The Apes and the Two Travelers Unit 2 Narratives Assignmen Kaplan University Hu300- 11

Myths can be looked at as traditional stories of unknown authorship, with historical basis and it tries to explain some phenomenon of nature, the origin of humanity, or customs, religious rites and so on of people (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012). These types of stories that are told to us, help preserve one’s history and to help illustrate the difference between right and wrong. Myths are a part of our lives and will always have a place in our lives. The one fable that I remember from childhood is the story of “the Apes and the Two Travelers”. This story will be summarized so I can explain the moral behind the story, show how this story could help in guiding an individual’s actions or beliefs and to explain the value of narratives or storytelling.

The Apes and the two travelers is about two men, one who always spoke the truth and the other who always told lies. When they were traveling they went to a place where Apes lived. When the two men were brought in front of the king ape and all the other apes in the land, the Ape who was king asked the two men what they thought of him. The lying man said to the king, “you seem to be a most mighty king” and those around you seem to be worthy companions of yourself but not good enough to be king. He was then given a great gift because of his lie. The truthful traveler said to the king ape, “I can’t lie, and you are all the same, great apes”. Because the truthful man told the truth the king ape became furious and condemned him. The king ape did not want to hear that he was just as worthy and great as the other apes since he was king(Aesop’s Fables, 2011).

The moral of the story is, just because you have certain values and morals don’t assume that everyone has the same values and morals as you do. Being honest can sometimes bring negative consequences to the table. I believe that this lesson is effective in guiding an individual’s actions and beliefs. The reason why I believe it is effective is because the lying man in this...