Please write a thoughtful response to one or more of the readings Essay

Please write a thoughtful response to one or more of the readings - Essay Example When the swordfish started attacking and killing the people of Singapore, Sultan Padouka Sri Maharadja became utterly devastated and hopeless. He did not know how to stop the mysterious swordfish attack. His first response was to use his soldiers as barricades against the attacking swordfishes. But this strategy seems so inhumane. So a young boy suggested using banana trees as barricades. The sultan accepted the suggestion and it proved to be a wise decision. The swordfishes attacked the banana trunks, and because these trunks were solid the people were eventually protected from the swordfishes’ deadly attacks. Fortunately, the swordfishes were not merely stopped, but their long snouts were also stuck in the banana trunks. The numerous swordfishes that were caught provided food for the people. On the surface, the story seems to promote wisdom and cooperation. The swordfish attack was successfully halted due to a young boy’s wisdom and the people’s cooperation. However, the story has an underlying moral message: valuing nature and other creatures of the earth. Asians, especially ethnic groups, are environmentalists by heart. The story expresses resistance to irresponsible fishing. The angry swordfishes symbolize how nature would take revenge if people do not change their attitude toward other creatures of the planet. It shows that the damages we do to the environment will return to us tenfold; it could be even lethal. The young boy’s suggestion, on the other hand, symbolizes effective ways of taking care of the environment. Our concern for the environment will definitely pay off in the end, just like how the swordfishes became a constant food supply for the people of Singapore. The second story, Kancil and Sang Buwaya, is a fable about wisdom, or, more specifically, shrewdness. Kancil, a mouse deer, usually goes to the river to drink. However, Sang Buwaya, a crocodile, wants to eat Kancil. And so the poor mouse deer has to