Reading Notes: Great Plains, Part B
From Part B of the Great Plains unit, I found the story "Why the Possum Plays Dead" to be the most interesting. I've been enjoying the stories in this class that explain the origins of animal behavior, according to the culture, and this story was no exception. This Cherokee story is about Rabbit and Possum, two bachelors who are seeking to get married. Because they couldn't find any wives in their own village, the two agree to travel to the next village. Along the way, Rabbit moves much quicker than Possum, so he arrives first. Rabbit pretends to be a messenger from the council, sent to decree that all animals much be married immediately. So Rabbit quickly gets a wife. The other animals pair up so quickly as well that by the time Possum arrives, there are no wives left. Rabbit plays another trick on Possum by promising to go to the next village over with the same message, in the hopes that Possum can get a wife this time. But when Rabbit arrives, the message he pretends to give instead is about how a war must begin immediately. Rabbit, being speedy, escapes from the battle. But when Possum arrives unarmed to the village, the other animals attack him fiercely. In defense, Possum curls up and pretends to be dead, so that the other animals would leave him alone. Thus, to this day, Possum still feigns death whenever he is attacked.
Part of why I found this story to be so interesting was the dynamic between Rabbit and Possum. I didn't understand why Rabbit would play a trick on Possum in the first place, as they seem to be friends when the story opens. But what surprised me the most was how Possum trusts Rabbit again so quickly. If I were to retell this story, I would probably explore their friendship a little more, diving into why Rabbit wanted to trick Possum and why Possum still thought Rabbit might be trustworthy.
Bibliography: "Why the Possum Plays Dead," Great Plains unit, Katharine Berry Judson.
Comments
Post a Comment