The Tales of the Malay People - Book Report/Review Example

Running Head: Global Asia Study A Reflection on the Tales of the Malay People Essay Submission The tales of the Malay people clearly show the value that the culture espouses. Some of these important values that were represented in the six stories are wisdom, morality, empathy, and cooperation. But most importantly, these stories embody the essence of morality through imaginative portrayals of the battle between good and evil. These remarkable tales enrich the imagination with essential symbolic messages about how the world works and how to correctly respond to challenges. The first story, The Swordfish Attack, does not only represent morality, but also wisdom, and cooperation. When the swordfish started attacking and killing the people of Singapore, Sultan Padouka Sri Maharadja became utterly devastated and hopeless. He did not know how to stop the mysterious swordfish attack. His first response was to use his soldiers as barricades against the attacking swordfishes. But this strategy seems so inhumane. So a young boy suggested using banana trees as barricades. The sultan accepted the suggestion and it proved to be a wise decision. The swordfishes attacked the banana trunks, and because these trunks were solid the people were eventually protected from the swordfishes’ deadly attacks. Fortunately, the swordfishes were not merely stopped, but their long snouts were also stuck in the banana trunks. The numerous swordfishes that were caught provided food for the people. On the surface, the story seems to promote wisdom and cooperation. The swordfish attack was successfully halted due to a young boy’s wisdom and the people’s cooperation. However, the story has an underlying moral message: valuing nature and other creatures of the earth. Asians, especially ethnic groups, are environmentalists by heart. The story expresses resistance to irresponsible fishing. The angry swordfishes symbolize how nature would take revenge if people do not change their attitude toward other creatures of the planet. It shows that the damages we do to the environment will return to us tenfold; it could be even lethal. The young boy’s suggestion, on the other hand, symbolizes effective ways of taking care of the environment. Our concern for the environment will definitely pay off in the end, just like how the swordfishes became a constant food supply for the people of Singapore. The second story, Kancil and Sang Buwaya, is a fable about wisdom, or, more specifically, shrewdness. Kancil, a mouse deer, usually goes to the river to drink. However, Sang Buwaya, a crocodile, wants to eat Kancil. And so the poor mouse deer has to think of ways to trick Sang Buwaya and avoid being eaten. Kancil is thus far successful in tricking Sang Buwaya. Never did the crocodile catch the shrewd Kancil. This story promotes not only wisdom, but also the importance of getting what we want in a moral way. Kancil, being powerless over the hungry Sang Buwaya, does not have a choice but to use the only advantage he has over the crocodile—his wit. This applies to the real world. Our world is full of predators, waiting to lunge at us at times of our weakness. If we are faced with an insurmountable adversary, we should always use our wisdom to overpower it. But this wisdom should be used morally, not in an exploitive manner. We should follow the example of Kancil. In order to obtain all the things he needs to survive, he developed ways to avoid the voracious Sang Buwaya. Kancil did not harm the crocodile in any way. Kancil survived without harming anyone, even his enemy. The third story, Kancil and Sang Harimau, resembles the fable about Kancil and Sang Buwaya. Here, Kancil also used his cleverness to avoid being eaten by the tiger Sang Harimau. But unlike in the case of Sang Buwaya, Sang Harimau here was harmed several times by Kancil’s shrewdness. Sang Buwaya and Sang Harimau are both carnivorous predators, and it is in their nature to hunt meat for food. This is where ‘empathy’ comes in. There are times that we should understand the plight and needs of other people. Not because they appear evil or unacceptable to us we have the right to treat them badly or respond to them negatively. Sometimes these people have a valid reason to be what they are. We should learn to empathize. What Kancil did to Sang Harimau is unethical. We should not take advantage of other people’s foolishness. Rather, we should help them achieve a greater understanding of their own selves. Similarly, in the story Kancil and the Big Hole, irresponsible use of wisdom has been depicted. Kancil tricked the elephant, the buffalo, and the goat to jump into the hole in order to save himself. This is also true in the real world. Sometimes people use other people or take advantage of others’ weaknesses to get what they need or to save themselves from harm. This is obviously an immoral act. ‘Crab mentality’ is a perfect example of this. Crab mentality is a habit of dragging down people who are successful in life. Some people feel good when others are miserable. The crab mentality habit should be avoided at all costs. The last two stories, which are about two friends, Pak Pandir and Pak Kadok, depict the funny side of foolishness. The stories illustrate how the foolishness of these two characters brought too much inconvenience to their wives. Pak Pandir and Pak Kadok seem naturally foolish, and not because they are lazy or anything. But being lazy does not automatically imply being foolish, and this is justified by the story of Zeej Choj Kim, the Lazy Man. In fact, being lazy sometimes encourages innovation and creativity. The tales of the Malay people carry the reader into other dimensions that are filled with mystery, marvel, humor, and peril. These stories encourage the reader to understand the imaginary world, to explore it, and to envision himself or herself in these fantasy worlds. These stories challenge our moral values or, more particularly, challenge us to evaluate our lives, especially how we treat other people, how we manage our natural resources, and how we use our talents and knowledge for the good of others. Read More