Reading Notes: Crane and the Crab

 READING NOTES: THE CUNNING CRANE AND THE CRAB

While reading through the stories provided, the one that caught my attention the most was, The Cunning Crane and the Crab, written by W. H. D Rouse. The set of scenery really grabbed my attention. I like how the writer used describing words that allowed my mind to teleport to the described landscape. I enjoyed the personalization that the writer gave the animals, almost as if they were actual people. 

When the Crane began having a conversation with the fish, it almost felt like I was reading a children's book (in a good way). I like how I was able to understand the social status of the characters from the third paragraph, where the writer describes the fish's anxious feeling of leaving the small pool because Crane's never do anything nice. The use of similies is a writing technique that left my mind, but this story refreshed me once Rouse began comparing the animals to other behaviors that are commonly seen on Earth. I thought it was cute how all of the fish were waiting for the crane to take them to the new lake-- It reminded me of Finding Nemo for whatever reason. I found the wording of the events that led to the one-eyed fish to be humorous. I think the writer did a good job of creating humor out of a sad occurrence, and the deception in the Crane's tone was very clever. This quote stood out to me for numerous reasons, "People who try to deceive others often pay for it themselves, and that is what happened to the Crane" (Rouse). One is that karma is not our friend and two that I can relate it to my own life experiences. When people try to deceive others in order to get something out of the situation, they are oftentimes let down, and it comes back to bite them in the future. It was surprising that the character who came in last is the one who ended up being the main character. The whole time, I thought the Crane would be the survivor, then the crab showed up and changed the story! This was a great writing technique. 

I think a subtle hint of humor, relatability, and imagination is key to a great story. 

"Crane" from Flickr