Reading Notes: Part B Great Plains

Part B of the Great Plains unit is similar to Part A in that is a collection of short stories. Also similar to Part A is the emphasis on animals. A particular animal story that caught my attention was Why the Possum Plays Dead. The title of the story was what made me to choose and write about the story as I have always wondered why the possum chooses to play dead. Normally short stories such as this one tend to give an explanation of the a real world phenomenon, so I was interested in seeing how this Native American story from the Great Plains explained the possum's actions. The focus of the animals is seen through the personification of both the rabbit and possum. The animals are given the ability to speak and be understood by the reader, and as such, they are the main characters of the story. I was somewhat confused by the setting of the story when they mentioned how they wanted to get married. Were the animals visiting villages of humans or people and who exactly were the animals marrying? I feel like in a potential retelling of the story, I could clarify this for the reader. The ending of the story was quick and not what I was expecting in regard to why the possum plays dead. Are rabbits normally presented as enemies of possums? This story makes it seem like it so as the rabbit tries to get the possum killed. Nevertheless, the rabbit's actions is what catalyzes the possum's new learned ability to play dead and avoid the hunter. I would perhaps choose a better lead into the climax of the story as I am struggling to see how the animals wanting wives suddenly led into a war among the villages.

Bibliography: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains by Katharine Berry Judson (1913).

Pixabay: The possum that now knows how to play dead

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