Read the passage from The Arabian Nights Entertainments. Sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he
could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. He went every day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw his nets more than four times. He started out one morning by moonlight and came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He thought he had caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. But a moment afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the carcase of an butt, he was much disappointed. Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the carcase of the butt had broken in several places, he threw them a second time. In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so that he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket full of rubbish. He was much annoyed. "O Fortune," he cried, "do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman, who can hardly support his family!" So saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But he only drew in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair. The main character's motivation is to keep his nets clean of dirt. support his wife and three children. be up and working by moonlight. catch stones, shells, and mud.
