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 The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, the main characters are the swallow and the pumpkinseed, two brothers who possess contrasting qualities. The younger brother, the swallow, is kind, generous, and willing to help others in need. On the other hand, the older brother, the pumpkinseed, is greedy, selfish, and unwilling to share. In Don't Count Your Chickens, the younger brother is hardworking, patient, and cautious, while the older brother is lazy, impulsive, and careless. The life lesson or important value that the younger brothers in both stories help readers understand is the importance of kindness, humility, hard work, and patience.
The qualities and values of the younger brothers in the stories are starkly different from those of their older brothers. In The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed, the swallow is selfless and does not hesitate to save others, while the pumpkinseed only thinks of himself and is ultimately punished for his greed. Similarly, in Don't Count Your Chickens, the younger brother meticulously follows his father's advice and is rewarded for his diligence, while the older brother ignores the warnings and suffers the consequences of his recklessness. The younger brothers demonstrate that humility, hard work, and prudence lead to success, while selfishness, laziness, and impulsivity lead to failure.
The authors of the stories want readers to learn that positive qualities and values such as kindness, humility, hard work, and patience are virtues that should be cultivated. The plot events in both stories reinforce the idea that good deeds are rewarded and bad behavior is punished. Through the authors' use of language and literary devices, readers are able to see the consequences of the characters' actions and the importance of making the right choices in life. In the end, the younger brothers serve as role models for readers, showing them the path to success through positive qualities and values. The lesson that the characters in the stories convey to readers is that kindness, humility, hard work, and patience are key to achieving success and happiness in life.