In the folktales The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed and Don’t Count Your Chickens, the main characters are the younger brothers who exhibit important qualities and values that help readers understand essential lessons about life. In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, the younger brother is portrayed as resourceful and clever, which teaches the readers the value of determination and ingenuity. In Don’t Count Your Chickens, the younger brother is depicted as patient and wise, teaching readers the importance of thinking before acting and being cautious in decision-making.
The qualities and values of the younger brothers in the stories are distinctly different from those of their older brothers. In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, the older brother is portrayed as lazy and ungrateful, while the younger brother is diligent and thankful. The younger brother's willingness to work hard and use his intelligence contrasts sharply with the older brother's laziness, showing the importance of appreciating what one has and putting in effort to achieve success. Similarly, in Don’t Count Your Chickens, the older brother is impulsive and reckless, while the younger brother is patient and cautious. This contrast highlights the importance of thinking before acting and considering the consequences of one's actions.
The authors of the stories want readers to learn from the younger brothers about the importance of hard work, resourcefulness, patience, and wisdom. The plot events in the stories demonstrate how these qualities lead to success and happiness, while negative qualities like laziness and impulsiveness result in failure and unhappiness. The authors use language and literary devices such as vivid imagery and moral lessons to emphasize the significance of these values. In the end, the stories convey the lesson that hard work, gratitude, patience, and wisdom are essential qualities for achieving success and living a fulfilling life.
Ultimately, the younger brothers in The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed and Don’t Count Your Chickens serve as role models for readers, teaching them valuable lessons about life through their actions and choices. By contrasting the qualities and values of the younger brothers with those of their older siblings, the stories highlight the importance of positive traits such as diligence, resourcefulness, patience, and wisdom. Through the authors’ use of language and literary devices, readers are able to understand and internalize these lessons, leading to a deeper appreciation of the values that lead to success and happiness in life.