For my position paper, I have decided to choose short story entitled The Son of the Turtle-spirit. My thesis statement is ‘Blind obedience rewards the son of the turtle-spirit honorable dignity.’
Basically, The Son of the Turtle-spirit by anonymous author is a Chinese tale. This short story is about a turtle, which was living in a pond in a noble-man’s garden and learnt to change his form into a handsome youth. The turtle fell in love with the nobleman’s daughter and persuaded her to entertain him every night until dawn and returned back to the pond. He left no trace behind him, and even the maiden did not know that he was a turtle, but thought instead that he was some student from the neighborhood. At the end of the year, the maiden noticed that she was going to have a child. Since they do not know who the man responsible for her daughter was, so, her mother instructed her daughter to tie a thread on to his coat without his information. The next morning, the turtle was killed and its remains were cut up in little pieces and thrown into a corner of the garden to rot. The maid noticed the white bones and put the bones in a yellow bag. She kept the bones. The son that was born to her in due time naturally bore no love for his grand-parents, because he was the son of a spirit. One day, the son of the turtle-spirit saw an advertisement that will rewards one thousand piece of gold and one thousand piece of silver to those who can place the casket contains the remains of the rich man’s grandfather in the dragon’s mouth. But, the son of the turtle-spirit’s mother asked him to put the bones of his father in the dragon’s mouth and hand the other bones on his horns. The son of the turtle-spirit obeyed his mother’s command and cheated the rich man. As a result, when the boy was ten years old, his appearance suddenly began to change, and he became quite out of the ordinary, and much cleverer than anyone else. Finally, he became Emperor, and the son of the rich man was his minister. With reference to this short story, this paper will demonstrate that blind obedience rewards the son of the turtle-spirit honorable dignity.
In this paper, I will examine three different perspectives of blind obedience which are from the viewpoint of the turtle-spirit itself, the mother of the turtle-spirit’s son, and the turtle-spirit’s son.
Before we discuss further about this topic and explain my stand, I will define important phrases that can be found in the thesis statement which are ‘blind obedience’ and ‘honorable dignity’. ‘Blind obedience’ can be defined as an attitude where one obeys to do something that will bring negative consequence or impact to oneself or other people. While for ‘honorable dignity’ can be simply defined as respectable pride or good fortune.
My first and foremost point regarding this paper will be the turtle-spirit’s blind obedience towards his lust. The turtle-spirit was happened to be able to turn him into a handsome youth. Unfortunately, he takes this advantage by having a forbidden relationship with the nobleman’s daughter until she got pregnant.
He said to himself: ‘As I can turn myself into human being at will, why should I not become a young man and court the young lady?’
(Paragraph 1, line 6-8)
As you can see from the textual evidence above, indirectly we will recognize that the turtle-spirit is just want to fulfill his desire towards the young lady. Notice that the writer uses the word ‘court’ that I have underlined? In some way, from this word we know that the young lady is forced to be with him. She did not asked to be with him in the first place. Another textual evident regarding to this point is taken from the second paragraph of the story itself.
So in the night he climbed on to the bank, turned himself into a handsome youth, and went to her room, where he persuaded her to yield.
(Paragraph 2, line 1-3)
Again the writer uses word that signifies the turtle-spirit’s insincerity toward the young lady which is ‘yield’. The definitions of the word ‘yield’ are include surrender, give away, and give up. The use of negative connotation word such as ‘court’ and ‘yield’ show us that the turtle-spirit is not genuine towards her. I would say that because of his blind obedience towards his own lust, the young girl became his lust’s victim that leads to the birth of their son.
Secondly, I will study from the son of the turtle-spirit’s mother perspective which is his mother’s blind obedience by listening to her mother’s command. As we read the story, we know that even though it seems like the turtle-spirit is not truthful towards the young lady, but she does take him as her lover. Through the story, we also know that from her personal point of view she perceives him even as her husband. This is proven through her own speech in the story.
She said to her maid: ‘It is true he was a spirit, but still he was my husband, so how can I leave his bones to lie and rot?’
(Paragraph 6, line3-4)
But, in this story it happens to be that she murdered her own lover by following her mother’s command. The textual evident of her action is as follow;
‘The man who comes to see you every night must be a spirit, but I have thought of a plan; when he falls asleep to-night, tie a thread to his abide and decide how to catch him. Don’t fail to do this, and to-morrow we will see what happens.’ Her daughter promised to do as she was told.
(Paragraph 3, line 16-22)
Notice that I underline one of the phrases above? The reason why I underlined this phrase is to show that the author already foreshadow the turtle-spirit’s death! Ironically, there will be no tomorrow for the turtle-spirit anymore. By blindly obeying her mother’s command, had resulted her to lose her lover. Who killed her lover? Her own parents! Even though that they know that their daughter is pregnant to the turtle-spirit’s child.
Thirdly, let us take a look at the son of the turtle-spirit’s point of view as the main character in this story which is, he cheats the rich man to blindly obey his mother. In the first reflection, it is undeniable that we must obey what our mother asks us to do with certain conditions. One of the conditions is as long as the request is not against the rule or law. In this story, we know that the mother taught her seven- or eight-year-old son to deceit other people to get success. As we know, cheating is not morally good behavior. It is against human’s law or even God’s law. In this case, the son of the turtle spirit cheats the rich man by placing his father’s bones in the dragon’s mouth and put the rich man’s grandfather’s bones on its horns. The rich man thought that the little boy succeeded his mission when he returned safely.
When the rich man and the grave-seeker saw that he had returned safely, they knew that their plan had succeeded, and they were very glad.
(Paragraph 13, line 1-3)
Sarcastically, this mission is a success for the son of the turtle-spirit but not to the rich man. He even gets special treatment from the man he had cheated. This element foreshadows his honorable dignity that he will get in the future.
They brought him back to their house, and gave him dry clothes and delicious food and wine, and when he had finished, they sent him home with one thousand pieces of gold and one thousand pieces of silver.
(Paragraph 13, line 3-6)
It is undoubtedly shows us that, the son of the turtle-spirit took the rewards after he blindly obeyed his mother to cheat the rich man.
Next, my last stand regarding to this paper will observe from the son of the turtle-spirit’s point of view again which is, he blindly obeys his mother and sacrifices himself just for the sake of the father’s bones. For most people who are still alive, when somebody died, life suppose to goes on. In this case, it is not just he forgo his life just to put the bones in a new place, he also never met and does not know who or what is his father actually is. So, in the first place, why should he need to juggle his own precious life for somebody he does not even recognize? In the other hand, he did the duty given by his mother successfully. This textual evidence proves us his mother’s demand to do his task.
‘These are the bones of your father. Take them to the bottom of the river and put them in the dragon’s mouth, and hang the other bones on his horns. Don’t forget to do this, and don’t mix the bones.
(Paragraph 11, line 6-9)
Notice that his mother purposely juggles her only seven- or eight-year-old child’s life just to place the bones in the dragon’s mouth. But paradoxically, this event causes the son of the turtle-spirit to live in an honorable life in the future. The writer uses symbolism in his or her writing to confirm this circumstance.
The boy took the two packets out of his breast-pocket, and threw his father’s bones into the dragon’s mouth, and hung the bones of the rich man’s grandfather on the dragon’s horns.
(Paragraph 12, line 7-9)
Notice that the last few paragraphs of this short story apply the use of the dragon’s mouth as symbolism of good fortune. The anonymous writer used symbolism of the dragon’s mouth to depict that the boy will become lucky in the future. As a result, the boy became Emperor, and the son of the rich man was his minister. This is what I mean with honorable dignity.
In a nut shell, it is proven that from these different perspectives of different character leads to an unpredictable ending of story. The story starts with the difficulties and obstacles the turtle-spirit, the young lady and the son of the turtle-spirit had to overcome. By the end of the story, things started to change and resulted to the next generation an honorable dignity ever after. All of these characters blindly obey their desire and other people’s demand without thinking about the consequences for oneself, but this had cause the son of the turtle-spirit to live in honorable dignity in the future. As conclusion, I would state firmly that it is proven that blind obedience rewards the son of the turtle-spirit honorable dignity when he becomes the Emperor and the son of the rich man was his minister.
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