Thurber punctures in an incisive way the platitudes that come from stories handed down through the generations. Everyone accepts these old saws. One such tale is about a tortoise who had read in an ancient book that a tortoise had beaten a hare in a race. The sage old tortoise construed this story to mean he could outrun a hare. With equanimity, he hunted for a hare and soon found one. “Do you have the effrontery to challenge me?” asked the incredulous hare. “You are a nonentity,” he scoffed at the tortoise. A course of fifty feet was set out. The other animals gathered around the site. At the sound of the gun, they were off. When the hare crossed the finish line, the flabbergasted tortoise had gone approximately eight and three-quarter inches. Thurber’s moral from this debacle for the tortoise is that a new broom may be swept clean but never trust an old saw.
- Puncture: Tusukan, sobekan, lubang kecil
- Incisive: Tajam, cerdas, tepat
- Platitudes: Klise, kata-kata umum, omong kosong
- Handed down: Diwariskan, diserahkan, diturunkan
- Old saws: Peribahasa lama, pepatah lama, ungkapan lama
- Tortoise: Kura-kura, binatang melata
- Hare: Kelinci, binatang mamalia
- Sage: Bijak, orang bijak, ahli
- Construed: Ditafsirkan, diartikan, dimaknai
- Outrun: Mengalahkan, melampaui, melebihi
- Equanimity: Ketenangan, ketabahan, ketenangan jiwa
- Effrontery: Keberanian, keberanian yang tidak sopan, kelancangan
- Incredulous: Tidak percaya, skeptis, meragukan
- Nonentity: Tidak berarti, tidak penting, tidak ada artinya
- Scoffed at: Dicemooh, diolok-olok, diremehkan
- Flabbergasted: Terkejut, kaget, kagum
- Approximately: Sekitar, kira-kira, hampir
- Debacle: Kegagalan besar, bencana, kehancuran
- Puncture
- Incisive
- Platitudes
- Handed down
- Old saws
- Tortoise
- Hare
- Sage
- Construed
- Outrun: Mengalahkan, melampaui, melebihi
- Equanimity: Ketenangan, ketabahan, ketenangan jiwa
- Effrontery: Keberanian, keberanian yang tidak sopan, kelancangan
- Incredulous: Tidak percaya, skeptis, meragukan
- Nonentity: Tidak berarti, tidak penting, tidak ada artinya
- Scoffed at: Dicemooh, diolok-olok, diremehkan
- Flabbergasted: Terkejut, kaget, kagum
- Approximately: Sekitar, kira-kira, hampir
- Debacle: Kegagalan besar, bencana, kehancuran
The Hare and the Tortoise: An Incisive Lesson
There was once a race between a hare and a tortoise. The hare was known for his speed and agility, while the tortoise was known for his slow and steady pace. The hare was so confident in his abilities that he scoffed at the idea of losing to the tortoise.
The day of the race arrived, and the hare took off at a lightning-fast pace. He was so far ahead of the tortoise that he decided to take a break and rest for a while. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept moving forward with his slow and steady pace.
As the hare rested, he started to feel a puncture in his ego. He realized that he had underestimated the tortoise and that he might not win the race after all. He started to feel a sense of effrontery for his arrogance.
The tortoise kept moving forward, and he eventually outran the hare. The hare was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe that he had lost to a slow and steady tortoise. He felt a sense of incredulousness that he had been beaten by someone he had considered a nonentity.
The race was a debacle for the hare, and he learned a valuable lesson about the importance of humility and equanimity. He realized that his platitudes and old saws about speed and agility were not always the best approach. He learned to respect the wisdom of the sage tortoise and to appreciate the value of a slow and steady pace.
The lesson of the hare and the tortoise is an incisive one. It teaches us that we should not be too quick to judge others based on their appearance or abilities. We should take the time to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to appreciate their unique qualities. We should always strive to be humble and to learn from those around us.
