J.P. Williams
English Composition: 121
March 04, 2014
Owusu and the Crocodile
Owusu and the Crocodile
Once upon a time in Africa, there lived a little boy named Owusu. Owusu was eight years old and lived with his mother, father and grandmother. Owusu was an only child and his mother wanted to shield him from the harsh realities of life, as so many mothers do. She raised Owusu to believe that good things happen to good people and that life was fair and kind. Owusu believed this, even though his grandmother would insist that this was a foolish notion.
One day, Owusu went for a walk alone. He had been told to stay far away from the river, but as is often the case with children, this simply fueled his desire all the more. His grandmother had repeatedly warned him to be especially wary of crocodiles, as it was their nature to be crafty. Owusu wanted to see the traps that the hunters used in snaring crocodiles. Crocodile meat was tasty and their skin was used to make all sorts of beautiful things.
As he was walking along the river bank, he came upon a rather large crocodile that had become ensnared in a hunter’s net. Owusu had never seen a live crocodile before and stopped a moment to observe. The crocodile was struggling wildly. Owusu wasn’t scared, because he was usually a good little boy and he knew that bad things never happened to good little boys. The crocodile noticed him standing there and stopped struggling. She smiled, showing an impressive assortment of jagged looking teeth. “Good morning little boy.” she said, in a gravelly hiss that was rather disconcerting. “Good morning.” replied Owusu. Good little boys were always polite, even to crocodiles. “I was wondering,” she continued, “if you might be kind eno...
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... crocodile had been killed and the villagers were preparing to haul their trophy back to the village.
Suddenly, the boy’s dog spotted the rabbit and gave chase. Owusu tried to call him off, but by the time he had caught up to the dog, it was too late and the rabbit had been throttled. The rabbit was dying when Owusu carefully picked up its limp body. He sadly watched the rabbit in his hands, as it gasped its last breaths. Tears filled Owusu’s eyes as he whispered to the rabbit, “I’m sorry. The crocodile was right; this is the way the world is.”
Thesis Statement
Life is rarely fair or just, and the misguided innocence of a child does nothing to counteract this, regardless of how poetic it may seem.
(Possible conclusion to Thesis Statement?) in fact, exposure to the reality of life can be quite shocking and painful especially to someone blinded by gullibility.
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