Anansi the Spider was feeling particularly lazy one morning. Instead of working, he spent his time watching Elephant tend to his fine patch of melons. When Elephant left, Anansi used a stone to bore a small hole into the largest, ripest melon and squeezed inside. He feasted until he was so round and bloated that he couldn't fit back through the hole. Stuck inside, Anansi decided to have some fun. When Elephant returned, Anansi spoke from within the fruit. "I'm a talking melon!" he cried. Amazed, Elephant took the melon to show the King. Along the way, the melon insulted every animal they met. When they reached the King, the melon remained silent until the King, frustrated, threw it against a tree. The melon shattered, and a dizzy Anansi scurried out and ran home, leaving the King and Elephant staring in disbelief at the empty shell.
Greed and deception may provide a temporary laugh, but they often lead to a narrow escape and a lost reputation.
Questions about this story
What is the moral of Anansi and the Talking Melon?
The moral is that greed can trap you in difficult situations and using trickery to hide your mistakes leads to further trouble. It teaches us that being clever shouldn't come at the expense of others' trust.
Why was Anansi stuck inside the melon?
Anansi was stuck because he ate so much of the melon's sweet insides that his body became too bloated to fit back through the tiny entrance hole he had made. He had to wait to be released by force.
Who does Anansi trick in this story?
Anansi primarily tricks Elephant, who believes the melon is actually speaking, and eventually tricks the King, who is humiliated when the melon finally 'speaks' to him after a long silence.
Is Anansi a spider or a man?
In West African folklore, Anansi is a shapeshifting trickster who often appears as a spider but possesses human traits, speech, and very human flaws like greed and laziness.
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Good night.
