Extra Credit Reading Notes: Filipino Popular Tales, Part A

I was surprised that this story did not go in the direction I thought it would!  Most folktales include some sort of wrongdoing to teach the lesson, but this story went smoothly for all 3 of the sons in The Poor Man and his Three Sons.  Most folktales have predictable endings because the story lessons have something to do with morals or character, but this story was pure business.  It felt like a modern business tactic of getting maximum return.  I'm not at all opposed to this story, but it was very different from what I expected.  At first I thought there was going to be a Goldilocks and 3 Bears dynamic or an allusion to the stereotypical oldest, middle, and youngest child, but at no point in this story was I right about what I thought would happen next.  If anything I am pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen!
Batad Rice Terraces, Philippines, Source 

Filipino Popular Tales: The Poor Man and his Three Sons, by Dean S. Fansler (1921).

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