Comprehension on THE THREE LITTLE PIGS #
Each of the versions of a common fairy tale is written with a different purpose, to a different audience and uses distinctive linguistic features. Read them carefully and analyse them.
THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Once upon a time there were three little pigs who lived with their mommy and daddy in a nice little house. One day, poppa piggy told the three little pigs that it was time to leave home and make their own way in the world.
The youngest little pig built a house of straw because it was cheap and easy to build. The second little pig gathered sticks and built a stronger house. The third little pig decided to go the whole hog and build a big house of solid brick
A big bad wolf came along and seeing the house of straw came to the door and called out “Little Pig, Little Pig let me in or by the hair of my chinney chin chin, I’ huff and I’ll puff until I blow your house in.”
When the first little piggy didn’t open the door, the wolf did huff and puff until the house of straw caved in and the little pig was eaten by the wolf
A few days later as hunger pangs drove the wolf to door of the second pig, he again called out, “little pig, little pig, let me in or by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I’ll huff and I’ll puff until I blow your house in.”
The second pig also refused to open the door so after a considerable amount of huffing and puffing, the house of sticks caved in as well and the second pig was devoured too.
After a week the wolf’s hunger pangs returned and the wolf came to the door of the third wolf and again called out “Little pig, little pig, let me in or by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I’ll huff and I’ll puff until I blow your house in.”
When the pig refused to open the door, the wolf huffed and puffed but because the house was solidly built, he was unable to blow the house in. As brute force was not working, the wolf tried to trick the pig into getting into the house, but the pig was too clever to be sucked in easily. When he had exhausted all methods of getting in, the wolf eventually climbed onto the roof and tried to get in through the chimney. The third pig, anticipating the wolf’s plan, prepared a hot tub of boiling water in the fire place for the wolf to fall into. The wolf was badly scalded and died of the pain. The pig invited all his friends to celebrate his victory over the evil wolf and lived happily ever after.
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- At a particular point in history there were three diminutive members of the porcine family who were domiciled with their aging progenitors in a well constructed sty. One day, the paternal sire (boar) and the maternal sow advised the three offspring that it was time to vacate their home and forge their own way in the world.
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- When they had reached the precise age of 1 year the three members of the aforesaid porcine clan departed their ancestral domicile for fields of their own. The party of the first part elected to construct a shelter of renewable material easily accessible, the stalks of organic grains. The party of the second and third part each chose alternate building materials. The situation only became complicated when the respondent, a predator arrived on the scene.
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- Whenever I read the story about the three little pigs I get overwhelmed with grief for the poor little creatures who have to make their way in this cruel insensitive world. The defenceless young are easy prey for the unscrupulous predators of the adult world who shamelessly and ruthlessly take advantage of their innocence and naiveté.
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- The account of the triad Artiodactyls Mammalian’s encounter with a member of the Canes Lupus species stretches the imagination and is highly unscientific, it is highly implausible that porcine creatures would find a house a satisfactory domicile as recent scientific surveys indicate that 97.5% of them prefer the common sty.
Another dubious aspect of this fanciful tale is their ability to articulate their thoughts. Extensive research indicates animals have a limitation to monosyllables. Further experiments conducted at the University of Octavia have conclusively demonstrated that members of the Lupus species can only exhale air at the volume and pressure of 3.2 kg/sq. Meter, hardly sufficient to demolish any construction.
Finally most tests have concluded that wolves, weighing between 27 —42 kg. can easily outrun fat greedy little pigs.
So we can surmise that the story colloquially known as the “Three Little Pigs” is a highly fictionalised account of an improbable event.
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- The story known as the “Three Little Pigs” is really a thinly disguised piece of advertising. It is a highly exaggerated form of propaganda sponsored by Clarke Bricks to convince the general populace that Bricks are the only viable form of house construction.
In an imaginative and manipulative way the narrative compares three scenarios where each pig chooses a particular building material, straw, sticks and bricks. The choices are not realistic as there are many other viable alternatives to brick that are not even considered creating an uneven playing field
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- I arrived on the scene at precisely 7:13 am to discover an area of complete disaster; building material strewn about, blood smeared on the grounds and bits of skin and bone scattered about what had originally been the floor of a house. Witnesses reported having heard shouting and a loud blowing noise at about 6:30 that morning. One, a Mr Gene Harradine, said he had noticed a hairy creature lurking around the door when he went for his early morning walk. Investigations are continuing
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- The literary piece about three members of the animal kingdom embarking on their life’s journey has wider implications than at first apparent. It is a tale that has significance beyond its simplicity.
For many young people the transition from the comfort and security of the family home to forging their own destiny can be a trying and traumatic experience. Not enough research has been conducted into how we can make this precipitous change a smoother and less damaging one. Everyone appreciates the need for young people to become more self-reliant and independent, but at what price? Is there not a more humane manner in which we can gradually support young people to learn to stand on their own feet and not become victims to the number of rapacious grasping predators in the corporate world who exploit their vulnerability
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