Why To Be ?: • Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack

Once upon a time, there was a poor widow who lived in a small cottage with her son, Jack. Jack was a playful and carefree boy, but he was also kind and loving. They were very poor, and one day, when they had no other way to survive, the widow told Jack to take their cow to the market and sell her.

Jack was excited to go to the market, but on the way, he met a man who had some shiny beans. The man told Jack that the beans were magical and convinced him to trade the cow for them. Jack agreed and took the beans home, but his mother was very upset. She had expected money, not beans, and she scolded Jack for his mistake. That night, they both went to bed feeling sad and hopeless.

Early the next morning, Jack decided to plant the beans in the garden. He made small holes in the ground and put the beans in. That day, they had very little to eat, and they went to bed feeling even more worried about the future.

The next morning, Jack woke up early again and went outside. To his amazement, the beans had grown into a huge beanstalk that reached up to the sky! The stalks were twisted together like a ladder, and Jack decided to climb it. He climbed higher and higher until everything below him looked tiny. Finally, he reached the top and found himself in a beautiful land with green meadows, sheep, and a sparkling stream. Nearby, there was a big castle.

As Jack was looking at the castle, a kind lady appeared and told him a story. She explained that the castle once belonged to a noble knight, who was Jack’s father. The knight had been killed by a giant who stole his treasures, but Jack’s mother had escaped with him when he was a baby. The lady told Jack that it was his duty to reclaim the castle and its treasures.

Determined, Jack approached the castle and blew the horn at the gate. The giantess, who was the giant’s wife, opened the door and let Jack in, but she warned him to hide whenever the giant was home. She hid Jack in a wardrobe just before the giant returned. The giant, smelling Jack, roared his famous words, “Fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!” But his wife tricked him by saying it was only his dinner.

After the giant ate and fell asleep, Jack crept out, stole a hen that laid golden eggs, and hurried down the beanstalk. His mother was overjoyed when he returned with the hen, and they were no longer poor.

But Jack wasn’t done. He climbed the beanstalk again, and once more, the giantess let him in and hid him. This time, Jack stole bags of gold that had once belonged to his father. He brought them back down the beanstalk to his mother.

Finally, Jack made one last journey up the beanstalk. He stole a magical harp that played beautiful music, but as he was escaping, the harp called out to the giant. The giant chased Jack down the beanstalk, but Jack was too fast. When he reached the bottom, he quickly grabbed an ax and chopped down the beanstalk. The giant fell to the ground and died.

With the giant gone, the fairy lady appeared and told Jack that he had done well. She brought Jack and his mother to the castle, where they lived happily ever after. Jack made sure to take care of the people who had been hurt by the giant, and he became a kind and just ruler, just like his father before him.

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