The shepherd’s treasure explores the idea and extent of humbleness by examining different social classes and the importance of knowledge and information. The story as the name suggests talks about the treasure of a shepherd-turned governor of Iran who is known for his humbleness and wit.
The treasure of the shepherd is a blanket that he carries around as a reminder of his past life and how he must remain true to his roots. To understand it better, let us dissect the story into two parts.
In this section, we will discuss his past life and his present life to understand the context behind the blanket a little better.
Past Life – A man known for his knowledge, the shepherd is a supposedly poor and uneducated man who manages to please the king with his wits. He is appointed as the new governor and is often scrutinized for carrying an iron chest with him.
Present Life – A new governor who understands the pains and sorrows of his people, he is revered by his subordinates but looked down upon by his associates. To malign his name, his associates declare him to be a corrupt official and ask the king to investigate him. The king demands that the governor open his iron chest if he wishes to prove his innocence, to which the governor complies and opens his chest, only to reveal a blanket from the time when he was a shepherd. When asked why he carries around the blanket, the governor explains that while his current position as a governor is fickle, his life as a shepherd will always be constant. Therefore, the blanket serves as a token to remind him of his roots.
The theme of the story centers around the concept of being humble no matter what you achieve in life. Humbleness is a virtue so great; it allows you to explore your potential and endless possibilities without losing track of your roots and your upbringing. A humble person is a powerful person.
The moral of the story can be understood in three parts.
The first is to believe in your abilities and to trust your instinct. The shepherd believed in his intellectual capabilities which allowed him to get well versed with knowledge and show his prowess.
The second is to remember the roots from where you rise. A man who has lost sense of his roots will soon fall as nothing holds him to the ground anymore.
The last is to never conspire against somebody as it is ethically wrong and will backfire against you at some point in time. The people conspiring against the shepherd lost all their credibility and favour with the king.
The story is set in Iran and takes place in multiple spaces including palaces and the shepherd’s home. Therefore, it supposedly harbours multiple people with three central characters.
There are three characters present in the story given as follows:
The King appointed the shepherd as the general.
The shepherd who was appointed as the general.
Conspirators conspiring against the shepherd.
Much like A Tale of Two Birds, there is a clear distinction made between good and evil. The shepherd is shown to be respectful and considerate to others while the conspirators are shown to have malicious intent toward the shepherd. This can be identified early on in the story when they choose to spread rumours about his incapability as a governor and his apparent rampant corruption.
In this tutorial, through this story, we have established that one must never lose sense of self if placed in a position of power and authority.
Q1. “Humble beginnings have great endings.” How does the story justify the aforementioned statement?
Ans. The story clearly justifies the aforementioned statement as it allows us to explore both the past life of the shepherd and his present life as a governor. The story clearly explains the value of knowledge and how it allowed the shepherd to impress the king. His beginning as an uneducated shepherd allowed him to understand the worth of knowledge and information which he utilized when he became a governor and was praised for his ethics.
Q2. The king should have chosen to trust the governor and not listen to the conspirators. Do you agree?
Ans. No, the king here holds a neutral perspective. Although we have established that the shepherd turned governor is a good man, it would not be right for the king to assume the same and ignore his ministers and other governors. Therefore, by listening to others and inviting the governor to prove his innocence, the king is allowing all his subordinates to express their opinions. He is following the law of the land, much like a king is supposed to, and ensuring that ultimately the truth prevails.
Q3. How can you identify the goodness of the governor in the story?
Ans. The governor is a kind and honest man who refuses to boast about his position and authority. The token that he carries, in the form of a blanket, in his iron chest is a constant reminder of how he can lose everything and will be penniless once again. A reminder such as that signifies the greatest virtue in the world, that is, the virtue of humbleness.
Q4. What major characteristics of the shepherd have been outlined in the story?
Ans. The major characteristics of the shepherd outlined in the story are:
Humbleness
Kindness
Smartness
Q5. Was the conspirator’s distrust justified? If not, then why?
Ans. No. The conspirators could have ruined an innocent governor by spreading malicious rumours about him. He could have been sentenced to prison and would lose all his newly acquired wealth, position, and status. The conspirator’s inability to be good and work for the benefit of the people reveals their unqualified nature. Therefore, their distrust is not justified.
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