Portfolio: Analyzing Literary Text
Write an Essay
The story The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed is a folktale and Don’t Count Your Chickens is written in the style of a folktale. In many folktales, some characters are rewarded for their positive qualities or values. Other characters are punished or do not have success due to their negative qualities or values. The characters and events teach the reader a lesson about life. What life lesson or important values do you think the younger brothers in the two stories help readers understand? Write a three-paragraph essay that tells your response.
Paragraph 1: Write an introductory paragraph that identifies the main characters in The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed and Don’t Count Your Chickens. Tell what life lesson or important values the younger brothers in the two stories help the readers understand.
Paragraph 2: Explain how the qualities or values of the younger brothers in the stories are different from those of their older brothers. Use details from the stories to contrast the character traits and points of view of the younger brothers with those of their older brothers.
Paragraph 3: Explain what you think the authors want readers to learn from the younger brothers in the stories. Tell how the plot events and the authors’ use of language and literary devices to support your ideas. End your paragraph with a sentence that restates the lesson or values that the characters in the stories convey to readers.
Use details from the stories to support your ideas in the essay.
in kid words
In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed and Don’t Count Your Chickens, the younger brothers both teach readers the importance of kindness, humility, and hard work. In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, the younger brother, Rondel, is kind and helpful to the swallow, which ultimately leads to him finding the treasure and becoming wealthy. In Don’t Count Your Chickens, the youngest brother, Martin, is humble and hardworking, which allows him to succeed where his older brothers fail.
The qualities and values of the younger brothers in the stories are in stark contrast to those of their older brothers. In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, Rondel is kind and selfless, while his older brothers are greedy and selfish. The swallow rewards Rondel for his kindness by leading him to the treasure, while the older brothers are punished for their negative qualities. Similarly, in Don’t Count Your Chickens, Martin is humble and hardworking, while his older brothers are arrogant and lazy. Martin’s humility and hard work pay off in the end, allowing him to win the hand of the princess and inherit the kingdom.
The authors of the stories want readers to learn the importance of kindness, humility, and hard work through the actions of the younger brothers. The plot events in both stories show how these positive qualities lead to success, while negative qualities lead to failure. The authors use language and literary devices to highlight the contrast between the younger and older brothers, emphasizing the life lesson they want readers to take away. In the end, the characters in the stories convey the message that kindness, humility, and hard work are key to achieving success and happiness in life.