1) Story Summary: Jumping Mouse
This story revolves around the notions of courage and perseverance, as well as venturing into the audacious unknowns of the world. There is a mouse (later named Jumping Mouse by the frog) that constantly appears to hear apparent roars, and the continual repetition of it irks the mouse immensely, which sparks his desire to find out what it is. The mouse has a series of conversations with the raccoon and the frog, which tells the mouse that the sounds originate from the river, and that the sacred mountain contains “medicine power”, but is situated in a far and desolate place. Upon his return to his fellow mice, he is completely ignored and nobody believes in the mouse, but this does not prevent the mouse from stopping,
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The eyes of the mouse is a metaphor of what one needs to sacrifice and perhaps even the courage that one needs to possess to progress in life–the jumping mouse needed the self-sacrifice, support, and help in order to achieve its goal to reach the top of the mountain, and at that time, one’s eyes may seem crucial to one’s journey, but the mouse was not selfish and wanted to help the larger beings because the mouse weighed their lives higher than the mouse’s own eyesight–a prime example of sacrifice and service for others.
The odd roaring sounds is a metaphor for one’s calling in life to achieve more and to follow one’s goal. It is the sparking element that allows the mouse to go past the societal parameters and not only achieve one’s goal, but to learn that self sacrifice, service, and courage is required.
The raccoon is a metaphor for someone who tries to aid and give direction when in times of discombobulation and confusion. It may also be a metaphor for sharing of one’s wisdom or a wise elderly
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After the jumping mouse sacrificed its eyesight, the mouse is reborn as an eagle, able to see clearly and overseeing the whole area, which symbolizes how one’s vision of the world has broadened after the experience.
4) Identify the obstacles the mice had to overcome to find the sacred mountain.
The jumping mouse had various obstacles, and some were quite internal, such as overcoming its fear of uncertainty like the river, the appearance of other animals, and unfamiliar sounds. Additionally, the struggles throughout the journey, such as the lack of support from the fellow mice, the old mouse’s words of pessimism are all were factors that could have hindered the jumping mouse from succeeding. Also, it is the constant internal fear of the unknown that played the crucial role as the hindrance for the