The Wise Old Lady Response

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The Wise Old Lady The Wise Old Woman written by Yoshiko Uchida in 3rd person narrative is a Japanese folktale. Long ago a cruel lord ruled a village in Japan. He decreed that anyone over 71 years old would be banished and sent to the mountains to die. Everyone was displeasured and feared the lord’s rage. Anyone who deceived the lord would suffer the consequences. Another cruel lord wanted to conquer the village unless they solved 3 difficult tasks. The story begins when a kind farmer would not desert his mother in the mountains; therefore he dug a hole in his floor where she lived for 2 years. There was, However still commotion in the village, another arrogant lord named Higa wanted to conquer their village. He haughtily said “I will spare you, if you bring me a box containing 1000 ropes of ash”. When the farmer told to his mother about this task she said “That is easy, soak a rope in salt water then dry it well. When you burn it it will keep its shape” Eventually the farmer brought the box to the lord, who rewarded him with pieces of gold. Nether the less lord Higa came back with another complicated task. They had to let a thread of silk pass through a tiny hole in a log curved seven times. Similarly the wise men shook their head in bewilderment. The farmer’s mother said, “Attach the silk rope to an ant and put sugar on the other end of the log.” The farmer was impressed by his mother’s wisdom. Again the lord commended and rewarded him. But lord Higa then wanted a drum that made sound without being beaten. The farmer ran to his mother and she said “Put a bumblebee inside the drum, as it tries to escape it will make sound.” The farmer went to the lord but this time he told the lord the truth about his mother. He thought the lord would summon his soldier but instead he realized he made a horrible mistake. He shouldn’t have banished all the old people since they are
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