Reading Notes: Congo, Unit B
For this reading, I returned to the depths of the Congo to hear more tales about tricksters and African animals.
The Turtle and the Man
This story was interesting and quite dark, but also slightly confusing. I forgot the man was part of the story till the very end, and I wish he would have connected with the rest of the story somehow. Maybe in a retelling, I could have the leopard actually be the man in disguise, getting revenge on the tortoise for taking the best trap.
The Rabbit and the Antelope
I enjoy the idea of this story and the continuance of the trickster theme that shows up in so many of these Congo stories. However, I think the ending wasn't terribly satisfying — the antelope just kills the rabbit and the story ends. Maybe, to get justice, the antelope makes the rabbit tend his fields or dig another well all by himself (maybe he digs another well and the antelope won't let him drink from it the whole time he digs).
The Leopard and the Crocodile
I enjoyed this story — the one thought I had about it is that it could be reframed to be entirely about humans. One man seeks the services of two others only to find them growing greedier and greedier. The first would eventually trick the other two into betraying and swindling each other (though not killing one another), bringing peace back to his home.
Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898). Web source.
The Turtle and the Man
This story was interesting and quite dark, but also slightly confusing. I forgot the man was part of the story till the very end, and I wish he would have connected with the rest of the story somehow. Maybe in a retelling, I could have the leopard actually be the man in disguise, getting revenge on the tortoise for taking the best trap.
I enjoy the idea of this story and the continuance of the trickster theme that shows up in so many of these Congo stories. However, I think the ending wasn't terribly satisfying — the antelope just kills the rabbit and the story ends. Maybe, to get justice, the antelope makes the rabbit tend his fields or dig another well all by himself (maybe he digs another well and the antelope won't let him drink from it the whole time he digs).
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| Nile crocodile. Courtesy of Bernard Gagnon. Source: Wikimedia Commons. |
I enjoyed this story — the one thought I had about it is that it could be reframed to be entirely about humans. One man seeks the services of two others only to find them growing greedier and greedier. The first would eventually trick the other two into betraying and swindling each other (though not killing one another), bringing peace back to his home.
Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898). Web source.
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