Task 3: Reading Literature
You will read a Japanese folktale by Matsuo Basho entitled
*The Aged Mother". As you read the parts of the story, identify
your reaction to the events by encircling the emoji that represents
your feelings.
Folktale is a story that
parents have passed on
to their children through
speech over many years.
(Cambridge.org)
It is a tale that grew out of
the lives and imaginations
of the people or folk.
(www2.nkfust.edu.tw
relieved
worried
sad
happy
angry
Long time ago there lived at the foot of the mountain a poor famer and his aged,
widowed mother. They owned a bit of land which supplied them with food, and they were
humble, peaceful, and happy.
Shinano was governed by a despotic leader who though a warrior, had a great and
cowardly shrinking from anything suggestive of failing health and strength. This caused him to
send out a cruel proclamation. The entire province was given strict orders to immediately put to
death all aged people. Those were barbarous days, and the custom of abandoning old people to
die was not uncommon.
happy
relieved
worried
sad
angry​