She reads the short story “The Wolf and the Man” by the Brothers Grimm:
the wolf and the man
A Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm
There was once a fox who had told a wolf so many stories of the prodigious strength of men, saying that no beast could resist them and was obliged to employ cunning to save himself from them. Hearing this, the wolf declared:
- I, however, if I could find one, I would attack without fear.
- If so, I can help you; - said the fox - come to my house tomorrow morning and I'll show you one.
The wolf arrived very early at the fox's house and the fox took him to the path where the hunter used to pass every day. First passed an old retired soldier and then the wolf He asked:
- Is that a man over there?
- No, - answered the fox - gone.
Then a little boy passed by, on his way to school.
- Is that a man over there? - He asked the wolf.
- Not yet, but it will be - answered the Fox.
At last the hunter passed, his rifle at his shoulder and his machete in his belt. When he approached, the fox said to the wolf:
- See, that's a man over there; that one you must attack, but I'll get into my lair.
The wolf attacked the man, who he regretted:
- Too bad I don't have bullets in my shotgun!
Even so, however, he took aim and fired buckshot at the beast. The wolf grimaced but continued to lunge boldly; then the hunter discharged the second barrel. The wolf repressed the pain and advanced decisively on the hunter, who, taking the machete from his belt, unleashed a a good couple of blows to the right and to the left, and the wolf, oozing blood, fled howling into the lair of the Fox.
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- So, brother wolf, how did you manage with the man?
- Oh, - answered the wolf - I didn't imagine his strength was such. First he took a cane from his shoulder and, blowing into it, threw something in my face that hurt horribly. Then he blew again on his cane and I received a kind of lightning and volley in his snout; and when I was almost on top of him, he took a gleaming bone out of his body, beating me so badly that he nearly left me dead.
- See now, what a braggart you are! - said the fox - Throw the ax so far that you can't reach it anymore!
Note that the dialogue between the fox and the wolf is reproduced through the direct speech, a resource that uses certain verbs (declared, said, responded, etc.) to faithfully and verbatim reproduce their words. These verbs are given a specific name in Portuguese: dicendi verbs, an expression originating from Latin and which has the meaning of “to say”. Thus, these verbs are also known as utterance/declaration verbs, that is, verbs that present the way in which someone expresses himself.
Note some examples of dicendi verbs:
The) to say: affirm, declare
B) To ask: inquire, interrogate
ç) Answer: retort, replicate
d) Contest: deny, object
and) To agree: nod, nod
f) Exclaim: scream, shout
g) Ask: request, ask
H) exhort: cheer up, advise
i) Order: order, determine
By Mariana Rigonatto
Graduated in Letters
