The Plate of Mangoes

October 31, 2015 Kevin Rodriguez

One night, Emperor Akbar and his wife the empress were sitting in the balcony. They
were happily looking at the beautiful waters of the River Jumna while eating a bunch
of sweet, juicy mangoes.

Suddenly, the emperor thought of doing something mischievous to tease the

empress. He would eat the mango, but place the peel and the seeds on her plate
when she is not looking. They both kept eating until the plate in front of the
empress was full of mango peels and seeds.

At that time, Birbal the palace advisor walked into the room. He saw the huge pile of
mango peels and seeds in front of the empress and the emperors empty plate.

The emperor greeted Birbal and jokingly said, Look Birbal, the empress is so
greedy that she ate so many mangoes. Look at all the peels and seeds she has on
her plate!

The Empress felt shy because it made her look greedy. She wanted to explain
herself. But before she could speak, Birbal said, I can see that the empress has
only been influenced by your hunger, your majesty.

What do you mean? asked Emperor Akbar. Are you saying that I am greedier? But
my plate is empty and hers is so full!

That is what I mean your majesty. The Empress may have eaten lots of mangoes.
But you have an empty plate, which means you have eaten even the seeds and
peel! replied Birbal.

The empress laughed in pure amusement. Birbal outwitted the emperor once again!
Instead of getting angry, the emperor sat back, slapped his knee and laughed at
how Birbal turned the joke on him.

The story above can have different ways of being written, but still have the same
moral at the end. But for the purpose of retaining the original facts and characters
of the story, it has been written in the same story format but with simplified English
words.

In simplifying the words

Although the story may seem simple enough, it is still difficult to find the right
words to make the story even simpler. The main concern was to replace the difficult
words and those that are of foreign origin and replace it with a simple English word.

In simplifying the words, instead of using the word protest for example, the word
explains was used because it is much more understandable to the young readers.

Elements such as the word verandah was replaced by the word balcony because
the latter is more universally understood. The word verandah has a Portuguese
etymology which not many people might understand. But in replacing the words,
efforts were made so that the scenario painted in the original story will not be
altered.

Thoughts on altering the format of the story

One thing that could have simplified the story was to take out the third person in
the equation. The scene could be just between the emperor and the empress or the
emperor and Birbal. For instance, the emperor could be eating mangoes with the
empress. While the empress is not looking, he slips and peels and seeds on her
plate. After eating, he accuses her of being so greedy because of the mound of
seeds on her plate. But the empress could retort that he is greedier because they
have both been eating and his plate is empty, which means he has not spared even
the seeds and ate it too.

Recommended age group for the story

After the story has been simplified, it can already be recommended for children as
early as age 4, told to them by an adult. At this age, the child will already be able to
grasp the general context of the story.

This can also be recommended for children age 6 years old and above to be read
independently. For children at this age with advanced reading skills, the child may
be able to recognize and read aloud the common words and comprehend the
sequence of the story if aided with pictures.

But for the purpose of learning, retelling, and understanding the moral of the story,
the story can already be recommended for first graders, which is usually between
the ages 7 to 8 years old.