The Sacred Turtles of Kandavu A Fijian Legend 1. What is a legend? A legend is a very old story or set of stories from ancient times about famous events or persons. These stories are not always true . 2. Where does the story “The Scared Turtles of Kandavu” take place? The legend of the sacred turtles of Kandavu takes place in the Fijian island of Namuana. 3. Fiji: Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago (group of islands) of more than 300 islands. It's famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. 4. How, according to the legend, did the warriors of Kadavu save themselves a long journey by sea? The Fijian islands are surrounded by sea. The legends says that the warriors of Kadavu saved the time for a long journey by sea, by sliding their canoes on rollers up over the na...
His First Flight
Liam O’ Flaherty
What is the theme of the story?
“The Young seagull was afraid to make his first flight. Though his parents
encouraged him, threatened to starve him, he would not fly. He thought his wing
would not support him and the fall from the ledge would kill him. Though he had
the inborn ability and skill to fly and swim, he would not dare to do it. He
lacked self-confidence. At the end it took a bit of deception from his mother
who coaxed him with a piece of fish, to make him leap into the air. Though we
are born with wing, and born to fly, we often lack the will, courage, self-confidence
and motivation to fly. Often, it is necessity that makes us achieve our
potential.
What is your impression of the reaction of
the parents in the story?
Parents have a major role
in the growth of their children. They are the ones who foster, nurture and
train their children grow up and become independent. They provide for physical
and financial protection as well as mental and moral growth. Parents are the
reason why children grow up safely in this world. It is the motivation and
inspiration they give to children which make them rise up the ladder of life.
To a bird, whose life
purpose is to fly high and find food for survival a parent must make sure that
the young bird must learn the art of flying at the earliest. A young bird
cannot depend forever, on the support of parents, to provide it with food and
security.
The family in this story
is the perfect example of the characteristics mentioned above. They inspire,
motivate and promote him. They give the first ‘push’. They love the young
seagull, and when he backs out, they show him anger. The mother is wonderful;
she doesn’t give up until her son makes his first flight. The father and
siblings too take part in every need of his. The family enjoys together when he
flies and catches food.
The young seagull’s real problem was ‘Fear’. ‘Fear’ in many forms.
Firstly, he has no self-confidence. He thinks more of his negatives and
disabilities, than his qualities and abilities. He also compares himself with
his siblings. Secondly, he fears that he will fail. “FAILURE” is something he can’t
accept. His ego doesn’t allow it. So, he cannot make the big leap which will
enable him to fly. He is not able to see the bright side of making the initial
step to success. Thirdly, he is judgmental. He has formed a vision that his
wings will not support him to fly. He is not willing to try and do so. So, we
can infer that his crisis is actually a mental crisis.