Chapter 77
The Braying Adventure and the Divining Ape
WHEREIN IS SET DOWN THE BRAYING ADVENTURE, AND THE DROLL ONE OF THE PUPPET-SHOWMAN, TOGETHER WITH THE MEMORABLE DIVINATIONS OF THE DIVINING APE Don Quixote’s bread would not bake, as the common saying is, until he had heard and learned the curious things promised by the man who carried the arms. He went to seek him where the innkeeper said he was and having found him, bade him say now at any rate what he had to say in answer to the question he had asked him on the road. “The tale of my wonders must be taken more leisurely…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Name the When Ridicule and Oracle Share the Same Inn Move
Re-read the chapter summary and write down where when ridicule and oracle share the same inn first appears, who pays for it, and who benefits from keeping it going. Then write one sentence you could say to interrupt the pattern without shaming the person caught in it.
Consider:
- •Separate the person's worth from the pattern's cost
- •Notice who has power to stop or fuel the scene
- •Ask what truth would require someone to give up
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you saw when ridicule and oracle share the same inn in your own life. What finally made the pattern impossible to ignore?
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