Learning Materials Text 1 To make your understanding of Fable texts better, read the texts and do the tasks underneath. THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLE 1 (Wollio, Cen. Sulawesi) Once upon a time there was a heavy down pour that made rivers overflow their banks. So a monkey and a turtle agreed to go 1 to the river to pick up rampe (things brought by the flood) from the stream. When they arrived at the river, they found a banana trunk drifting along the river. They picked up the banana trunk and then divided it between them to grow in their fields. The monkey thought it would be better if he took the upper half of the trunk so that it could grow easily and yield fruit sooner than the lower half of it because the upper half was closer to where the bananas were. The monkey then gave the lower half to the turtle 1 and together they went directly home to plant their shares. Everyday the monkey came to the turtle s field asking how his lower half grew and how many leaves it had. The turtle 2 answered. Quite dense, I guess! And how is your upper half, Monkey? Well, it withered, answered the monkey. Days went by and almost everyday the monkey asked the 3 turtle about his lower half. And the turtle always answered, Denser and denser! On the contrary, the monkey always ansewered, Withered and winthered! At last, the monkey s upper half stopeed growing, while the lower half of the turtle began to bear fruit. Soon the turtle s bananas were ripe enough to harvest, but the turtle could not climb the banana tree to pick the fruit. So he sent for the monkey to help him climb the banana tree and pick the bananas.
When the monkey got to the top of the tree, he began to pick ripe bananas, peeled them one by ne and ate them greedily. The monkey went on eating, while the turtle was watching him from below. He got no bananas whatsoever from the monkey even after he begged him kindly. 4 Pass one or two to me, Monkey! Wait! Let me finish tasting all of them first! The turtle went on asking for the bananas but the monkey only dropped the banana skins for his friend. This scene went on and on until the turtle got angry since his right was denied by the monkey. Then the turtle left the place. On his return, he brought with him several pieces of sharp-pointed 5 6 bamboos. He stuck the bamboo pieces upright on the grass around the banana tree, and said, Hey Monkey! When you get down, remember not to jump upon the grassless part of the field because you might be bitten by the king s watchdogs. Please jump on the grass! Having eaten up all turtle s bananas, the monkeys jumped down on the grassy area shown by the turtle and... what happened then? The bamboo stakes, prepared by the turtle, worked and the monkey was stabbed right through his belly and died. The turtle immediately took along bamboo to catch the monkey s blood flowing from the wound and then he carried it on his shoulder. The turtle walk along the streets singing, offering his merchandise... Who wants to buy some sugar, please 7
As the turtle passed by the palace, the king heard his singing and asked his man to send for the turtle since he wanted to buy the sugar. When the turtle came before the king and showed his sugar, the king bought it. But, when the king was about to pay the turtle refused to receive the money. He wanted the king to give him a gong in exchange for the sugar. The king agreed to the turtle s demand and gave the turtle a gong. Having received the gong, the turtle went on his way to sell the sugar. All along his way he beat the gong while singing his song. 8 Gong... gong... gong... gong... Eat,... eat up the bones of your fellow man Drink,... drink up the blood of your fellow man. The turtle went on singing all along the street. And when the king heard this song, he realized that he had been deceived by the turtle in buying his sugar. The king asked his man to send for the turtle again. When he came before the king, the trutle confessed that he had actually sold the king monkey s blood instead of sugar. The king got angry at what the turtle had done to him. Unjustly he 9 decided to sentence the turtle to death by beheading. The turtle accepted the sentence, but he had a request to propose, I accept the king s decision, but should the punishment be executed, I want my head cushioned on the king s thighs. This request was granted by the king. The punishment was executed in front of the people, attended by all knights, ministers, and governors of the kingdom. The turtle was laid upon the king s thighs. The executioner was ready with his long sharp sword, which was shining in the sun. As he was about to chop the turtle s head, immediately the turtle withdrew his head inside the shell. What happened then? The sword surely cut the king s thighs off and killed him. 10
This story ended with the death of the greedy monkey and of the unjust king. 11 (M. Arief Mattalitti and other, Sastra Lisan Wolio (Jakarta: PPDPB, DPDK, 1985) Task 1 Fill in the story elements of The Monkey and The Turtle in the following table. Setting Character Events Resolution Conclusion Text 2 THE STAG AND THE WATER One day a stag stood by the side of a pond. He looked at himself in the water. My antlers are so beautiful! he said. They are so long and graceful. I wish I could the rest of my body was as nice. But look at my ugly legs! They are so thin. I don t like them at all. Just then he heard some dogs. He could hear the hunters on their horses. He ran away. His long legs jumped over the branches and dead trees. Soon he had left the dogs and the men far behind. Then he went into 1 2 the woods to hide. But his antlers got caught on some branches. He pulled and turned. But he could not get away. As the hunters came closer, he said, What a fool I was! My antlers made me so proud. Now they will cause my death. I thought my legs were so ugly. But they were the only things that could have saved me. 3 Sometimes the things we like most are not good for us. And something we don t like, we need.(moral value) Task 2 Fill in the story elements of The Stag and The Water in the following table. Setting Character Events Resolution Conclusion
Text 3 THE ORIGIN OF A COUNTRY CALLED MINANGKABAU (Minangkabau, West Sumatera) A ship came from the sea carrying a buffalo with long horns. The ship anchored and the buffalo landed at a hill Bull Gombak, and then it was bathed in a river called Sungai Emas, and after that the ship passed along the foot of a hill called Bukit Batu Patah. So the buffalo was taken outside; its length was fifteen fathoms, its bulk eight fathoms, its horn six fathoms. Then the skipper said to Datuk Ketumanggungan and Datuk Perpatin nan Sabatang as well as to all the people of the country, Would you, all the people gathered here, like to make a bet by having our buffaloes fight? In case my buffalo is defeated, all my ship will belong to you, Then Datuk Perpatin nan Sabatang and Datuk Ketumanggungan as well as dignitaries and all of the intelectual expressed their common view. Let s hold it after seven days. They were going to look for a young buffalo which was still sucking milk from its mother. Meanwhile they made an iron support having nine branches with six apexes. Before the seven days elapsed, during the night the young calf was not given the oppurtunity to be suckled by its mother. On the mouth of the thirsty
6 calf they fixed the iron support mentioned above. All men and women went out of their houses to watch the fight. The big buffalo was driven to the large field, while the young buffalo was released and also driven to the center of the field. At once the young buffalo hurried up toward the big buffalo to suck milk to quench its thirst, but in so doing, it attacked with its iron support the belly of the big buffalo; and the young buffalo won the game. How ashamed the skipper was. He abandoned all his ships and he went back to the sea; he left a acock behind. Then all the inhabitants of Nature throughout the county came to an agreement to call the place Pulau Perca (the island of rubber). At present it is called Minangkabau, and up till now the name has not been changed. Task 3 Fill in the story elements of The Origin of A Country Called Minangkabau in the following table. Setting Character Events Resolution Conclusion