Set a Purpose

A man leaves his family to go hunting. Find out what happens.

Once there was a hunter who lived with his wife and their four sons. Each son had eyes like shiny black stones. The hunter looked at his sons and smiled. “Some men have gold, but my sons are better than gold. They are my treasures.”

The hunter’s wife was going to have a fifth baby. Sometimes she could feel it kick. “It will be another boy,” she would say. “Another fine boy, just like his brothers.”

Every morning, the hunter said to his family, “You are all my treasures. If you care about me, remember me always.”

Every morning, his sons would say, “Father, we do not need to remember you. Every day you go out, but every day you come back. You are always here, so how could we ever forget you?”

Critical Viewing: Character Which character in the folk tale could this be? Explain.

African Hunter, 2002, Emmanuel Yeboa. Oils and batik on calico, courtesy of Novica, Los Angeles.