three sons. While on his deathbed, he summoned his three sons to his room to discuss who was
going to be the new king. However, he decided whatever son was the laziest would rule the
kingdom. He gave his sons a chance to explain why they are the laziest. The eldest son said "...
for I am so idle that if I lie down to rest, and a drop falls in my eye, I will not open it that I may
sleep." The second son said " ... for I am so idle that when I am sitting by the fire warming
myself, I would rather let my heel be burnt off than draw my leg." The third said "...for I am so
idle that if I were to be hanged, and had the rope already around …show more content…
At first it would appear that the king just wanted to give his
kingdom to the laziest son, but he did it for the right reason. The laziest son gets the kingdom
because of how much he is willing to sacrifice for being lazy and what he will sacrifice for his
kingdom.
The eldest son is willing to be bothered in his sleep and not wake up. This can be
analyzed as the son will not let anything bother him while he rules his kingdom. No problem or
conflict will awake him in the middle of the night. The second son will endure the pain of his
heel being burnt by a fire instead of drawing back his leg. This could mean he will endure pain
for his kingdom and will not let pain stop him from ruling. The third son is willing to be hung by
the neck with a knife in his hand. He promises to not cut the rope while he is hanging to save
himself. This statement shows how far the third son is willing to go for his kingdom. He has
taken it the farthest not because he is the laziest, but because he would give his life for …show more content…
Until we reach the youngest son who is without a doubt the laziest and most
caring of the kingdom. The youngest son is not afraid of being hung, the middle son is not afraid
of fire, and the oldest is not afraid of being startled or woken up suddenly. The third son receives
the kingdom after impressing his father with his leadership. The third son would sacrifice
himself for his kingdom even if he was faced with a life or death situation. He will not try to save
himself from this fate because he accepts it. When someone is willing to sacrifice themselves for
their kingdom it shows it's subjects how much they love it.
The kingdom is not necessarily being given to the laziest son as stated before. The king
wants one of his sons to take their story the furthest and fill it with as much imagination as
possible. While also choosing a new king who will give up the most to see their kingdom
succeed even if the new king is not alive to see it. The king wants to put his kingdom in good
hands so he picks the son with the best leadership skills and sacrifices a king is willing to make
for their land. The eldest son will not be scared or backed down by anyone, the middle son