Abstract
The pigs are always fat, lazy, and happy, whereas the wolves are always intimidating, shrewd, and even reckless. The tyrant in the story of the Three Little Pigs is the wolf, who is unable to be satisfied by his cravings and who must continue in his endless search for meaning. The story seems to portray the wolf as an imposing figure that is unconquerable by the pigs; however, in the end the wit of the third pig does indeed conquer the wolf. The wolf, in a typical role of preying on the weak, is able to blow down the houses of the first two pigs, but the third pig’s business nature and sturdy home hinders the wolf. The cycle is supposed to be a reverse full circle, with the pigs now being at the top of the food chain and in a sense, will retain the revolutionary spirit that had once been contained within the wolf, but was then passed on to the pig. All four of these stories provide their own perceptive insights into the classic tale, and shows how one story can provide four different viewpoints that are each unique and each worthy of expansion into their own universes. The Three Little Pigs
This paper studies the different levels of perceived cunning between the wolf and the pig, using several examples to determine each animal’s resourcefulness. The stories of the Three Little Pigs have a single and commonly understood plot and the moral of the tale shows how productiveness and tenacity pay off in the end. The twist in these four stories is that each of the four versions has a modern twist on the plot that radically changes one’s own understanding of the original story. The first story, by Gomez and written in 1999, is an exposition of what the story is in today’s modern world. The second story is entitled Amdur, and was written in 1998. This story confronts the idea of the tyrant who is unable to reconcile his position with his perceived importance in world events. The third story is by Fazio and Ek and written in the year 2000. The story presented here is one observing the idea of good versus evil and brings into question the roles of fear, confrontation, and evil as major parts of life. The final story is by A. Hokum, B. Goniff, and C. Crook and was written in 1997. They used several instruments to determine the level of cunningness in the wolf. These are the Jones Hot Air Test, the Smith Wool-Over-Eyes Scale, and finally the Cross-Mammal Cunningness Probe, each respected biological instruments used to compare and contrast wild animals (Walden University, 2012).
A Lesson in Paraphrasing
The first story, in today’s modern world with the pigs being at the top of the food chain and in a sense, will retain the revolutionary spirit that had once been contained within the wolf, but was then passed on to the pig. The second story confronts the idea of the tyrant who is unable to reconcile his position with his perceived importance in world events. The wolf ends up being extremely aggressive in his pursuit of the third pig, and begs the pig for his own demise. The triumph of good over evil is seen as a positive thing for the world of the pigs.
Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of the first story seem to be its very plain speech and excellent relation of the story to everyday things. The weaknesses of the first story are its lack of excitement and it does not provide anything new or interesting to the story, just a general commentary on what the pigs may or may not represent. The Oriental aspects seem impractical and are not cogent enough to be influential to the gist of the first story. The strengths of the second story are its excellent use of the idea of the tyrant and the inability of one’s own power to cope in a world of rules and establishment. The weaknesses of the second story are its many uses of questions to the reader that lessen the authoritative vernacular of the author. The strengths of the third story are its dramatic reaches for good and evil. The weaknesses of the third story are its simplifications of the pigs versus wolf’s story as a biblical tale, when actually it is a cautionary tale signifying the importance of industrial attitudes. Finally, the fourth story uses humor to reach the reader, but its weaknesses are that it feigns a scientific study with no real use, since it only serves to facilitate the importance of science (Walden University, 2012).
Compare and Contrast
When comparing these four stories, I would have to look at what the intentions of the authors were. The first author's intent was to display the struggle between the wolf and the pigs as a cycle often repeated in nature, and intended for the reader to gain insight from that knowledge. This insight is beneficial because it makes one think in perspective to the situation that these are just animals and that it is normal for wolves to dominate pigs because they are predators and must do this for survival. The second story is about social unrest and the wolves’ inability to fit into mainstream society. This is intended to be important for teaching us that in order to understand a creature’s incentives for doing something, knowledge of their past is important to the equation. Since the way one’s mind operates is crucial to the way that he or she behaves, it is important to get a good reading on what this can be. The third story is about the struggle between good and evil and provides the most thrilling version of the Three Little Pigs story. This version discusses why many things in the universe has a relationship based on good and evil, and how God and Satan are related to the story of the Wolves and the Pigs (Walden University, 2012).
Assessment
Society is what provides the pigs with shelter and knowledge, and the lack of social norms is what makes the wolf wild and fierce. When the wolf gets a taste of the first two pigs, he is unable to stop himself, which proves to be the true form of his psychosis. The final form is so unable to control itself that the third pig is able to win and kill the wolf, thus saving himself. The third story is very romantic and emotional, but the fourth story is very dry and scientific. The fourth story examines a literature review of the intelligence of pigs and wolves in stories, finding that pigs are commonly thought of as intelligent creatures, and wolves not necessarily so. More so than intelligence, physical strength gives credit to the wolf in classic literature. The portrayal of wolves being very physically dominating animals follows the normal pattern, with pigs being animals that have to use their brains to succeed. The Three Little Pigs tale exemplifies the idea of the wolf being pure evil and the pigs being the innocent good. “The third pig, who happens to have brains and God at his side, rids the world of Satan” (Walden University, 2010, p. 4). The triumph of good over evil is shown as positive for the world as seen through the lives of the pigs.
Conclusion
This paper discussed a perfect story that should be taught on different levels using several examples to determine each animal’s resourcefulness. The plot of these stories have a central and commonly understood plot, the moral of the tale shows that productivity and a hefty reward waits at the end. The twist in these four stories is that each of the versions added a contemporary twist on the plot with the intention of fundamentally changing the understanding of the original story. The first story is an explanation of today’s society. The second story confronts the idea of the tyrant who is unable to reconcile his self-importance with his perceived importance in world events. The third is one observing the idea of good versus evil and brings into question the role of fear and confrontation with evil as major parts of life itself. The use of several instruments to determine the level of cunningness the wolf possessed. The main assertion of this tale is that it is beneficial to work out your plan before just diving in, as hard work is its own reward. References Walden University. (2012). Three little pigs: Four interpretations. Retrieved from www.waldenu.edu