MODULE 5

COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

1. Discuss some of the genres of children literature;

2. Investigate and develop resources and techniques for introducing and
sharing literature with children and young adults, and for stimulating and
extending readers’ responses to literature; and
3. Analyze the literary work giving emphasis to values and values formation.

COURSE CONTENT

Traditional Literature (cont.)

Fables

Short stories, in verse or prose, with a moral ending.  These types of

stories are credited Aesop (6th century BC), who told tales of animals and other
inanimate objects that teach lessons about life. 

Fables, like myths and epics, are also part of a great stream of folklore.

A fable is a short tale in which the chief charades are animals and
sometimes inanimate objects that act and talk like human beings. The wisdom of
the foolish acts of human beings is shown by the actions and words of the
beasts. The fable must always point a moral. Often the theme or moral appears
at the end of the story.

Sources of Fables

1. Aesop
Most of the fables have been attributed to Aesop, who was said to
have been a Greek slave. He was ugly, but cunning and clever. His skill in
making fables gained him his freedom from slavery and he even won a
high position in government.

In Greece, during the era of the tyrants, people had no freedom of

speech. The fable was largely used for political reasons, to attack the
corrupt officials. The most prominent user of the fable was Aesop.
 But this account of Aesop, of the idea that a person named Aesop
ever existed, is purely legendary.

2. Panchatantra
The Panchatantra meaning: Five Books” was composed about 200
B.C. it is the oldest known collection of Indian fables. It is the source of
many of the Aesop and the La Fontaigne fables. Under the title of Kalibab
and Dimad or the Fables of Bidpai, the stories were translated into
Persian, Arabic, and Latin. In the Latin version, they became popular
throughout medieval Europe.

3. Jatakas
Another ancient collection of Indian fables is the Jatakas. When
they originated is not definitely known. Jataka is a Buddhist name for
stories concerning the rebirth of Gautama Buddha who according to
tradition was reincarnated many times in the forms of many different
animals until he became, at last Buddha, the Enlightened One. These
beast stories were about a man living briefly as an animal, associating
with other animals. The man derives moral lessons from these
experiences.

4. La Fontaigne
Another name associated with fables is Juan de la Fontaigne, a
Frenchman who turned many of the fables of Aesop into verses.

Characteristics of Fables

1. Characters of the story are usually animals.

2. Animals are made to think, act, and talk like human beings.
3. The moral or lesson of the story is usually at the end.
4. The story is usually short.
5. Animals personify human beings.
6. The fable is full of actions and conversations.
7. Full of humor and funny situations.
8. Some have tragic and dramatic series of events.

Values of Fables

1. They give delight and enjoyment to both children and adults.

2. They teach ethical truth in an attractive manner or form.
 3. They provide background for the understanding of many new or current
expressions and allusions.
4. Some of the fables serve as a guide to good conduct on the child’s level of
experience.
5. Children enjoy the fable because of the prominent part played by animals.
6. They touch moral and spiritual sense of values.
7. They cultivate thinking and imagination.
8. They are good for storytelling and dramatization purposes.

The following are some examples of fables for children:

1. “The Lion and the Mouse”

2. “The Fox and the Crow”
3. “The Crow and the Pitcher”
4. “The Milkmaid and Her Pail”
5. “The Turtle Who Could not Stop Talking”

Proverbs and Expressions

Many well known proverbs and familiar expressions have been drawn
from fables such as the following:

1. Practice what you preach – “The Wolf and the Donkey”

2. One good turn deserves another – “The Dove and the Ant”
3. Sour grapes – “The Fox and the Grapes”
4. Example is the best teacher – “The Two Crabs”
5. Don’t be too ambitious – “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”
6. God helps those who help themselves – “Hercules and the Wagoner”
7. Don’t be greedy – “The Dog and His Shadow”
8. Look before you jump – “The Fox and the Goat”
9. Common sense is better than force – “The Wind and the Sun”
10. Don’t be boastful – “The Frog and the Ox”
11. Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today – “The Ant and the
Grasshopper”
12. Slowly but surely – “The Hare and the Tortoise”
13. When one tries to please everybody, he pleases none, not even himself –
“The Miller, His Son, and the Ass”
14. It is often much easier to suggest a plan than to carry it out – “Belling the
Cat”
15. It takes time to attain success – “The Goose With the Golden Egg”
16. Easy to get; easy to forget – “Monkey and the Barber”
 17. Be yourself if you want to be your best – “The Crow and the Partridge”
18. Your best friend can be your worst enemy – “The Turtle and the Eagle”
19. If there’s a will, there’s a way – “The Crow and the Pitcher”
20. Don’t be greedy or don’t be selfish – “The Monkey and the Turtle”

EXERCISE A: Analyzing Fables. Choose two fables to analyze getting the

values the fables contain. Cite line(s) from the fables in support to the values
listed. In addition, cite specific applications for each values.

Legends

While based in history, these stories embellish the life of a real person.
The facts and adventures of the person are exaggerated, making the individual
famous for their deeds.

A legend is a narrative that is partly true and partly imaginary about a

particular person, event, place or natural feature. It is a form of story containing
miracles and wonders handed down from generation to generation though they
are not authenticated by accepted proof. A legend is closely allied to history
although it is not verifiable.

Legends will continue to develop because man with his busy printing
presses can’t write down or preserve all the history of every person, place or
thing in the minds of future generations.

Origin of Legends

Legend came from the Latin word “Legenda” which means “for things to
read.” The term was used to designate the life story of a saint and was also
applied to portions of scriptures and selections from lives of saints to be read at
divine service. From the origin, the term legend came to be applied to any story
with or without historical background but thought to be true.

Difference between Myths and Legends

1. The myth is an interpretation of nature while a legend is the idealization of

history.
2. Myths are stories in which god, goddesses and other divinities play a part
while legends are stories of wonder or miracles not only of gods and
goddesses but about animals and other things.
3. The legend lies within one or two localities and has one or two characters
whose names and sometimes their motives change with the locality.
Myths are found everywhere in one form or another.
4. The legend is usually built into one episode on a single act of the hero.

Legendary Heroes According to Nationality

1. English Legends
a. Beowulf’s Fight with Grendel
b. Robin Hood Tales
c. How Saint George Slew the Dragon
d. King Arthur and His Sword

2. French Legends
a. Roland and His Horn

3. Scandinavian Legends
a. Sigurd’s Youth

4. Persian Legend
a. Zal

5. Spanish Legend
a. The Legend of Zid Rodrigo Diaz de Benar

6. North American Legend

a. The Legend of Paul Bunyan

Filipino Legends According to Subject

A. Legendary Heroes
a. The Legend of Lam-Ang
b. The Legend of Bernardo Carpio
B. Legends about Places
a. Legend of Gapan, Manila, etc.
b. Legend about every town and province

C. Legend about Nature

a. Legend of Mt. Makiling, Mt. Mayon, Mt. Kanlaon, Mt. Pinatubo, Mt.
Sinukuan, Mt. Paypay, Mt. Ilong-Ilong, Legend of the Pasig River, etc.
D. Legend about Plants
a. Legend of the Banana
b. Legend of the Pineapple
c. Legend of the Lanzones
d. Legend of the Macopa, etc.

E. Legend about Flowers

a. Legend of the Sampaguita
b. Legend of the Ilang-Ilang

F. Legend about Animals

a. Legend of the Smallest Fish in the Philippines
b. Legend of the First Monkey
c. Legend of the Firefly

Values of Legends in Children’s Literature

1. Legend as a source of children’s literature deals with religious facts.

Religious facts help children in strengthening their faith in God.
2. Legend deals with historical background. They awaken the consciousness
of children.
3. They develop vivid and fantastic imagination.
4. Some legends give children a moral or lesson.
5. Legends help acquaint children with the cultural phase of the country.
6. They give pleasure and enjoyment to children.

Examples of Filipino Legends

1. Dama De Noche (Lady of the Night)

2. The Firefly, Bat, Mosquito, Turtle, and Lizard
3. The Legend of Manila
4. The Legend of the Hundred Islands
5. Why the Sky is so High
EXERCISE A: Analyzing a Legendary Story. Choose one legendary story to
analyze using the format below. After analyzing the chosen story, identify the
values that can be learned from it. Cite line(s) from the story in support to the
values identified.

Format
Title
Author
Source (if known)
One-sentence character description of major characters
Statement of theme (sentence form)
Outline of story
introduction
initial incident
plot development
other incidents
______________________
climax
conclusion

Myths

Some stories have to be told as related tales to be meaningful.  Myths

portray themselves as representing a distant past.  They contain common
themes and characters, often "gods."  Myths attempt to explain the beginning of
the world, natural phenomena, the relationships between the gods and humans,
and the origins of civilization. Myths, like legends, are stories told as though they
were true.

Mythology is a body of myths describing the gods of the people, demigods

and legendary human beings in stories which involve supernatural elements. It is
the science that treats of myths.

The term myth has usually a more specialized meaning and refers to
stories in which gods, goddesses, and other pagan divinities play a part. It is a
story that explains primitive man’s idea of the origin of the universe, the
mysteries of the natural phenomena.

The purpose of the myth is to explain matters in the science of a

prescientific age. A myth remains a myth as long as the divinity of its actors is
recognized. It is associated with religious rites and beliefs.
 Evolution of Myths

The evolution of myth and religion differ from people to people. An ancient
Greek writer, Euhemerus (300 B.C.) believed that the ancient gods were
patterned after heroes who actually lived at one time.

A second theory was made by philologists or people who study the growth
of language. This study claims that man repeating things their ancestors said,
understood them in a different sense and because of that, misunderstanding
created myths.

The third theory was made by anthropologist, Emile Durheim, explained

that myths came from society as a whole. He believed that people got so excited
during their tribal festivitiesthat they thought a great power came to them from an
object in their camp. This object became a sacred emblem to the tribe.

Sources of Mythology – Greek and Roman Mythology

The Romans had no system of mythology of their own. They adopted the
mythology of the Greeks, but changed the name of the gods. The Romans and
Greeks had not only the same gods, but the same demigods.

Greeks Romans

Ruler of the heavens and

Zeus Jupiter or Jove
earth
Hera Queen of the heavens June
Poseidon God of the sea Neptune
Goddess of love and
Aphrodite Venus
beauty
Athena Goddess of wisdom Minerva
Apollo God of the sun Apollo
Goddess of moon and of
Artemis Diana
the chase
Ares God of war Mars
Messenger of Zeus and
Hermes Mercury
of Gods
Heracles Strong man Hercules
 In both mythologies, the abode of the gods and goddesses was on Mount
Olympus. The Roman names are more familiar than the Greek; the Greek names
have more beautiful sounds. The myths have come down to us in Latin writings
than in Greek.

Norse Myths

The Norse myths came from the Scandinavian countries. They are more
serious in tone and plot than the Greek myths. In the Norse stories, the ruler of
the heavens and earth is Odin, Freya corresponds to Aphrodite, Greek goddess
of love, Thor to Mars. The home of the gods was the great Hall of Valhalla in
Odin’s Palace. Odin’s maiden messengers, the Valkyries, brought the souls of
heroes slain in the battle to live forever in honor and glory in the Hall of Valhalla.

German Myths

The names of ditties in German myths differ only slightly from those of the
Norse. Odin becomes Wotan, Sigurd and Brynhild become Siegfried and
Brunhilde as in the Wagnerian operas.

Types of Myth Stories

The simples of myth stories are the “why” stories or Porquoi tales.
Examples of this type of stories are: “Why the Sunflower Turns to the Sun”, “Why
the Woodpecker Has a Red Head”, Why Arachne Was Changed into a Spider”.

The second type of myth story is the allegory or symbolic story. An

acceptable story for children is the story of “King Midas” who wanted everything
that he touched would turn into gold. He became so wealthy that even his only
daughter turned into gold.

A type of myth story deals with the ways of the gods with other gods and
with men. This is a complex type of story and is not suitable for young children.

Another type of myth story is about nature and other phenomena that is
often baffling.

Values of Myths
 1. There is a dramatic quality about myth that captures the imagination of the
poets and children.
2. Many English poems are filled with classical allusions from myths.
3. Subjects of sculpture and graphic arts are taken from the Greek and
Roman myths.
4. They furnish background for the great national epics of all countries.
5. They serve to explain the origin and meaning of many words in everyday
use.
6. They serve as an aid in the understanding of art and literature.
7. They widen our knowledge about the physical world, the history and
civilization of the times in which the stories originated and about human
nature.
8. Myths give answers to questions often asked by children concerning the
how, when, why of the ways of animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, and
other forces of nature.

However, myths are for the older children – those in Grade VI and for high
school students. Following are two examples of mythical stories.

1. King Midas (Adapted)

2. Atalanta (Adapted)

EXERCISE A: Analyzing a Myth. Read the story entitled “King Midas”. Analyze
the story using the format above. After analyzing the story, identify the values
that can be learned from it. Cite line(s) from the story in support to the values
identified.

DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS: Writing a Thought Reflection Paper. Your

fifth TRP shall focus on the topic LOVE.