The Old Man and Death
An old labourer, bent double with age and toil, was gathering sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired and hopeless that he threw down the bundle of sticks, and cried out: "I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would only come and take me!"
As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said to him: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me."
"Please, sir," replied the woodcutter, "would you kindly help me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.
Image Information: a photo with the title of the story. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons.
There was once an old labourer who live on the countryside. The man owned a large farm in which he had much cattle and crops among many other resources that contributed to his success. He had a beautiful family and an all around beautiful life. Many would consider him to be a lucky man that gets everything for which he wishes.
"Please, let me have a bountiful harvest this year," the old labourer requested. And just like that his wish was granted. That year he produced the biggest harvest he had ever produced in his lifetime. The man had gotten used to all of his success and did not seem to mind receiving everything for which he wished.
The old man was not just simply a farmer. He also worked in the forest nearby his cottage to gather wood to sell for firewood. The man had done this task since he was just a young boy; every single day, the man would trek out to the forest.
One day, the old man was working in the woods just as he had all the days of his life. He worked in the forest his entire life chopping down trees for firewood and gathering sticks. His job was hard work and the labor had started to grow hard on him over the years. As his body grew old and tired, he could feel his work becoming more difficult.
"Please, let me have a bountiful harvest this year," the old labourer requested. And just like that his wish was granted. That year he produced the biggest harvest he had ever produced in his lifetime. The man had gotten used to all of his success and did not seem to mind receiving everything for which he wished.
The old man was not just simply a farmer. He also worked in the forest nearby his cottage to gather wood to sell for firewood. The man had done this task since he was just a young boy; every single day, the man would trek out to the forest.
One day, the old man was working in the woods just as he had all the days of his life. He worked in the forest his entire life chopping down trees for firewood and gathering sticks. His job was hard work and the labor had started to grow hard on him over the years. As his body grew old and tired, he could feel his work becoming more difficult.
After many long hours in the field one afternoon, the old man grew so tired and hopeless that he threw down the bundle of sticks he was holding, and cried out: "I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would only come and take me!"
As soon as his words left his mouth, Death appeared before him. He had never met Death before but it was always what he imagined it would be. Death was dark and a mere grisly skeleton. Finally, Death spoke to the man and said: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me."
The old man replied, "Why, yes! Would you kindly help me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"
Death responded, "No, for you have called my name and anyone who calls my name must come with me."
"I was only exaggerating," pleaded the woodcutter, "I love my life and do not wish for you to take me from my family and loved ones!"
"If you love your life then you should have made sure not to mention my name," said Death.
The man responded "Yes, I shall be sure to never say thy name in the future until I am ready to leave this earth and join you."
"My name has already been said," replied Death, "I must take you with me now and let you be a lesson to teach others to be careful for what they wish."
And before the old man could say another word, Death whisked him away; never to be seen again.
How sorry would we be if ALL of our wishes were gratified.
Author's Note: The original story was about an old labourer who does his work in the woods picking up sticks. One day, he grows very tired and wishes that Death would take him. However, when Death greets him, he simply asks for help doing his work. The moral of the story is that we should be careful what we wish for because it may be terribly bad if we get what we want. I decided to stick with the main theme of the story but add a plot twist where Death still decides to take the old man anyway. I also added in some more background to the man's life and added in the fact that he was used to reaping positive benefits as a result of his wishes.
The man responded "Yes, I shall be sure to never say thy name in the future until I am ready to leave this earth and join you."
"My name has already been said," replied Death, "I must take you with me now and let you be a lesson to teach others to be careful for what they wish."
And before the old man could say another word, Death whisked him away; never to be seen again.
How sorry would we be if ALL of our wishes were gratified.
Author's Note: The original story was about an old labourer who does his work in the woods picking up sticks. One day, he grows very tired and wishes that Death would take him. However, when Death greets him, he simply asks for help doing his work. The moral of the story is that we should be careful what we wish for because it may be terribly bad if we get what we want. I decided to stick with the main theme of the story but add a plot twist where Death still decides to take the old man anyway. I also added in some more background to the man's life and added in the fact that he was used to reaping positive benefits as a result of his wishes.
Bibliography: The original story is titled "The Old Man and Death" and is found in the book Aesop's Fables (Jacobs).
Oh, the sweet sanctification of irony! You have written a delightful story that perfectly summarizes "be careful what you wish for because it might just come true", and you captured it masterfully. Quick question though, why did that particular old man get what he wished for? Was it just good timing, a kind fairy, or some test? Also was there more reason to why he called for death, like pain or struggling because of the fragility of old age. Or was he simply an older gentleman who was lazy and tired after a long day and made this comment out of frustration? The only thing that I think could have made your story stronger is going more into detail about the previous wishes. Like explaining if the field was a one time thing or if other good things had happened because of wishes before, just to give more justification to him expecting good things out of wishes.
ReplyDeleteI really like this story; I think it has a very powerful and interesting message. I also like that you took it a step further than the original story. Wishes seem silly and whimsical, like things that will obviously never come close to happening. It seems like a good way of thinking to only wish for things that you actually want to come true, though. I wonder how our outlook on life would change if we took all of our whimsical wishes seriously.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you kept a lot of the same details from the original story. I especially like the dialogue you wrote between the old man and death, but it really shows how exaggerating about something as serious as death really isn’t ok, like in the instance of this story, the old man was simply lamenting and made a statement he really didn’t mean, but in the end, he couldn’t take it back and death took him anyway. I like that you chose that outcome because it’s a good reminder we shouldn’t take out lives for granted and we definitely shouldn’t wish death upon ourselves as a method of exaggeration.
ReplyDeleteWow you are a really great storyteller! I was definitely surprised when death actually took the man's life. I expected it because of the excerpt you included before your story started, but I wasn't sure if the same thing would happen in your story or not. The message of the story was my favorite part because it was even more powerful than the actual plot itself. The very last sentence of the story really stuck with me. Does every single person that mentions the word death experience the same situation? Or was it mere timing that death was there when the man mentioned it? Either way, it was a great use of irony and a good way to relay the message of not asking for too much. I think you maybe could have changed more of the details from the original story to make it your own, but it was very enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteI have read the original version, and was wondering what would happen the whole time reading through. Since the original was so short in length, you really added a lot of detail that it didn't have, giving more of a background on the man. I love that you really make the reader think as well, questioning everything they wish for. I grew really attached to the man, so I was sad when he was actually granted his wish. You used great imagery, such as"death whisked him away," making it so much more intense. How many others did death have the opportunity to take away? Was he used as a "lesson" to everyone, or what were the end terms of this? The overall moral is so true in real life though, there are many times that we wish for thing's that we really DON'T wish for the product of.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I loved the story, good job!
Great story! Love how you put in quotes from the original. This was nicely portrayed and I felt bad for the old man, but at the same time I was kind of like, :/ what were you expecting? The description and interactions between the characters were well described, especially with Death. I was hoping Death would spare him so he would learn his lesson, but of course, that wasn't the case. Still, it was a great read!
ReplyDeleteHey! That is true though, he did wish for something and people always say things without even thinking about the consequences. If everything we said came true then life would really be horrible because people always say things in the heat of the moment but it is not stuff that we always want. This story proved just that.
ReplyDeleteThis story was nice. The extra detail added about the laborer made it feel more realistic and it seems everything from the original story was kept, so it feels like the same story but with more elaboration. I do like the ending though, seeing as it could have gone one of two ways in the beginning but him being taken by Death as a message to others is a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteYour use of vivid imagery is awesome and I can visually the old man stumped over with age. Your sentence describing the old man working in the forest all his life is redundant and could be shortened. It was a little confusing when you gave the old man two titles: Old Labourer and Woodcutter. You should stick to one so your readers do not get confused. Overall, I think you did well with this story.
ReplyDelete