In ‘The Magic Drum’, it seems that the entire myth can be perfectly fit into the ideals and theory of Lillian Feder. The myth can be read as a human reaction to a stressful and possibly deadly situation, where the inhabitants will do what is necessary to survive. In this case, a famine has swept through the village of King Maseni. Turtle is the main focus of this tale as he maneuvers around trying to feed his family. The Leopard has been instructed by the king to alert him to anyone who has food. It can be assumed that this was a common practice amongst tribes throughout the world when famine may have struck their villages. As a king, it can be assumed that for the betterment and survival of his people, he should know of the precious resource
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They call the drum to work and feed the family once more, it being discovered by local children that there is food and begging for some. The leopard children report this finding to their father, who confronts Kudu about the food. He makes a deal with leopard to leave the drum for two weeks at his home to feed his family, though afterwards the drum refuses to produce more food due to the abuses it endured from the leopard’s family and demands. This can show how some humans may abuse the generosity of others, or ‘looking a gift horse in the mouth’, so to speak. This again occurs when Kudu is summoned with his drum to see the king and told to bring all of the food. He does so, and the drum produces food once more for the tribe. Afterwards, it will not produce food to feed turtle’s family. Naturally, this was very upsetting to Kudu and he set off the next day to attain another drum. He did not let his main intentions be known to the other tribe, instead claiming he was only chasing his coconut. They insist on him taking another drum and he does so, this time allowing his own curiosity to get the better of him and selecting a drum who spoke ‘Take Me!’(pg 541, The Magic Drum), even after being told not to. To his shock and surprise the new drum brings about many whips and goes about beating Kudu with them, until he is able to call the drum to return the table of instruments back from whence it
They call the drum to work and feed the family once more, it being discovered by local children that there is food and begging for some. The leopard children report this finding to their father, who confronts Kudu about the food. He makes a deal with leopard to leave the drum for two weeks at his home to feed his family, though afterwards the drum refuses to produce more food due to the abuses it endured from the leopard’s family and demands. This can show how some humans may abuse the generosity of others, or ‘looking a gift horse in the mouth’, so to speak. This again occurs when Kudu is summoned with his drum to see the king and told to bring all of the food. He does so, and the drum produces food once more for the tribe. Afterwards, it will not produce food to feed turtle’s family. Naturally, this was very upsetting to Kudu and he set off the next day to attain another drum. He did not let his main intentions be known to the other tribe, instead claiming he was only chasing his coconut. They insist on him taking another drum and he does so, this time allowing his own curiosity to get the better of him and selecting a drum who spoke ‘Take Me!’(pg 541, The Magic Drum), even after being told not to. To his shock and surprise the new drum brings about many whips and goes about beating Kudu with them, until he is able to call the drum to return the table of instruments back from whence it