I dislike being belittled.
More than anything, I dislike people marginalizing me and insulting me, as if I had made a mistake. Gods are not prone to mistakes.
My name is Jove. If this name is unfamiliar to you, don't be alarmed. I am the almighty being, ruler of both man and beast. Perhaps the name Jupiter rings a bell. I shall tell you the story of a group of frogs who had the audacity to treat me as an idiot who did not give them a sufficient leader. I can assure you that they wish they'd accepted their initial ruler.
Jupiter and Thetis by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
Source: Wikipedia
It all began a few short weeks ago. Frogs, in my opinion, do not require an outside leader ruling over them. I feel that they do a well enough job of it themselves. But for whatever unknown, asinine, reason, this one group of frogs decided that they didn't like the freedom, the independence, the ability to enjoy life as they had it. They thought they needed a ruler, a King if you will. I thought their request trivial; as I said, frogs do not require a ruler. But, to appease them, I gifted them a wise ruler, one that has been around for hundred of years: a mighty log.
Initially, they were afraid of their new king. It was much larger than them, it was broad and heavy, and so I believed that it would suffice. However, they proceeded to make a fool of me, mocking me by dancing on the log, treating my gift as a source of amusement. They chose to ignore the log and continued their lives as if the log had never been placed there. Had it been left as such, it would have pleased me, as they had their ruler, and I could focus on more important matters.
However, the gift was for naught. Shortly thereafter, they shunned my gift, and had the GALL TO ASK ME FOR ANOTHER LEADER, claiming that the log was not quite to their liking. What king of creature has the audacity to tell the almighty being that they have failed? This infuriated me, because gods are not prone to mistakes. They were going to feel my wrath, as that log was the best ruler they were ever going to get.
So what exactly did the frogs receive as their second ruler? Being the generous and fair Jove that I am, I rewarded them with a beautiful creature. That creature would be a stork. A stork filled with hunger, ready to gobble up as many frogs as he could fit in his stomach. I sat back and laughed, watching the frogs attempt to flee from the stork. After a few short days, the stork had eliminated the entire colony of frogs. Perhaps the next colony will not be so brazen to ask for a ruler. They may receive a visit from the same stork.
Frogs enjoying their stork king
Source: FablesOfAesop
Author's Note:
The story of The Frogs Desiring a King focuses on a group of frogs who desired a king, and received a log from Jove. The frogs were dissatisfied by this gift, and demanded a new king that would actually rule them and keep them in line. This story is retold from Jove's point of view, and teaches the lesson "Better No Rule Than Cruel Rule" as the frogs learned.
Source: The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs
Hi Sam! I thought the way in which you wrote your story was really good! There seemed to be a sort of sarcastic tone that I picked up on in the main character. Is that what you were kind of going for? I have not been able to read the original one yet, so it is hard for me to compare the new to the old. I liked how you told the story from one character's point of view instead of just a narrator's/outsiders' point of view. I should think about doing that in the future. Since I've never read the original, I kind of expected there to be a plot twist at the end where the stork didn't actually eat all of the frogs and perhaps the frogs would escape and hide from the King or revolt against him somehow; maybe that could be a fun addition to the ending. Great job with the story overall!
ReplyDeleteSam, I truly enjoyed reading your story, as it was the first one that I read this semester that was written by one of the characters in the story. I have to say, that I definitely might copy your approach for one of my future stories! Your story made me realize how much the narrator of the story has an impact on how much insight we get into the feelings and the personality of the narrator. You could have made Jove seem like he was a noble and kind God, but you did not, and that is what made this story interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteHey Sam! You did a great job with this story! I loved that it was written from Jove’s point of view. I’m a classics minor, so I’ve read a lot of myths and stories about Zeus/Jove/Jupiter, and I think you nailed his sarcastic, clever, and slightly vindictive nature. This is a funny and well-written play on a fable! Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Sam, I like how you twisted this fable onto its head! Writing from the perspective of Jupiter was a great idea, this really worked out nicely. I wonder what it might be like to write from the perspective of the log, who might be turned into the stork after. You also had excellent illustrations that suited the writing nicely, well done all around!
ReplyDeleteWow that's a dark twist. I love stories that take a turn for a more dreadful conclusion so I actually liked the ending! I didn't expect the Jove to be so focused on how they reacted to his gift if he was focused on so many other things, and I wish there was a bit more backstory on why he's so ill-tempered so I can understand why his reaction would be the way it was. It's a fun read though and I was glad the frogs got what they deserved!
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
ReplyDeleteI really like the beginning of your story. It’s a powerful way to start a story with those kinds of effective sentences. Those beginning sentences really showed what kind of god Jupiter is. It’s interesting to read about the story of a group of frogs. I thought those frogs certainly were courageous that they made fun of Jupiter who was a much bigger and powerful figure than they are.
Hey Sam! I just finished reading your story, and wow, what a story! I thought you did a nice job of writing the story and had a nice use of descriptive and powerful words. I also appreciated how short this story was, it wasn't drug out too long, which was nice. After reading your story, I'm interested to read the original story and compare the two. Overall, nice job!
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