Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

a fairytale authored by: Joseph Jacobs

Jack and the Beanstalk first appeared as The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean in 1734. Featured iIllustrations are by Arthur Rackham, 1918 edition of English Fairy Tales retold by Flora Annie Steel.
Enjoy sharing more great stories in our Favorite Fairy Tales and Short Stories for Children

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VERBAL ELEMENTS

Writer’s purpose

-This classic tale raises questions about the value of trust, who we should trust, and why. Jack's mother tells him to sell their family cow. But instead of selling the cow, he trades it to a stranger for five magic beans.

- The author wanted to relay the different actions and dilemma in the story just like the conflict person vs. person, it’s a story about being foolish and thievery. The lessons that are conveyed can be a reference for parents to teach their children good personality.

Plot

The protagonist of the story is Jack because he only tries to help his family and in the end he escapes from the giant and is rich for his entire life!

Jack and his mother are very poor and need money, so Jack's mother asks Jack to trade their cow for coins. Jack finds a man who trades the cow for magic beans. Jack shows his mother the bean but she throws them out the window. The next morning Jack finds a beanstalk in his backyard! He climbs it and finds a castle. He walks around until he hears a loud voice! Jack takes a golden harp and a chicken that lays golden eggs and runs home, but he is followed by the giant. He screams for help and his mother cuts down the beanstalk and the giant dies.

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Characters

- The main characters in Jack and the Beanstalk are Jack, Jack’s mother, the giant, the giant’s wife and the bean seller. They all have strong characteristics, for example:

-Jack can be said to be both lazy and brave.

-The giant is frightening.

-Jack’s mother works hard.

-Jack’s character could be considered the most interesting – but also the most problematic- because he has both positive and negative characteristics. 

Setting

- The setting is the market where he sold the cow in exchange for the magic beans,

 

 

 

 

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-In the castle at the top of the beanstalk where he stole the egg and became a thieves of the giants,

 

 

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-Farm is where he and her mother lived.

 

 

 

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Theme

- The theme of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is basically good versus evil. In this fable, Jack is the encapsulation of great and the mammoth is the encapsulation of fiendish, and great triumphs over fiendish when Jack frees the world of the monster.

- The moral of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk isn't clear-cut, as Jack isn't a straightforward hero. Firstly, he disobeys his mother. He then steals gold coins, a magic hen and a harp before killing a giant, only for him and his mother to live happily ever after on the stolen riches.

OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

Action

Exposition: The Exposition of the story is when Jack's mother tells Jack that he must sell his cow.

Inciting Incident: The Inciting Incident is when Jack trades his cow for beans and his mother throws them out of the window.

Rising Action: When Jack wakes up to find a towering beanstalk growing in his backyard. He hopes for the best and climbs it. He finds a Giants castle!

Climax: Jack hides in the cupboard to prevent being eaten by the Giant. The Giant falls asleep and Jack steals his harp and chicken. Jack run away and is chased by the Giant back to the ground

Falling Action: Jack yells to his mother, and his mother and she cuts down the beanstalk and sends the Giant to his Death.

Resolution: Jack and his mother live happily ever after with gold from the chicken and music from the harp. They live happily ever after!

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