21st Century Literature, Essays (high school) of English

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21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World

Pauline Mae B. Tuazon 12 – Pacioli

THE TRIAL OF

THE STONE

21 ST^ CENTURY LITERATURE | THE TRIAL OF THE STONE The Trial of the Stone a Chinese Folktale Activity 1: Answer the following questions comprehensively.

1. Describe Ah Niew. How does he earn for a living? Ah Niew lost his mom when he was 2 years old. He lives together with his grandmother for his grandma to look after him as he grows up. To earn money, Ah Niew’s grandmother makes cakes that were cooked in oil that he sells through going house to house. 2. What made the people come to the court? One day, Ah Niew tried to help an old woman but because of this, his money that he earned for that day got stolen. Ah Niew asked Paw Kong, a judge who happened to be passing by, for him to help to find his money. Paw Kong then asked everyone in the crowd and they all answered the same answer, that they didn’t steal Ah Niew’s money. No one admitted that who stole the money. Paw Kong then assumed that the suspect could be the the only remaining object within the vicinity, which is the stone. Paw Kong took the stone to the court and he will try it for taking Ah Niew’s money. People laughed but they were also curious on what will happen on the trial, so they also went to the court with Paw Kong. 3. What was the trial all about? In order to help Ah Niew by finding who stole the money, Paw Kong pushed through with the trial of the stone. The people must pay twenty cents in order for them to see the trial they are curious about. Paw Kong then put a pot filled with water at the entrance as to where the people will drop their payment for seeing the trial. He observed it very carefully. The pot was nearly full of money when the last man dropped his twenty cents, Paw Kong ordered the servants to arrest that man because he is the one who stole Ah Niew’s money. 4. Why did the judge suspect the man with big nose to be the one who stole the money of Ah Niew? Paw Kong noticed that after that man with a big nose dropped his twenty cents in the pot, he noticed that the water was somehow mixed with oil in it. Paw Kong explained that before Ah Niew’s money was stolen it was inside the same basket in which the cakes cooked in oil were. The basket from where the money was placed has oil in it. So, the money that was

21 ST^ CENTURY LITERATURE | THE TRIAL OF THE STONE dropped by the man with a big nose must be the same money that was stolen from the basket for the oil only appeared right after the man dropped his twenty cents on the pot.

5. Was the trial conducted fairly enough? Explain your answer. We couldn’t really say that the man with a big nose was the real suspect. He wasn’t even given the chance to defend himself. What if he wasn’t the real one? He will be then accused and suffer for a crime he himself didn’t do. The event can be associated to how bad justice system can be; we will never know whether someone just put the oil at the exact right time the man was about to drop his twenty cents.

6. What lesson can you infer from the Chinese folktale? We all must be helpful at all times. Just like what Ah Niew did to the old lady, and what Paw Kong did to Ah Niew. Always have a fair judgement before coming up with a final decision. Let us all practice having a critical mind just like to what Paw Kong have shown in the folktale, Also, it’s never right to steal and take advantage of other people.