The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom Summary Class 7 English

Introduction

A modified depiction of a Japanese story serves us the lesson. It shows how a connection between people and animals survives even after death. There are a few individuals, nevertheless, whose egotistical motives destroy their bond.

The elderly guy and his dog enjoyed the closeness, honesty, and friendship that went beyond life. The dog's spirit supported and comforted his devoted and sympathetic owner. As a result, in the end, the monarch honored the elderly guy with gifts and honors.

About Author

William Elliot Griffis was a very prolific writer who released multiple volumes of fairy tales in the 1900s. He was born in Philadelphia on September 17, 1843. His father worked as a coal merchant before becoming a sea captain. Before resigning from his position in 1903 to write and lecture, he served as an active pastor (church minister) in Boston and New York throughout the 1800s. His broad portfolio contains writings on Japanese ancestry and culture, and he collaborated with writer Inazo Nitobe on the acclaimed book Bushido: The Soul of Japan.

He produced many books of fairy tales in the early 1900s. His collection of fairy tales includes the following:

• Thirty-five Tales from Japanese Wonder Lore
• The Firefly's Lovers and Other Traditional Japanese Fairy Tales
• French fairy tales
• Fairy Tales from Wales
• Stories from Korea
• Japanese folklore
• European fairy tales

He also earned two Japanese honors: the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon" and the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette." As per his biography in the New York Times, these two honors are granted to those who have made outstanding contributions to international relations, Japanese cultural promotion, professional advances, welfare progress, or safeguarding the environment. He further contributed to the founding of the American Historical Association, the United States Naval Academy, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He passed away in Florida in the year 1928.

Characters in the Story

There are 4 main characters in the story which are described below:

1. The Good Old Couple

The farmer was a highly hardworking guy who labored in the fields from daylight until night with a hoe and a shovel. The elderly farmer was the kindest man with a kind heart who was patient with all living things. He generously provided food for the birds. The elderly farmer is the main character in the well-known Japanese folktale "The Ashes that Made Trees Bloom." He is a kind guy, but he is broke and penniless. He shared a home with his spouse and dog, Muko. The old cherished muko, as if he is their human child. They fed him rice and fish with their own chopsticks. Even when the couple got rich they first thought of supporting their neighbours rather than themselves.

2. Muko, the Dog

A couple owned a dog a long time ago. They handled it very well. Muko always adored his owners and was devoted to them. Every day, he went with his master to the field where he worked, taking care not to hurt the white heron that accompanied the old man to gather worms.

One day, Muko approached the older man and began to push him down a certain path. He discovered a gold mine when he chased the dog. The elderly couple acquired several estates after becoming wealthy. They softened up around the dog. The neighbors were also supported by them.

3. The Evil Couple

The evil couple also lived in the same town as the good old couple lives; they got so jealous of the good couple that they approached the other couple's dog Muko. The dog repeatedly turned down an evil guy in the town who sought to entice him to assist him in finding a treasure. One day, the dog took the evil older man and his wife to a field, where they believed they had discovered a hidden treasure. When they first began to dig, all they discovered was a dead kitten. They got angry and killed the dog.

4. Deadly Guard

People used to close their windows when their landowners went by during the Daimios era since it was forbidden to gaze down on the landowners. As the train got close, the tall man motioned to everyone in attendance to kneel and stay motionless until the parade passed by, at which point everyone in the hamlet would get on their knees.

The kind elder guy generously sprinkled the ashes into the tree base, and it blossomed as the daimyo (respected landowner) went through the path. The daimyo pulled over after seeing this amazement and came over. The elder guy received a present from him and a visit to his castle. The jealous guy also walked to the roadside and climbed the tree after learning of this. He dumped the ashes as the daimyo was closing, but nothing changed. The daimyo and his wife now had ashes in their eyes and nostrils and then the wicked man was beaten to death.

Summary of the Story

A senior couple lived in Japan in the nineteenth century. The tiny dog they kept as a pet, Muko, was their sole friend. As if it were their infant, they adored it. They provided muko a bowl of cooked rice and fish portions to eat. Muko adored its great owner as well.

The elderly guy farmed rice. He labored tirelessly with his shovel from dawn until dusk. Every day, Muko accompanied him to the field. The white heron bird, which used to devour maize worms, was not attacked by muko. The farmer showed kindness to all species.

One day, the dog rushed to greet its owner. He was directed to a spot behind it. The elderly guy accompanied Muko to the spot where it started to scratch. The elderly guy dug the ground with a hoe. He discovered a tonne of gold, which greets its owner. The older couple amassed wealth. They acquired property, invited their guests over for a celebration, and generously donated to their less fortunate neighbors.

An evil old guy and his wife resided in the same village. They were cruel to every dog. They invited Muko to their yard and gave it fish after learning of their neighbor's good fortune. They believed Muko would discover wealth for them as well. Muko, however, resisted eating any fish. They were led by the dog to a garden pine tree. The elderly, greedy idiot danced happily. He started digging. But all he discovered in the hole was a dead cat. He beat Muko to death out of rage.

Muko's owners wept over their pet. On its grave, they placed flowers and water. In a dream that night, the elderly farmer saw Muko's soul. It requested that he chop down the pine tree that was growing over its graves and construct a mill and mortar for his bean sauce. The ancient farmer quickly hollowed out the tree trunk. He and his wife fashioned a rice-pounding hammer out of wood. After baking the dough, all of a sudden, the dough turned into gold coins.

The envious elderly neighbor saw that the bean sauce was becoming golden. The aging couple was once again wealthy. So the evil neighbors followed suit. However, their sauce and pastry turned into worms. In resentment, they burned the mill they had taken from the elderly couple and ruined it.

The nice old guy dreamed again. He was instructed to sprinkle the mill's ashes on the dying pine trees by the ghost of their family dog. He reassured him that they would blossom.

The elderly guy brought some mill ashes. The cherry tree received a pinch of it from him. There were blooms all over the tree. The residual ashes from the wooden mill were collected by the greedy, evil couple.

The powerful village landowner was scheduled to go down that route. According to tradition, everyone was required to close their tall windows. Nobody was permitted to belittle Lordship. Also on their hands and knees, they waited for the procession to pass before rising. A tall guy approached and motioned for everyone to kneel.

The good old guy did not, however, bow his head. He replaced it by scattering a little amount of ashes over the dying cherry tree. It suddenly started to bloom. The property owner was excited to take in the beauty. The guy was thanked, given gifts, and extended an invitation to the castle.

After learning about it, the cruel neighbor moved the magical ashes to the roadway as well. He waited for the landlord's train to arrive before climbing a dead cherry tree, rather than bending down like the others. He flung a handful of ashes over the landlord while he was right below him. But there was no change in the tree.

The dust kind of wafted into his lordship's eyes and nose. The greedy guy was taken from the tree and thrown into the ditch by the man who was accompanying the master. Also, they brutally beat him. Thus, the selfish guy drowned in the mud. The kind Muko's owner enjoyed a happy life until his death.

Conclusion

We need to be proud of what we have. We should work hard to earn stuff, but we shouldn't be greedy. We often act in unethical or immoral ways due to our desires.

We must set fair expectations that are simple to meet and use honest tactics to get our income. We must use self-control to avoid being corrupt and dishonest because of our greedy behavior. Our requirements should be the priority, and our demands should be minimal. There is another lesson in the story which is about animals. Like us humans, animals are living things. Even if they can't communicate like humans, they can still experience love and other emotions. Some animals, like dogs and horses, are very devoted to their owners. We ought to treat them well.

Since the street dogs watch after our houses, it is a good idea to give them the food that remains. We should take pets with injuries, such as pigeons, cats, and dogs, to veterinarians.