Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

Plot:

Exposition: There is not much early character development for Rabbit, just that he was sleeping and he has an end-of-the-world anxiety mentality, which the reader can tell from his first thoughts upon waking up.

Rising Action: The Rabbit freaks out because a coconut drops on the ground nearby, and he comes to the false conclusion that the noise was evidence of an earthquake or some similar apocalyptic event. He tells other rabbits, and they join him in the stampede. Eventually, deer, fox, and even an elephant join in.

Climax: The Lion's loud roar is able to stop the stampede, and he inquires the animals to find out where the rumor originally came from. The chain of claims goes back to the first rabbit, and the Lion takes this rabbit back to the tree he was sleeping under.

Falling Action: The lion is able to deduce that a falling coconut was the most likely source of the noise the rabbit attributed to the earthquake. He rebukes the rabbit for his silly actions that led to the giant stampede.

Resolution: The lion informs the other animals that there is nothing to be concerned about. The story gives the impression that the lion is the only voice of reason in the land, which might be true.

(Image Info: Group of Rabbits by Mamechom, no changes; Source: Wikimedia; License: here)

Character Analysis: 

Rabbit: Strengths is decisiveness, weakness is anxiety

Lion: Strength is leadership, no clear weakness but perhaps could have been nicer to Rabbit

General Thoughts:

I think this story is a fascinating commentary on mob mentality or, more simply, humans' tendency to follow others. There are a lot of current events that can be explained by mob mentality combined with a lack of fact-checking or information-seeking by the general public. I have heard similar stories to this one before, but this version was a new twist for me.

Bibliography: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit by Ellen C. Babbitt.