ZLATEH THE GOAT
Issac Bashevis Singer
Introduction
Issac Bashevis Singer was a Polish-born Jewish writer in Yiddish. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. His first major novel, The Family Moskat was published in 1950. As a youngster, he read Nikolai Gogol and Fyodor Dostoyevsky and proved to be a writer than a religious leader like his father. His brother Israel Joshua is also a writer.
Summary
Zlateh is the pet goat of the family. Reuven decides to sell Zlateh to the town butcher Feyvel as it has become old and gave little milk and mostly because the family wanted money to celebrate for Hanukkah which is near. When Aaron the eldest boy bound a rope around Zlateh’s neck it stood as patiently and good-naturedly as ever. It trusted human beings because they have always fed him and have never harmed him. It was a little confusing when it was taken along the road to the town because it has never been led that way before. On the day Zlateh is being taken to the town the family grieves. Aaron takes it to the town and there occurs a heavy snowstorm. Both Aaron and Zlateh couldn’t make their way through the snow. Luckily they find a large haystack and make room to shelter inside it so that they are protected from the turbulent weather outside. For three continuous days they stay there and in these three days, Aaron realizes that his love for Zlateh has grown into an inseparable bond and she seems like family to him.
Aaron decides not to sell Zlateh as she has saved him by providing her milk to quench his hunger. Zlateh also feels grateful to Aaron for saving her from the heavy snow and providing her ample hay. After their return home Zlateh is treated majestically.
Exercises
I. Answer the following questions:
1. How does Aaron react to his father’s decision to sell Zlateh?
He is sad but still obeys his father’s wishes.
2. What does Aaron recognize from his stay in the haystack?
Zlateh is his friend and cannot be sold.
3. Aaron gets lost because___________
Snow covers the road
4. Why does the father want to sell Zlateh?
The family needs money to celebrate Hanukkah
II. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two:
1. Why was it a bad year for Reuven the furrier?
That year the winter has been slow and relatively mild, and there has been little need of a furrier’s service.
2. What was the family’s response when Reuven asked Aaron to take the goat to town?
Leah, the mother wiped the tears from her eyes. Aaron’s younger sisters, Anna and Mirian, cried loudly.
3. Why did Zlateh trust human beings?
She knew that they always fed her and never did any harm.
4. Why was Zlateh astonished when Aaron led her out on the town road?
Zlateh has never been led in the direction of the town before.
5. When did Aaron realize that he was no longer traveling on the road?
Beneath the thick snow Aaron’s boots touched the softness of the plowed field.
6. What looked like a ‘snow clad hill’?
A large stack of hay
7. Why did Aaron realize that the haystack could save them?
Aaron was a village boy and he knew it is always warm in a haystack.
8. What did Aaron do to breathe inside the haystack?
He bored a window through the hay.
9. What does it mean that Zlateh seemed eager to reward Aaron and how does it fit with what you have already learned about Zlateh?
Zlateh is a patient, good-natured goat. She wanted to thank Aaron for bringing her to a home, made of food and she was happy to give Aaron her milk.
10. What do you understand from the way Aaron and Zlateh communicated with each other?
Each wanted to show their gratitude for saving each other lives from the stormy snowfall.
11. How many days did Aaron and Zlateh spend inside the haystack?
3 days
12. What were Aaron’s dreams about while he was staying inside the haystack?
He dreamed of green fields, trees covered with blossoms, clear brooks, and singing birds.
III. Answer the questions in a paragraph:
1. The circumstances that compelled Reuven to decide on selling Zlateh.
That year the winter has been slow and relatively mild, and there has been little need of a furrier’s service. It was the time of Hanukkah and the family had little money to celebrate the festival. With much hesitation, Reuven decided to sell Zlateh to Feyvel for eight guldens.
2. The communication between Aaron and his goat.
During the four days sheltering in a stack of hay, Zlateh realized there was an inseparable bond between him and his goat. He felt lonely and missed his family. He had always loved Zlateh but now she seemed to be like a sister. He wanted to talk to someone and started talking to Zlateh. To every sentence, Aaron made she just replied in her single sound “maa”. She can’t speak but she understood what Aaron told her. Her language consisted of only one sound, but many meanings.
3. Compare the character of Zlateh and Aaron.
Zlateh is the family pet goat. It is so bonded with the family members. It is patient and good-natured. Zlateh trusted human beings because she knew that they always fed her and never did any harm. It believes so because no one in the family has caused any harm to it. Aaron doesn’t want to sell Zlateh, but he has to obey his father who has decided to sell Zlateh off for eight guldens. Zlateh innocently follows Aaron through the unfamiliar road to town. After their challenging way out of snow, they are both grateful to each other.
4. The days Aaron and his goat spent inside the haystack.
Aaron hollowed out a nest for himself and the goat. He also bored a window through the hay and snow and kept the passage clear. Zlateh was hungry and eagerly ate the hay around. Aaron ate the two slices of bread and cheese that he had with him. He was still hungry and drank his goat’s milk. When he felt lonely he would talk to Zlateh and she would reply with her usual “maaa”. At night the snow had blocked up the window. He dreamed of summers while in the haystack.
5. The change of weather in Singer’s Zlateh the goat.
At the beginning of the story it is said that year the winter was mild. It was almost the time of Hanukkah but there was only a little snow. The peasants complained that because of the dry weather there would be a poor harvest of winter grain. It was a bad year for Reuven. But on the day Zlateh was taken to sell, there occurred heavy snowstorm continuously for three days. Though the three days of the snowstorm was difficult for Zlateh and Aaron, it turned out to bring good days for him and his family. Zlateh was saved and they decided to never sell it off, the bond between Aaron and Zlateh grew even stronger. It also conveys that the windy snowy days are to bring good for the peasants and the furrier.
Issac Bashevis Singer
Introduction
Issac Bashevis Singer was a Polish-born Jewish writer in Yiddish. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. His first major novel, The Family Moskat was published in 1950. As a youngster, he read Nikolai Gogol and Fyodor Dostoyevsky and proved to be a writer than a religious leader like his father. His brother Israel Joshua is also a writer.
Summary
Zlateh is the pet goat of the family. Reuven decides to sell Zlateh to the town butcher Feyvel as it has become old and gave little milk and mostly because the family wanted money to celebrate for Hanukkah which is near. When Aaron the eldest boy bound a rope around Zlateh’s neck it stood as patiently and good-naturedly as ever. It trusted human beings because they have always fed him and have never harmed him. It was a little confusing when it was taken along the road to the town because it has never been led that way before. On the day Zlateh is being taken to the town the family grieves. Aaron takes it to the town and there occurs a heavy snowstorm. Both Aaron and Zlateh couldn’t make their way through the snow. Luckily they find a large haystack and make room to shelter inside it so that they are protected from the turbulent weather outside. For three continuous days they stay there and in these three days, Aaron realizes that his love for Zlateh has grown into an inseparable bond and she seems like family to him.
Aaron decides not to sell Zlateh as she has saved him by providing her milk to quench his hunger. Zlateh also feels grateful to Aaron for saving her from the heavy snow and providing her ample hay. After their return home Zlateh is treated majestically.
Exercises
I. Answer the following questions:
1. How does Aaron react to his father’s decision to sell Zlateh?
He is sad but still obeys his father’s wishes.
2. What does Aaron recognize from his stay in the haystack?
Zlateh is his friend and cannot be sold.
3. Aaron gets lost because___________
Snow covers the road
4. Why does the father want to sell Zlateh?
The family needs money to celebrate Hanukkah
II. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two:
1. Why was it a bad year for Reuven the furrier?
That year the winter has been slow and relatively mild, and there has been little need of a furrier’s service.
2. What was the family’s response when Reuven asked Aaron to take the goat to town?
Leah, the mother wiped the tears from her eyes. Aaron’s younger sisters, Anna and Mirian, cried loudly.
3. Why did Zlateh trust human beings?
She knew that they always fed her and never did any harm.
4. Why was Zlateh astonished when Aaron led her out on the town road?
Zlateh has never been led in the direction of the town before.
5. When did Aaron realize that he was no longer traveling on the road?
Beneath the thick snow Aaron’s boots touched the softness of the plowed field.
6. What looked like a ‘snow clad hill’?
A large stack of hay
7. Why did Aaron realize that the haystack could save them?
Aaron was a village boy and he knew it is always warm in a haystack.
8. What did Aaron do to breathe inside the haystack?
He bored a window through the hay.
9. What does it mean that Zlateh seemed eager to reward Aaron and how does it fit with what you have already learned about Zlateh?
Zlateh is a patient, good-natured goat. She wanted to thank Aaron for bringing her to a home, made of food and she was happy to give Aaron her milk.
10. What do you understand from the way Aaron and Zlateh communicated with each other?
Each wanted to show their gratitude for saving each other lives from the stormy snowfall.
11. How many days did Aaron and Zlateh spend inside the haystack?
3 days
12. What were Aaron’s dreams about while he was staying inside the haystack?
He dreamed of green fields, trees covered with blossoms, clear brooks, and singing birds.
III. Answer the questions in a paragraph:
1. The circumstances that compelled Reuven to decide on selling Zlateh.
That year the winter has been slow and relatively mild, and there has been little need of a furrier’s service. It was the time of Hanukkah and the family had little money to celebrate the festival. With much hesitation, Reuven decided to sell Zlateh to Feyvel for eight guldens.
2. The communication between Aaron and his goat.
During the four days sheltering in a stack of hay, Zlateh realized there was an inseparable bond between him and his goat. He felt lonely and missed his family. He had always loved Zlateh but now she seemed to be like a sister. He wanted to talk to someone and started talking to Zlateh. To every sentence, Aaron made she just replied in her single sound “maa”. She can’t speak but she understood what Aaron told her. Her language consisted of only one sound, but many meanings.
3. Compare the character of Zlateh and Aaron.
Zlateh is the family pet goat. It is so bonded with the family members. It is patient and good-natured. Zlateh trusted human beings because she knew that they always fed her and never did any harm. It believes so because no one in the family has caused any harm to it. Aaron doesn’t want to sell Zlateh, but he has to obey his father who has decided to sell Zlateh off for eight guldens. Zlateh innocently follows Aaron through the unfamiliar road to town. After their challenging way out of snow, they are both grateful to each other.
4. The days Aaron and his goat spent inside the haystack.
Aaron hollowed out a nest for himself and the goat. He also bored a window through the hay and snow and kept the passage clear. Zlateh was hungry and eagerly ate the hay around. Aaron ate the two slices of bread and cheese that he had with him. He was still hungry and drank his goat’s milk. When he felt lonely he would talk to Zlateh and she would reply with her usual “maaa”. At night the snow had blocked up the window. He dreamed of summers while in the haystack.
5. The change of weather in Singer’s Zlateh the goat.
At the beginning of the story it is said that year the winter was mild. It was almost the time of Hanukkah but there was only a little snow. The peasants complained that because of the dry weather there would be a poor harvest of winter grain. It was a bad year for Reuven. But on the day Zlateh was taken to sell, there occurred heavy snowstorm continuously for three days. Though the three days of the snowstorm was difficult for Zlateh and Aaron, it turned out to bring good days for him and his family. Zlateh was saved and they decided to never sell it off, the bond between Aaron and Zlateh grew even stronger. It also conveys that the windy snowy days are to bring good for the peasants and the furrier.
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