One day the fox spotted a vine lying on the ground.
"I wonder what this vine is doing here." He mumbled to himself and decided to investigate where the vine led to. So he followed the trail and a short while later, he found himself at the edge of a clearing where the vine led up one of the tallest trees that surrounded the clearing. As the fox looked up at the tall tree, he spotted a bunch of grapes that were at the perfect point to be eaten.
"Now I bet those grapes will make the perfect afternoon snack. I just have to get figure out how to get them down." He said as he determinedly stared at the grapes. "I know! I can just jump for the grapes! Yes they are high but I am as fit as a fiddle and certainly can reach them." He then bent all four legs and prepared to jump as high as he could to reach the grapes. The first try was not successfully. "Gosh darn it! Just out of reach. Maybe if I get some momentum going, I will be able to reach them."
And with that he set off to give himself ample running space. Once he reached a point that he determined was the appropriate distance, he turned and ran as fast as he possibly could towards the tree. He jumped and reached out his neck for the grapes as far as he possibly could. But alas, he was not able to reach them.
"Maybe I can reach it if I try again," he pondered. So he tried again, and again, and again, and again. But every time, he was unable to reach the grapes.
Finally he decided to give up. "What's the point? I will never be able to reach those grapes. And anyways, they are most likely past being ripe. So they would be sour and not even worth eating." And with that, he turned around and headed back to his little home in the woods to settle in for a nice cozy evening.
Author's Notes: This is based off of the fable The Fox and The Grapes. The story is from the book Aesop's Fables written by Anonymous and illustrated by Milo Winter. The story is as follows:
"A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.
The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.
Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.
'What a fool I am,' he said. 'Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.'
And off he walked very, very scornfully."
I decided to make this story my own by taking a look at who the fox was and what his thinking behind getting the grapes was. I wanted to make the fox seem more like a likable character instead of the cunning fox, that we all picture whenever the character of a fox is used in the story.
I liked how you took the story and made it your own without completely changing it. As I was reading your story, I could picture the poor little fox trying to reach those grapes. You certainly accomplished your goal of making the fox seem less cunning and more likable (I really wanted him to reach those grapes). The picture that you used also helped with making the fox likable. The story was cute, just like the animated picture of the fox you used.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love that you used this story about the fox, and I agree that making the fox more likable makes the story more engaging to the reader. I, too, wanted the fox to succeed! Second, I love the way you approached your changes to the story. Trying to get inside the mind of the fox is such a unique approach to rewriting the story! I might use that in a future assignment!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your storytelling of the Fox and the Grapes. I had never heard of that story before. The illustration you found was very cute and was a great addition to the story. The vine adaptation was interesting. I just do not really understand its correlation to the grapes. I understand that it leads him there but once he gets there the vine is totally forgotten. It seems like a dangling plot point that in the end is unnecessary. Like I said, the idea of something leading the fox to the grapes is a good idea it just needs more follow through. I really thought your introduction was great. It was a very good background of the main character (the fox). Initially I did not like the ending but once I read the originally story I realized that was the ending. Honestly I liked that you added the “nice cozy evening”. It makes the story less unfinished. Good job!
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