who live next to each other. One day, Heung Bu finds a hurt swallow while they are planting. He takes care of it and in return, he receives a pumpkin seed. He plants the seed and is rewarded for his kindness. On the other hand, Nol Bu becomes jealous and tries to find his own injured swallow. However, he only gets punished for his greediness.
Similarly, in "Don't Count Your Chickens," there are three brothers living together on a Caribbean island. The two older brothers dream of having fancy things like German motorcycles and Japanese CD players, but they do not contribute much to the household chores. The youngest brother, Juancho, works hard to take care of the house. Unfortunately, a drought and storms threaten to ruin everything Juancho has worked for. However, their grandmother's wise sayings remind Juancho that sometimes life decides whether we succeed or fail.
In both stories, the younger brothers are kind and caring, while the older brothers are more interested in gaining wealth. In "The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed," Heung Bu's act of kindness towards the injured swallow teaches readers to be caring and forgiving, while Nol Bu's greediness leads to his punishment. In "Don't Count Your Chickens," the author wants readers to learn that some people only talk about doing things, while others actually work hard to achieve their goals. Even though the points of view of the brothers and their grandmother don't change, they remain a family and appreciate Juancho's hard work, which improves their lives.
Overall, both stories teach valuable lessons about kindness, hard work, and not being greedy. They show that being caring and working diligently can lead to rewards, while being selfish and only talking about achievements does not bring true success. make this smaller