Reading Notes: The Cunning Crane and the Crab, Part B

Since this is my second go around, I have developed a form of note-taking that worked really well for me last semester. I like to read through the story in its entirety and then begin to process my initial thoughts. I will usually read the story a second time and write down whatever comes to my mind. I like to do this in a bullet point format. I think this makes it easier to follow when I go back and look at the notes.

• This story focuses on the cunning ability of a crane to trick his prey
• The crane is very confident in his plan to eat all of the fish
• The fish are very gullible and begin to trust the crane that had feasted upon them for days
• The crane brought one fish to the lake and used him to manipulate the others into believing him
• This was one of the oldest tricks in the book
• It was sad to see the fish fall for the crane's trick so easily
• It was a bit foolish of the crane to eat all of the fish, as he no longer had a food source
• The crane's encounter with the crab was also interesting
• The crane is way overconfident in his plan to eat the crab
• The crane's thirst allowed the crab to take advantage of the situation
• The crab carried through with the crane's plans, but they were under the crab's terms
• It was a bit satisfying to see the crane punished for his mean acts
• I did not expect the crab to completely sever the crane's head
• In the end, the crab was more cunning and patient
• This story has a lot of potential for a retelling

I think I could create an entirely different story from this reading. I would keep the overall theme the same. However, I could create new characters and a new set of circumstances. I really enjoyed this short story. 

(A photo of a crane. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: The Cunning Crane and the Crab by W.H.D. Rouse. Source: Google Sites