Life Lessons from a Horse
When I was still fairly new to the world of independent reading, one book that I read over and over was “Black Beauty,” by Anna Sewell. There was something about the vivid details and the colorful characters that I never tired of. Plus, as a little girl, I was a sucker for a good horse story. Because the book is supposed to be from a horses’s viewpoint, the language used is very clear and straightforward, which is a plus for any writing. One instance of this is when Black Beauty is describing inexperienced riders and admits:
“I would far rather go twenty miles with a good considerate driver than I would go ten with some of these. It would take less out of me.”
Who wouldn’t rather do more work at an enjoyable job than doing less work but at job that they hate? Black Beauty’s observations are meant for a human audience and therefore contain messages that are superficially simple but ring true on a deeper level.
2 responses so far
I think the creativity of the quote makes it a great piece of writing. It’s from a horse’s point of view but at the same time it is so relatable to human problems. It’s almost influencing us to strive and do what we love, rather than settle for something we just have to do. It is simple writing to which makes it better for me. It gets straight to the point and puts it in your face, which I like.
It always amazes me how some authors can really draw some insight from a perspective so foreign, which in this case, from a horse. I really like these kind of stories because it gives me so many ideas and thoughts which I can go hours and hours without getting tired. Reading your description of the story made me want to try reading it perhaps even recommend to my nieces. Thank you for sharing 🙂