Miriam G. Marshall
This story tells us about a King and Queen who had power, wealth, and were loved by all their subjects. However, they lacked only one thing to make them supremely happy. That was the birth of a little son, whose baby laughter would fill the halls of the palace.
One afternoon, the Queen had helped a stork from a clump of briars. Instead of flying off, it bowed before the Queen and said, “To show my gratitude for your kindness to me, I promise that within a few months you shall have what you so strongly desire.”
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Every night the Queen went to bed hoping that the next morning she would find her baby prince. One morning she heard a noise that sounded like a soft flapping of wings; she ran to the room she had prepared for the baby . . . there laid a smiling pink baby in the cradle. She grabbed him up with joy and ran to show the King. The rejoicing soon engulfed the castle; for the people loved their King and Queen and they wanted to celebrate their good fortune.
The Prince was named Prince Deseado (Desired). To celebrate his birth, the King ordered that a great feast be prepared in which the poor people of the Kingdom might join with the rich, so that all might rejoice together.
The King and Queen begged the Fairy of Kindness to be the godmother of their little son and she consented, giving the baby many lovely gifts. She said, “I have bestowed upon your son the gifts of valor, intelligence, and kindness; but it is
you
, his mother and father, who must develop these in him. Bad training can kill even the best natural inclinations. I shall return sometime when you least expect me; and if, with too much indulgence, you have destroyed the gifts which I now give him, I shall punish you as you deserve!”
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With this the fairy godmother disappeared.
As time went on, the baby grew more beautiful and more intelligent. Because of this, he heard nothing but praise, and it began to awaken in the Prince vanity and pride.
The King and Queen were blind to these developing traits because they loved him so much. They never thought of scolding him or contradicting him in any way. It wasn’t long before this good and lovable child turned into a horrid creature that no one could go near. He was nicknamed Prince Irascible.
The Prince grew and as time went on he became more and more unendurable because of his violent character. He would beat his animal friends, his servants, his tutor, and anyone that would not let him have his way immediately. Not even the people he liked were free from his cruelty.
Each day his fiery temper got worse; and each day the petting and indulgence of his parents was increased. They remained blind to his faults.
One afternoon the King and Queen were holding court in the throne room. Suddenly they saw their son approaching with the Fairy of Kindness, whom they recognized instantly.
The Fairy of Kindness wanted to know if this was the way the King and Queen had fulfilled their promise. She continued to say that out of a noble, good, and generous son, they had turned him into an insufferable being who would disgrace them as well as the kingdom. The King and Queen had failed as parents and were to loose their son until he could show repent and change his conduct.
The third chapter entitled “The Punishment” tells of his suffering the same way he had made others suffer. He was to suffer until he learned the truth of those divine maxims which say: Do not do to another that which you would not wish done to you. It will be measured unto you with the same measure that you have measured unto others. The only thing that could save him was real repentance and good actions on his part. And so it was.
The fourth chapter continues to describe his suffering and his good deeds to others. The chapter ends with the appearance of Fairy of Kindness who informs him that he has corrected his conduct and she would return him to his castle.
Chapter five is the triumphant return after eight years. The astonished court watched this marvelous scene in silence, until they saw approaching the Fairy of Kindness, with her at her side a her side a handsome Prince, whom they recognized at once. The happiness of the good Queen and King knew no bounds. They never tired of embracing and admiring their son.
The fairy godmother left them with one thought in the end....This great change that has taken place in him because he has learned to think of others before thinking of himself. And may his lesson serve to show you that to bring happiness to your children and to yourselves you should train them with firmness, never with weakness.
And once again, Prince Deseado, completely corrected was the joy of his parents and of all their subjects.
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The following folktale has been taken from
The Three Wishes—A Collection of Puerto Rican Folktales
by Ricardo E. Alegria and translated by Elizabeth Culbert. The story I chose is called “The Three Wishes”.
This short Puerto Rican folktale takes place in the days the saints walked on earth. There was a woodsman and his wife who were very poor but very happy in their little house in the forest. Poor as they were they were always willing to share their food with anyone who was hungry. Their love for each other was enough to keep them content. Each evening before eating, they gave thanks to God for their happiness.
One after while her husband worked in the woods, an old man appeared at their house. He told the woodsman’s wife he had not eaten for days and was very hungry. As always, she shared a generous portion of food with the stranger. After he ate everything, he informed her that he was sent by God to test her strength and as a reward for her kindness she and her husband would be granted three wishes beginning immediately. She became so overjoyed that she replied, “Oh, if my husband were only here to here what you say!”
No sooner had the last word left her lips when the woodsman appeared in the little house with the ax still in his hands. He just stood there in shock while his wife explained it all as she embraced him.
Suddenly, for the first time he became angered at his wife. He called her stupid because she had already used up the first wish. The desire for the three wishes changed his personality and shouting he yelled, “You’ve wasted one of our wishes and now we have only two left! May you grow ears of a donkey!” And she did.
When the woman put her hand up and felt them, she knew what had happened and began to cry. The woodsman was ashamed and sorry for what he had done, and hugged his wife to comfort her.
Now, the old man had been observing what was happening, and walked over to them and said, “Until now, you have known happiness together and have never quarreled with each other. Nevertheless, the mere knowledge that you could have riches and power has changed you both. Remember you have only one wish left. What do you want? Riches? Beautiful clothes? Servants? Power?
The woodsman looked at his wife with love and understanding and said, “We want only the happiness and joy we knew before my wife grew donkey’s ears.”
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And the donkey ears disappeared. They then asked for God’s forgiveness for having acted out of covetousness and greed and they gave thanks for the happiness they possessed.
Before leaving the old man told them they had undergone this test in order to learn that there can be unhappiness in riches. As a reward for their repentance, God would bestow upon them the greatest happiness a married couple can know. And before a year passed, a son was born to them.
Needless to say, the family lived happily the rest of their lives.
Meaning is what reading is all about; and when students are aware that what they read or heard relates to their own lives, this has powerful meaning, indeed. For example, in the
Three Wishes
, the students also come from poor families just like the woodsman and his wife. The story can show us alternatives to our life... what if the woodsman had wished for riches at the expense of his wife’s happiness? How would that effect their relationship?
Comprehension Skills Through Interpersonal Process
using the fairy tales as a supplemental Reading Program.
Sample Activities for Discussion that can apply to the stories you choose to use for your students: (The comprehension skill being taught will appear in parentheses after the question.)
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1. Name one mood each story character felt, then list the things that make you feel the same way. (Characterization)
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2. Choose one event from the story. How do you think each character felt about that event? (Characterization)
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3. If we were to produce a class play based on this story, which character do you think you would be best suited to play? Give reasons for your choice. (Characterization)
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4. If you had a chance to spend a day with one of the characters, which one would it be? What would you want to happen that day? (Characterization)
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5. Choose one of the main characters that gets into trouble. What gets him/her in trouble? (Recall)
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6. Find a classmate who has read the story and ask him or her four questions about the story. Make up questions that will show whether her/he really read the story carefully. (Recall)
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7. From memory, retell or rewrite a part of the story that interested you most. (Recall)
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8. Cut out three pictures of people showing emotions. Think of a one-word caption that captures the main idea for each picture. (Main Idea)
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9. Name as many times in the story as you can when story characters felt one way inside and showed a different feeling on the outside. (Making Inferences or Conclusions)
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10. How would some of the members of your family feel if you acted like some of the characters in the story? (Making Inferences or Conclusions) -
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11. If you lived at the time of this story, what problems might you have? How would your life change? What would you need to know? (Making Inferences or Conclusions)
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12. Why is life in the book’s setting different from your own? Think of at least three good reasons. (Making Inferences or Conclusions)
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13. Where in the story did the character use good judgment? Poor judgment? (Making Inferences or Conclusions)
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14. List the changes that the main character goes through in the story from beginning to end? (Sequence)
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15. Make a comic strip about a time you felt you accomplished something. (Sequence)
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16. Choose one of the characters in the story. Tell how he/she felt at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story. (Sequence)
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17. Write about the important events or landmarks, both good or bad, that have happened to you in your life. (Sequence)
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18. Explain or write the steps you took to solve a problem in your life. (Sequence)
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19. Make up a list of words or phrases from the story that caused you to smile, laugh, chuckle, or otherwise enjoy the humor you read. (Understanding Humor)
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20. Make a list of words you feel describe one character in the story. (Word Meaning)
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21. If you can change one part of the story, which part would it be? (Analysis)
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22. Choose a character in the book. Was this person good or bad? Why do you think so? (Analysis)
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23. Think about three story characters who are your favorite? Do these characters have anything in common? Does this tell you anything about yourself? (Analysis)
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24. If you had three wishes, what do you think you would wish for? Do they differ from what the character in the story wished for? (Comparing and Contrasting)
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25. Has anyone every treated you the way the main character in the story was treated? (Comparing and Contrasting)
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26. Look at a title of a book. Guess what the story is about from the title. Check to see if you are right. (Comparing and Contrasting)
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27. Take a good look at your friends; what do they have in common? (Comparing and Contrasting)
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28. Here are some key words about an incident in today’s story. (Give the students three key words.) Locate the event in the story and be ready to read it to us. (Locating Details)
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29. Write a story or poem or a letter to the teacher about some time when your feelings were hurt or ignored, or when you felt inadequate. (Analyzing Self)
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30. Write something about a person who is important to you. (Creating Original Material)
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31. Make a collage about yourself from words, pictures, and the like that you find in newspapers, comic books, magazines, or drawings. (Creating Original Material)
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32. Design a puppet that you feel can speak for you. (Creating Original Material)
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33. As a class project, design a bulletin board on the theme of the fairy tale. (Designing)
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34. Write down six good things about yourself. (Creative Thinking—Evaluation)
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35. Choose one character from the story. Write a new story about him/her. (Creative Thinking-Divergent)