The Three Little Pigs

My name is Practical, though history often remembers me simply as the third little pig. From my sturdy brick house, I watched the world turn, feeling the solid weight of my choices beneath my feet and the security of a well-laid plan around me. My brothers, Plucky and Playful, always said I worried too much, but I knew that a life worth living was a life worth protecting. Our story, which people now call The Three Little Pigs, is about more than just a wolf; it’s about the choices we make when we step out into the world alone. The day our mother sent us off to seek our fortunes was bright and full of promise. My brothers couldn’t wait to be free, to build their lives as quickly as possible so they could get back to games and leisure. Plucky gathered a bundle of straw, weaving it into a house in less than a day. Playful found a pile of sticks and fashioned a crooked little cabin before sunset. They laughed at me as I spent my days hauling bricks and mixing mortar under the hot sun. They didn’t understand that I wasn’t just building a house; I was building a future, a fortress against the unforeseen troubles of the world. I knew that shortcuts in life, like shortcuts in construction, often lead to ruin.

The trouble I had foreseen arrived sooner than even I expected, and it had a terrible, hungry growl. A Big Bad Wolf had been seen lurking in the woods, his eyes gleaming with cunning. I heard the news from a passing squirrel and immediately secured my windows and barred my heavy oak door. It wasn't long before I heard a faint cry on the wind. The wolf had found Plucky’s straw house. From my distant window, I saw the flimsy structure disintegrate with a single, mighty 'huff' and 'puff.' A moment later, Plucky was sprinting across the field toward Playful’s house of sticks. The two of them barricaded themselves inside, but sticks are hardly a match for determined hunger. The wolf’s powerful breath splintered the wood, and soon both my brothers were racing toward my home, their faces pale with terror. I swung open my door just in time. The wolf, enraged and confident, arrived at my doorstep. 'Little pig, little pig, let me come in,' he snarled. 'Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin,' I replied, my voice steady. He huffed, and he puffed, but my brick walls didn't even tremble. He tried again, his face turning red with effort, but the house stood firm. Frustrated, the wolf turned to trickery. He tried to lure me out to a turnip field and then an apple orchard, but I outsmarted him each time by going earlier and returning safely before he arrived. His final, desperate plan was to climb onto my roof and come down the chimney.

Hearing his claws scrabbling on my roof tiles, I knew exactly what to do. I quickly placed a large cauldron of water on the fire I kept burning in the hearth. As the wolf slid down the chimney, he fell directly into the boiling water with a great splash, and that was the end of him. My brothers, safe and sound, looked at me with newfound respect. They finally understood that the time and effort I had spent were not born of worry, but of wisdom. They moved in with me, and together we built two more strong brick houses, side by side. Our tale began as a simple story told by parents to their children in the English countryside, a spoken warning against laziness and a lesson in the virtues of hard work and preparation. When it was first written down in books around the 19th century, like in James Halliwell-Phillipps's collection published on June 5th, 1843, its message spread far and wide. It teaches us that while it’s tempting to choose the easy path, true security and success come from diligence and foresight. Today, the story of The Three Little Pigs is more than just a fable; it’s a metaphor we use all the time for building a strong foundation in our lives, whether in our friendships, our education, or our character. It reminds us that the 'wolves' of life will always come, but with preparation and intelligence, we can be ready for them, safe inside the strong house we built for ourselves.

Reading Comprehension Questions

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Answer: They laughed at him because they valued leisure and finishing quickly over hard work. Their actions revealed that they were impatient and preferred the easy path, unlike Practical, who was diligent, wise, and understood the importance of preparation.

Answer: Unforeseen means 'not seen or predicted beforehand.' Besides the wolf, unforeseen troubles could include harsh weather like a storm or strong winds, a shortage of food, or other dangers in the world that require a safe and secure home.

Answer: The main lesson is that hard work, preparation, and diligence lead to security and success, while taking shortcuts can lead to disaster. Practical's final reflection explains that the story is a metaphor for building a strong foundation in all parts of life, because challenges (the 'wolves' of life) will always appear, and being prepared is the key to overcoming them.

Answer: The conflict continued when the wolf turned to trickery. He tried to lure Practical out of the house by inviting him to a turnip field and an apple orchard. The final resolution occurred when the wolf made a desperate attempt to climb the roof and go down the chimney, only to fall into a cauldron of boiling water that Practical had prepared, ending the threat for good.

Answer: The names 'Plucky' and 'Playful' quickly describe their personalities. 'Playful' shows that the second pig was more interested in fun than work. 'Plucky' means brave or spirited, which might describe the first pig's eagerness to go out on his own, even if he wasn't very wise about it. These names help the reader understand their characters immediately.