A legend is a tale told to present the story of human actions in such a way that they are perceived by the audience to be true. Legends are told as if they would actually happen in real life. Two great examples of legends include El Enano and Dragon, Dragon. El Enano, a cruel and ugly creature, is mistakenly accepted as a child by a kind old lady and goes out of his way to annoy the residents of the village. Dragon Dragon, a folk tale about a mean dragon who destroys a kingdom must eventually be destroyed. However, how will he be defeated? Will the three brave young men listen to the foolish words of a wise cobbler and defeat the dragon? These legends teach us important meanings and knowledge but also offer us one of the most important concepts of a story, amusement. Let’s dive into the swirling words of a book and understand these legends a little better.
Think before you act, for a good doing results good ending while a bad doing results bad consequences. Remember when we were little children, asking, “And then? What happens to the princess/prince?” We all hoped, in our little minds, that the story would end, “Happily ever after.” Sometimes, the ending of a story isn’t always peaceful due to the actions of a character. In El Enano, the old woman was a bit too quick on thinking that El Enano was a baby, eventually making her village starve. Later in the story, however, the old woman made a good decision in listening to the fox, helping to restore her village. In Dragon Dragon, the older and middle brothers were a bit too light-headed to listen to their father, eventually failing the task and not winning the princesses hand in marriage. However, in both cases, the problem was eventually resolved, like in all stories, creating the famous “happily ever after.” Life gives us many opportunities that we can take, either carefully or carelessly, and these actions are what results a “happily ever after” or not.
Having a good moral in life allows us to be a better person with a kinder heart. A lot of times, we can evaluate ourselves through literature, and see how we can improve ourselves by reading another character’s behavior. Legends offer that type of perspective by talking about the good and bad in characters. El Enano is an evil creature with no morals. He is disgusting, rude, has no manners, and only thinks about himself. Through reading about El Enano, we can make ourselves better people by reflecting on ourselves and seeing if our personality is similar to El Enano. We may have bad manners, which we can observe and fix. We may be selfish, which is another aspect we can fix. In Dragon Dragon, we learn from the younger son to be humble and accept advice warmly. We can also learn from the good old woman to be kind, but to also not be quick on actions. Literature, in a way, offers a great perspective to morals in life. Reading legends is a great way to improve ourselves and have a better moral in life.
Legends offer many lessons and knowledgeable points that we can intake from it. Themes are the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition. Many stories have a general theme then many smaller themes connected to it. In El Enano, themes may include don’t be quick on your actions. A wrong action can cost you your life, in this case, the food of your village. We should also learn to not be greedy. El Enano was greedy and ate a burning coal and vanished. Being greedy is never a good trait to have. From the old woman, we can also learn that looks can also be misleading, a creature may look innocent, but can actually be dangerous. In Dragon Dragon, we learn to think before we act. The elder and middle brother were too careless in their plan and eventually resulted in being eaten. Obeying/listening to your elders is also really important. Their words may sound twisted but they can actually provide valuable information. Legends aren’t just bedtime stories. Legends are another lesson course you take through life. Just by reading a two page story, you can learn lots from it. Through literature like legends, you can learn many important lessons and morals.
Legends, folklore, fairy tales… all fall in the category of amusement, entertainment, knowledge, and history. Probably way back, when we were still children, we were introduced to legends. We think back to the time when we cuddled on our mother’s laps while she read us a story, the Tortoise and the Hare, King Midas, the Wooden Horse of Troy, stories that made us laugh, made us cry, and lulled us to sleep. Legends don’t only do that, amongst them, which we don't understand until we are much older, teaches lessons with a valuable meaning. Though we may feel old and silly now to go back and read these stories, legends are a form of amusement. Our ancestors told legends as bedtime stories or simply to pass time. Through El Enano and Dragon Dragon, we explore the concept of legend and the meanings behind it. We explore the good actions that lead to the good results and the bad actions that can lead to bad results. We also evaluate ourselves while reading about these tales. How we can be better and the bad traits in life. Legends offer us so much more than we think, including knowledge, history, the morals in life, and amusement.
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