Essay: Tricksters and Fools of Filipino Tales

I chose to focus on the tricksters and fools for my essay. In the first story I read the Buñgisñgis was a trickster and a fool. He fooled the animals into cooking him dinner and making them feel threatened by his presence. However, the monkey in the story was also a trickster because he escaped from the Buñgisñgis a few times using his wit. The dog and the Carabao were the fools in the story, which resulted in death or being harmed. I thought this story was unique because the enemy received punishment as well.

The three brothers of fortune had a different twist. The trickster was harder to define but I would say it would have been the grandmother for allowing the boys to have different charms. By using their charms they were able to get what they wanted in life. This including trying to gain a wife. In a way Suan was also a trickster to his brothers because he was able to use the two halves of the girl to bring her back to life for himself. The boys showed selfish behavior about the girl and were possessive.  

In The Clever Husband and Wife the husband was the trickster. He believed he could fool the doctor to give him more money. Later his wife tried her own tricks as well to gain more money. In this story the doctor was the fool. He was so taken with the joke they continued to play that he kept them even when he found out about the mockery.

I did not find a specific pattern to a trickster and fool in the Filipino popular tales. Other than that there was usually more than one trickster and that they usually received pay back from the fool. In some stories the trickster and the fool appeared as the same character.  

Filipino Tales

I thought this MEME explained the fools. Picture Source

Essay: Parents of the Aesop Fables

I chose to write about the family relationships in the Aesop (Winter) Fables. An example is the Mother in The Boy and the Filberts. The mother tried to teach her son he had more than what he needed. If he would only take what he needed, then he would not feel the punishment of his hurting hand. I find this to be one of those fables I myself was taught from as a child. Often our parents tell us to “be thankful for what you have.” Another story I thought I could relate to this topic is The Boys and the Frogs, they were endangering a family of frogs and the oldest and bravest is the one that spoke up. Most people look to their father for protection and guidance. The moral of the story was to watch your actions because even though they may be fun for you, it might not be for others. I think this is another lesson we are often taught as children, to play nice with each other and be considerate of others. Another message taught by a mother was in The Boy and the Nettles. The mother did not feel sorry for her son when he was stung, which showed that he was growing up, even though the moral of the story was to do something with all of your potential. While reading the fables that had to do with parental roles I found it was often the mother that was doing the disciplinary action and the father was not in the picture. I think this is because the father was always at work during the time that the fables were written and the woman was left to maintain household duties and take care of the children. I thought it was interesting to see how things used to be perceived in family roles and how they are not the same way today. 

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