A wolf wandered across a small pasture, well outside of it’s usual territory, scavenging for any scraps of food it could find. Its prey had been scarce in recent months and as a result it had become weak and malnourished. It spotted various horses and sheep scattered along the horizon but didn’t have the strength to chase them.
(the wolf walking across a pasture, Source)
The wolf started to lose hope until it came across a farm-dog who had been working in the field. The dog curiously sniffed the wolf and gave it a look of pity, “I don’t know how you do it, not knowing when you’ll be able to eat next.” The wolf opened its mouth to reply but the dog continued speaking, “why don’t you work for humans like I do? In return they provide you with all the food you could want.” The wolf looked at the dog and realized how well-fed it was, and envied that luxury. It then nodded at the farm-dog and replied, “I would be glad to have an arrangement like that, but I don’t have an owner like you.” The dog brightened up excitedly, “oh don’t worry about that! You can live here and work alongside me! We just need to go see my owner.”
(the farm-dog, Source)
The dog then turned and headed for the town and the wolf followed. The two animals walked together in comfortable silence until the wolf noticed a patch of hair missing on the dog’s neck. The wolf couldn’t keep its curiosity at bay and asked the dog how it had happened. The dog just shrugged it off, “that? Oh it’s nothing really. It’s just where my owner puts on my collar at night to chain me up.” The wolf stared in disbelief at the dog as it kept speaking. “It rubs at your neck a little bit, but after a while you’ll get used to it.” As the farm dog walked on it didn’t realize the the wolf had stopped in its tracks and was no longer following. The dog turned and gave it a puzzled look. The wolf wanted food desperately, but not enough to be held captive. It looked at the dog quickly before leaving, “I’ve changed my mind. I can’t live like you do.” As it went back the way it came the dog called, “what are you going to do about food?” The wolf looked over its shoulder and yelled back, “I’ll figure out something.”
Author’s Note: The original story was titled “The Dog and the Wolf” and was found within the Fables of Aesop. The original was shorter than my rewrite, but they both have the same plot. Basically, a starving wolf comes across a dog who tells it about life with it’s “master” and that if the wolf works for the owner it will be fed. The wolf thinks this is a good deal at first but once it realizes that it has to be chained up at night it changes its mind. At the end of the fable it says “better starve free than be a fat slave.” Overall, I didn’t change the story much. I just added details and fixed the dialog so that it sounded more current.
Bibliography. “The Dog and the Wolf” from the Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source.
The story you chose is great because it addresses the paradox between freedom and protection. It reminds me of the civil rights and civil liberties paradox. I like the way you made the story flow. I felt as though I was walking along the dog and wolf on their journey; which can be viewed as a metaphor for the journey of life and the choices we are forced to make along the way. How much are we willing to give up for the protection we need? As a political science major I can appreciate the personal conflict of balancing the two.
ReplyDeleteWhile I like that the wolf chose his freedom over a steady stream of food, I couldn't help but feel the story was going somewhere else. When I got to the part where the wolf realized how well feed the dog was I was sure he was going to eat the dog. As they continued their journey I thought he was just bidding his time to eat the dog. Did you consider an alternative ending? It was a great way to keep the reader guessing what would happen next. I look forward to reading more of your stories throughout the semester.
I think you chose a good story to retell, and I liked the pictures you chose. The one with the dog and the sheep is so cute! And they both add a lot to your story. I think it's interesting that you chose to keep the story the same and just add more detail simply because I've chosen to modify my stories a lot. I think you did a good job though. I definitely felt like your version of the story was more current and engaging.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your version of the story. I think you've added some plausible character dialogue that adds to the story. I feel the wolf's hunger, and I get the idea that the dog is none-the-wiser about his living arrangement. The wolf really is proud of his freedom, but that might lead to his starving to death. The dog doesn't seem to mind trading a collar for a full belly. All in all I think it was a great story to retell, and you did a fantastic job.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor. Your rewrite was very nice. I wanted to keep reading. It almost felt like you could have kept going with your story in other post. I really like the lesson that was taught from this story. I felt bad for both animals. In the way of the dog being a trapped and the wolf not being able to get food or have a home. I really enjoyed your story!
ReplyDeleteI have read this story before and I enjoyed reading your rewrite. I have two farm dogs that look like the one in your picture so that made it fun for me to picture them in your story. One of my favorite things about aesop's fables is that they are usually pretty short. This allows you to add your own detail and back story in the rewriting which helps make your story unique and really your own.
ReplyDelete