Week 4 Story: The Ladybug and the Wasp

The Tortoise and the Ducks from Wikimedia

There once was a ladybug who rather enjoyed being in the spotlight. In her loveliness of ladybugs, the more spots a female ladybug has, the greater her popularity. This poor ladybug, despite her aspirations for greatness, had hardly any spots at all. All her sisters, on the other hand, had many spots and were able to garner attention from the male ladybugs on a large scale. The received all the marriage proposals and starred in all the great shows in the loveliness of ladybugs. This lack of attention made the ladybug quite upset and led her to doing something drastic in order to obtain more spots.

So as to increase her number of spots, the ladybug decided to go on an adventure. She thought that she could perhaps find someone or something who could help her gather more spots or make it appear that she had. She was crawling along a leaf in the midst of her travels when a wasp zipped along her field of view. The wasp had not yet seen the ladybug, yet she trembled in fear. Wasps were known to prey on ladybugs, and all the ladybugs in her loveliness had warned her not to go out alone on the off chance she met a wasp. She tried to crawl back down the leaf, out of sight, when the wasp spotted her.

"Hello, little ladybug. I see you are all alone. Have you been banished from your loveliness by your fellow ladybugs?" the wasp asked coolly. She darted back and forth quickly, encompassing the little ladybug.

"I have not been banished! I am merely on an adventure to obtain more spots," the frightened ladybug blurted out. She had no methods of escape at this point, and decided to be honest.

"What a coincidence, little ladybug. I just so happen to know a way you can easily have more spots. Would you like to hear of it?" she buzzed with a sweet, yet sour tone to her voice.

Feeling rather cautious, but also curious, the ladybug replied, "If you are willing to share your wisdom, I shall take it."

The devilish wasp was delighted to hear this, and thus told her how she could garner more spots. "Little ladybug, do you see this pointer on my backside? It is just the right size to decorate your body with more spots if I just dip it in a little ink. Would you like me to do this for you? It shall be quick and easy."

The young ladybug knew that wasps were dangerous, but did not know how, so she was ignorant to the lethal nature of that wasp's pointer. Due to this ignorance, she agreed after pondering it for a bit. "If you would be so kind, I'll take up your offer."

From that point, the ladybug was doomed. The wasp did as she offered, but the little ladybug did not end up with more spots. She unfortunately suffered the cruel fate of death, as the wasp stung her repeatedly and promptly ate her remains. Not even in her death did she receive the kind of attention she wanted.

"Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune".





Author's note: 

I based this little story off of one of Aesop's fables. It is loosely based on the fable "The Tortoise and the Ducks," or more specifically, the moral of that story, which I included at the end of my story. In Aesop's fable, a tortoise wants to be able to leave his home and see the world, but cannot since he is attached to his home (shell). Ducks offer to carry him, but tell him to keep his mouth closed on the stick they use to carry him, or he might fall. One duck compliments him, stirring his vanity and causing him to let go of the stick and fall to his death.

In my story, the lady bug, in a vain attempt at gathering more spots, gives into her curiosity and meets a cruel fate at the hands of the wasp. Therefore, "foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune." Furthermore, I noticed most of the stories from Aesop's Fables were told from the perspectives of animals, so in the same realm, I went with insects.

As a bit of research for this story, I looked up what a group of ladybugs was and saw that it was called a "loveliness," which I found so adorable. On the other hand. I didn't look up if wasps sting their prey. Let's pretend they do for the sake of my story!

Finally, you may have noticed that this reading is quite easy to follow and uses little advanced vocabulary. I purposely wrote it as a child's tale to mimic the writing style from Aesop's Fables. Because it is a story with a moral, it should be easy to understand. Don't trust strangers just because they promise you something you desire!

Bibliography

Aesop's Fables by Winter 

Reading Notes: Aesop (Winter) Half Unit

Yikes, I didn't get to reading yesterday, so today I am going to read half a unit and call it good. I chose from the list of units that are okay for half reading, and chose Aesop (Winter). I decided to take notes on only a few of the many stories inside this reading in order to save time.

The Tortoise and the Hare from Wikimedia

The Wolf and the Kid:

• Right off the bat, I realize that "Kid" is referring to a goat baby or child. 
• A goat child doesn't go home when he is supposed to and gets cornered by a wolf. The goat manages to trick the wolf into playing a tune, which ends up getting him caught by the dogs. Meanwhile, the goat was able to escape.
• "Do not let anything turn you from your purpose."
• I like that this story ended with an explicit statement of what the moral was. 

The Tortoise and the Ducks

• Because this is a child's story, the perspective is quite simple. For example, Tortoise did something and now he feels something as a consequence of that something. It is very easy to follow.
• Because the turtle becomes full of himself due to the flattery of other birds, I fell from a great height and died.
• "Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune."

The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox

• I believed the chicken was going to be eaten, but he turned out to be sly --even more sly than a fox. 
• Basically, the fox tried to outsmart this chicken and paid a price for it.
• "Those who try to deceive may expect to be paid in their own coin."

The Eagle and the Jackdaw

• A jackdaw tries to imitate an eagle, but it gets him in trouble. Now he has lost his freedom.
• "Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers."

The Plane Tree

• "Our best blessings are often the least appreciated."
• Remind me of the giving tree. That's a good one!
• Two people basically trash talk a tree, and the tree talks back.

The Sheep and the Pig

• This story reminds me of the concept of privilege. People are quick to forget their own position and quick to judge others without knowing their position. The sheep think it is silly of the pig to be scared, but they don't realize his fate is very different from their own.
• "It is easy to be brave when there is no danger."

The Lion and the Ass

• In this story, the lion acts like the bigger person because he realizes the Ass is below him
• "Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them."

The Wolf and his Shadow

• A wolf thinks he is better than a lion because his shadow fooled him into thinking he is bigger than one. He gets attacked by a lion in the end.
• "Do not let your fancy make you forget realities."

The Boys and the Frogs

• In this story, I am again reminded of privilege. Some of the things people enjoy doing can often mean fatal repercussions for others.
• "Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of another's unhappiness."

The Leap at Rhodes

• Basically, a man lies about how far he can jump, but the townsfolk aren't impressed. He can't jump far when asked to prove it.
• "Deeds count, not boasting words."
• Similar to the concept of actions speaking louder than words.

The Wild Boar and the Fox

• The boar recognizes the importance of preparing. It would be unfortunate to be caught in a situation you aren't equipped to handle.
• "Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace."

The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox

• The fox takes advantage of the bear and lion beating each other up to snatch the prize.
• "Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit."
• Not everyone who prospers has earned their wealth, on the other side of that wisdom.

The Lion and the Ass

• It is easy to hide behind the facade of the unknown. Just because the ass was able to scare the goats does not mean he is actually scary. The goats are just ignorant.
• "The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who know him.

The Wolf and the Ass

• Because the wolf tried to fix the ass's thorn, the donkey was able to make his escape. The wolf lost his meal due to him trying to do something he is not familiar with.
• "Stick to your trade."

The Monkey and the Cat

• The monkey tricks the cat into doing the labor of getting him chestnuts by telling her things she wanted to hear. She ended up with no chestnuts and burnt paws because she listened to the compliments of the monkey.
• "The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense."

Bibliography

Aesop's Fables by Winter