the little ant

7/29/2019 The Little Ant

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Edited by the Spanish partenership


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ACT-FACT Active Citizenship Through Fairy Content Tales A Comenius Project ROMANIA SLOVENIA TURKEY SPAIN

The little ant La hormiguita

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The Little AntBy Fernn Caballero

Once upon a time there was a wonderful little

ant. So lovely and so hard working thateveryone loved her! One day while she wasraking leafs in her front yard; she found ashiny new penny. She said what should I dowith this new penny? Maybe I should buysome nuts? No, I cant open them. Maybe Ishould buy a caramel apple? No, it is justcandy. She thought about it and decided to goto the store; there she brought some blush toput on her cheeks and took it home. When shegot home, she styled her hair, washed her

face, and put some blush on her cheeks. Thenshe went outside and sat on her front porch. She was so stylish and beautiful thateveryone that passed by was mesmerized by her.

A bull passed by and asked her: Little ant, do you want to marry me?

How will you inspire my love?, answered the little ant. The bull started to mooooo,the little ant covered her ears, and told the bull: Go on your way bull, because yousurprise me, scare me and startle me.

The same thing happened with a dog who barked, a cat who meowed, a pig whooinked, and a rooster who sang cock-a-doodle-doo. None of them were able to winthe heart of the little ant; instead they all frightened her. Until Peter the mouse

came. He treated her kindly and very delicately. He was so nice that little antmarried him and they both lived very happy and very much in love. It was a love sobig that it hasnt been seen since the beginning of time.

But due to bad luck, one day the little ant went to the store by herself, after puttinga pot of soup in the fire, which she left in the care of Peter the mouse. The little ant,who was very cautious, warned Peter the mouse not to stir the soup with the smallspoon; she told him to use the big spoon instead. Unfortunately, Peter the mouse

did not listen to what his wife had said; he used the small spoonto stir the soup. And what the little ant had tried to preventhappened. With his clumsiness, Peter the mouse fell into the

pot, like a rock that falls into a well and there he drowned.When the little ant returned home, she knocked the door but noone answered. So she went to the neighbours house to see ifshe could jump from one roof to the other, but the neighbourdidnt let her. So she had to call a locksmith, to unlock the door.When the door opened the little ant ran to the kitchen. Ohno!!!!, she cried with so much pain when she saw Peter the

mouse floating in the soup.

The little ant was crying bitterly when a birdie flew by and asked her: Why are youcrying little ant?

She answered: Because my husband died.


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Well then, I birdie shall keep my beak dirty.

Then a dove came and she asked the birdie: Why is your beak so dirty?

Well, because Peter the mouse drowned inside his house and the little ant is cryingbecause of him dying.

Then I dove shall stay in the cove.

Then the pigeon loft asked the dove: Why do you stay in the cove?

Well, because Peter the mouse drowned inside his house and the little ant is cryingbecause of him dying, and the birdie kept his beak dirty, and I dove shall stay in thecove.

Well then I pigeon loft will break off

Then the water spring said: Why are you going to break off, pigeon loft?

Well, because Peter the mouse drowned inside his house and the little ant is cryingbecause of him dying, and the birdie kept his beak dirty, and the dove stay in the

cove and, I pigeon loft will break off.Then I water fountain will cry here in thismountain.

Then the princess climbed up the mountain to fillher glass with water, and asked: Why are youcrying here in the mountain water fountain?

Well, because Peter the mouse drowned insidehis house and the little ant is crying because ofhim dying, and the birdie kept his beak dirty, andthe dove stay in the cove and the pigeon loft

broke off and I water fountain am crying here inthe mountain.

Well, then I princess shall smash my glass in aflash

And I, who read this story, feel very sorry becausePeter the mouse drowned inside his house and thelittle ant is crying because of him dying.

This story was written by Fernn Caballero (1796-1877), the pseudonym

adopted by Spanish novelist Cecilia Francisca Josefa Bhl de Faber. She was

born at in Switzerland, and was the daughter of Johann Nikolaus Bhl von

Faber, who lived for a long time in Spain. His daughter visited Spain in 1815,

got married, and stayed. La hormiguita was a story written in the

nineteenth century and this is transmitted in the text by the different

language that is used.


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Spanish original text:

La hormiguitade

Fernn Caballero

Haba vez y vez una hormiguita tanprimorosa, tan concertada, tanhacendosa, que era un encanto. Unda que estaba barriendo la puerta desu casa, se hall un ochavito. Dijo paras: Qu har con este ochavito?Comprar piones? No, que no los

puedo partir. Comprar merengues?No, que es una golosina. Pensolo ms, yse fue a una tienda, donde comprun poco de arrebol, se lav, se pein, seaderez, se puso su colorete y se sent ala ventana. Ya se ve; como que estabatan acicalada y tan bonita, todo el quepasaba se enamoraba de ella. Pas untoro, y la dijo:

-Hormiguita, te quieres casarconmigo?

-Y cmo me enamorars? -respondila hormiguita.

El toro se puso a rugir; la hormiga setap los odos con ambas patas.

-Sigue tu camino -le dijo al toro-, queme asustas, me asombras y meespantas.

Y lo propio sucedi con un perro queladr, un gato que maull, un cochinoque gru, un gallo que cacare. Todoscausaban alejamiento a la hormiga;ninguno se gan su voluntad, hastaque pas un ratonprez, que la supoenamorar tan fina y delicadamente,

que la hormiguita le dio su manitanegra. Vivan como tortolitas, y tan

felices, que de eso no se ha visto desdeque el mundo es mundo.

Quiso la mala suerte que un da fuesela hormiguita sola a misa, despus deponer la olla, que dej al cuidado deratonprez, advirtindole, como tan

prudente que era, que no menease laolla con la cuchara chica, sino con elcucharn; pero el ratonprez hizo, porsu mal, lo contrario de lo que le dijosu mujer: cogi la cuchara chica paramenear la olla, y as fue que sucedilo que ella haba previsto. Ratonprez,con su torpeza, se cay en la olla,como en un pozo, y all muriahogado.

Al volver la hormiguita a su casa,llam a la puerta. Nadie respondi nivino a abrir. Entonces se fue a casa deuna vecina para que la dejase entrarpor el tejado. Pero la vecina no quiso,y tuvo que mandar por el cerrajero,que le descerrajase la puerta. Fuese lahormiguita en derechura a la cocina;

mir la olla, y all estaba, qu dolor!,el ratonprez ahogado, dando vueltassobre el caldo que herva. Lahormiguita se ech a lloraramargamente. Vino el pjaro, y ladijo:

-Por qu lloras?

Ella respondi:

-Porque ratonprez se cay en la olla.


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-Pues yo, pajarito, me corto el piquito.

Vino la paloma, y la dijo:

-Por qu, pajarito, te has cortado el

pico?

-Porque el ratonprez se cay en laolla, y que la hormiguita lo siente y lollora.

-Pues yo, la paloma, me corto la cola.

Dijo el palomar:

-Por qu t, paloma, cortaste tu cola?

-Porque ratonprez se cay en la olla,y que la hormiguita lo siente y lollora; y que el pajarito cort su piquito,y yo, la paloma, me corto la cola.

-Pues yo, palomar, voyme a derribar.

Dijo la fuente clara:

-Por qu, palomar, vaste a derribar?

-Porque el ratonprez se cay en la

olla, y que la hormiguita lo siente y lo

llora; y que el pajarito cort su piquito;y que la paloma se corta la cola; y yo,palomar, voyme a derribar.

-Pues yo, fuente clara, me pongo allorar.

Vino la Infanta a llenar la cntara.

-Por qu, fuente clara, pneste allorar?

Porque el ratonprez se cay en laolla, y que la hormiguita lo siente y lollora; y que el pajarito se cort el

piquito, y que la paloma se corta lacola; y que el palomar fuese aderribar; y yo, fuente clara, me pongoa llorar.

-Pues yo, que soy Infanta, romper micntara.

Y yo, que lo cuento, acabo en lamento,porque el ratonprez se cay en laolla, y que la hormiguita lo siente ylo llora!


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ACTIVITIES1. The end of the story is really very sad. Could you write a different end? (Feel free to

change anything you like to make the story believable).


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2. One of the values we want to emphasize in the tales issolidarity. How would yousay this solidarity is shown on the little ants misfortune?

3. Fill in this moral value table for the Little Ants tale:

POSITIVE VALUES NEGATIVE VALUES


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3. Discuss on the following morals we can extract from the tale:

We should support our loved people We should learn to listen carefully to someone that isspeaking to us Obey your parents and teachers so that we w onthave the same end as P eter the mouse

the little ant

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