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ANALYSIS STORY  THE EMPEROR’S THREE QUESTIONS (BY LEO TOLSTOY)

In this story the writer try to analyse the one of character, Setting and plot.

One day it occurred to a certain emperor that if he only knew the answers to three questions, he would never stray in any

matter.

.    1. What is the best time to do each thing?

.    2. Who are the most important people to work with?

.    3. What is the most important thing to do at all times?

.    The emperor issued a decree throughout his kingdomannouncing that whoever could answer the questions would receive a great reward.  Many who read the decree made their way to the palace at once, each person with a different answer.

.    In reply to the first question, one person advised that the emperor make up a thorough time schedule, consecrating every hour, day, month and year for certain tasks and then follow the

schedule to the letter.  Only then could he hope to do every task at the right time.  Another person replied that it was impossible to plan in advance and that the emperor should put all vain amusements aside and remain attentive to everything in order to know what to do at

what time.

.   Someone else insisted that, by himself, the emperor could never hope to have all the foresight and competence necessary to decide when to do each and every task, and what he really needed was to set up a Council of the Wise and then to act according to their advice.  Someone else said that certain matters require immediate decision and could not wait for consultation, but if he wanted to know in advance what was going to happen he should consult magicians and soothsayers.

.    The responses to the second question also lacked accord.  One person said that the emperor needed to place all his trust in administrators, another urged reliance on priests and

monks, while others recommended physicians.  Still others put their faith in warriors.

The third question drew a similar variety of answers. Some said science was the most important pursuit.  Others insisted on religion.  Yet others claimed the most important

thing was military skill. The emperor was not pleased with any of the answers, and no

reward was given.  After several nights of reflection, the emperor resolved to visit a hermit who lived on a mountain and was said to be an enlightened man.  The emperor wished to find the hermit to ask him the three questions, though he knew the hermit never left the mountains and was known to receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with persons of wealth or power.  So the emperor disguised himself as a simple peasant and ordered his

attendants to wait for him at the foot of the mountain while he climbed the slope alone to seek the hermit.

 Reaching the holy man's dwelling place, the emperor found the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut.  When the hermit saw the stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig.  The labor was obviously hard on him.  He was an old man, and each time he thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily.

.    The emperor approached him and said, "I have come here to ask your help with three questions:  When is the best time to do each thing?  Who are the most important people to work with?  What is the most important thing to do at all times?"

.    The hermit listened attentively but only patted the emperor on the shoulder and continued digging.  The emperor said, "You must be tired.  Here, let me give you a hand with that."  The

hermit thanked him, handed the emperor the spade, and then sat down on the ground to rest.

.    After he had dug two rows, the emperor stopped and turned to the hermit and repeated his three questions.  The hermit still did not answer, but instead stood and pointed to the spade and said, "Why don't you rest now?  I can take over again."  But the emperor continued to dig.  One hour passed, then two.  Finally  the sun began to set behind the mountain.  The emperor put down the spade and said to the hermit, "I came here to ask if you could answer my three questions.  But if you can't give me any answer, please let me know so that I can get on my way home."

.    The hermit lifted his head and asked the emperor, "Do you hear someone running over there?"  The emperor turned his head.  They both saw a man with a long white beard emerge from the woods.  He ran wildly, pressing his hands against a bloody wound in his stomach.  The man ran toward the emperor before falling unconscious to the ground, where he lay groaning.  Opening the man's clothing, the emperor and hermit saw that the man had received a deep gash.  The emperor cleaned the wound thoroughly and then used his own shirt to bandage it, but the blood completely soaked it within minutes.  He rinsed the shirt out and

bandaged the wound a second time and continued to do so until the flow of blood had stopped.

.    At last the wounded man regained consciousness and asked for a drink of water.  The emperor ran down to the stream and brought back a jug of fresh water.  Meanwhile, the sun had disappeared and the night air had begun to turn cold.  The hermit gave the emperor a hand in carrying the man into the hut where they laid him down on the hermit's bed.  The man closed his eyes and lay quietly.  The emperor was worn out from a long day of climbing

the mountain and digging the garden.  Leaning against the doorway, he fell asleep.  When he rose, the sun had already risen over the mountain.  For a moment he forgot where he was and what he had come here for.  He looked over to the bed and saw the wounded man also looking around him in confusion.  When he saw the emperor, he stared at him intently and then said in a faint  whisper, "Please forgive me."

.    "But what have you done that I should forgive you?" the emperor asked.

.    "You do not know me, your majesty, but I know you.  I was your sworn enemy, and I had vowed to take vengeance on you, for during the last war you killed my brother and seized my property. When I learned that you were coming alone to the mountain to meet the hermit, I resolved to surprise you on your way back and kill you.  But after waiting a long time there was still no sign of you, and so I left my ambush in order to seek you out.  But instead of finding you, I came across your attendants, who  recognized me, giving me this wound.  Luckily, I escaped and ran here.  If I hadn't met you I would surely be dead by now.  I had intended to kill you, but instead you saved my life!  I am ashamed and grateful beyond words.  If I live, I vow to be your servant for the rest of my life, and I will bid my children and

grandchildren to do the same. Please grant me you forgiveness."

.    The emperor was overjoyed to see that he was so easily reconciled with a former enemy.  He not only forgave the man but promised to return all the man's property and to send his own

physician and servants to wait on the man until he was completely healed.  After ordering his attendants to take the man home, the emperor returned to see the hermit.  Before returning to the palace the emperor wanted to repeat his three questions one last time.  He found the hermit sowing seeds in the earth they had dug the day before. The hermit stood up and looked at the emperor.  "But your questions have already been answered."

.    "How's that?" the emperor asked, puzzled.

.    "Yesterday, if you had not taken pity on my age and given me a hand with digging these beds, you would have been attacked by that man on your way home.  Then you would have deeply regretted not staying with me.  Therefore the most important time was the

time you were digging in the beds, the most important person was myself, and the most important pursuit was to help me."

.    "Later, when the wounded man ran up here, the most important time was the time you spent dressing his wound, for if you had not cared for him he would have died and you would have lost the chance to be reconciled with him.  Likewise, he was the most important person, and the most important pursuit was taking care of his wound."

.    "Remember that there is only one important time and that is now.  The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.  The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?  The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

CHARACTER     :  The Old Man or Hermit

SETTING             :  Palace, Mountain, Garden, and Hut

PLOT                             :  Mixed Plot

         

CHARACTER

For the character the writer choses Hermit to be analyzed

Hermit is the old man who live in mountain specifically he live in his Hut alone, his character in this strory is old and weak, kind, helpful, and wise.

The first character of Hermit is old and weak  so it can be seen in this part

“The labor was obviously hard on him.  He was an old man, and each time he thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily”.

The second character of Hermit is kind and it can be seen in this part

“The hermit listened attentively but only patted the emperor on the shoulder and continued digging”.

and also can be known in this part

“The hermit still did not answer, but instead stood and pointed to the spade and said, "Why don't you rest now?  I can take over again." 

The third character of Hermit is helpful and it can be seen in this part

“The hermit gave the emperor a hand in carrying the man into the hut where they laid him down on the hermit's bed”.

The last character of Hermit is wise so it can be seen in this part

           

The hermit stood up and looked at the emperor.  "But your questions have already been answered."

   "How's that?" the emperor asked, puzzled.

  "Yesterday, if you had not taken pity on my age and given me a hand with digging these beds, you would have been attacked by that man on your way home.  Then you would have deeply regretted not staying with me.  Therefore the most important time was the time you were digging in the beds, the most important person wasmyself, and the most important pursuit was to help me.".    "Later, when the wounded man ran up here, the most important time was the time you spent dressing his wound, for if you had not cared for him he would have died and you would have lost the chance to be reconciled with him.  Likewise, he was the most important person, and the most important pursuit was taking care of his wound."    "Remember that there is only one important time and that is now.  The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.  The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?  The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

SETTING

The settings  is consist of setting of place, setting of time and setting of culture. In this story writer only discuss about the setting of place, the first place is palace the second mountain the third garden and the last is hut.

the palace is where the Emperor lived.

for this part can be known that the place of  The Emperor  lived is when the person who want to answer the questions after they read the decree so they can meet The Emperor in Palace.

“Many who read the decree made their way to the

palace at once, each person with a different answer”.

The second place is mountain that the old man or the Hermit Lived

“After several nights of reflection, the emperor resolved to visit a hermit who lived on a mountain and was said to be an enlightened man.  The emperor wished to find the hermit to ask him the three questions, though he knew the hermit never left the mountains and was known to receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with persons of wealth or power”.

The thid place is garden that the  place for Hermit to plant the seeds

“Reaching the holy man's dwelling place, the emperor found the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut.  When the hermit saw the stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig.  The labor was obviously hard on him.  He was an old man, and each time he thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily”.

And it can be seen in this part

“The emperor was worn out from a long day of climbing the mountain and digging the garden”

The  place where the Hermit lived is in the Hut, it can be seen in this part

“the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut.  When the hermit saw the stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig”. 

And also it can be known in this part

“The hermit gave the emperor a hand in carrying the man into the hut where they   laid him down on the hermit's bed”.

PLOT

The plot for this tory is mixed plot  because the author of this story told about The Emperor who want to find the answer from the 3 question and he did not get the satisfication of an answer from the people, and he decided to looking  for The Hermit who live in mountain to find the answer so this indicates the flash forward plot, and the flash back plot  can be seen as an Enemy of The emperor told about the past history in war when The Emperor killed his brother and seized his property. I think this story has a mixed plot.  For  the Freytag on plot These parts are: exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

1.     Exposition :

The exposition in this story is when the beginning of the story which told that The Emperor have a difficult questions to answer.

2.     Conflict

In this story the conflict is when The Emperor issued a decree throughout his kingdom announcing that whoever could answer the questions would receive a great reward.

3.     Rising action

The Emperor was not pleased with any of the answer from his people so he decided to find and meet the hermit that was said to be enlightened man to ask about the answer from that three questions.

4.     Climax

The climax in this story is when The Emperor want to meet Hermit to ask that questions and he disguised himself as a simple peasant and ordered his attendants to wait for him at the foot of the mountain while he climbed the slope alone to seek the Hermit, because The Hermit receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with persons of wealth or power.

5.     Falling action

According to Freytag, the falling action phase consists of events that lead to the ending. In this story the part of this falling action is when the emperor ask for the three questions but the Hermit only listened and patted him on the shoulder and continued digging, after that The Emperor want to change him in digging a garden until the question is repeated for a  second time the Hermit did not answer, so suddenly appear the old man emerge from the wood and he had a bloody wound in his stomach, so the Emperor treat and keep the blood from his body stopped, than when the sun had already risen over the mountain the old man woke up and he realized that person who help him is his enemy, after that he ask the forgiveness from The Emperor and they reconciled.

6.     Denoument

The last part is denoument and the last story is when The emperor was overjoyed to see that he was so easily reconciled with a former enemy. And he forgave him and return his property, After ordering his attendants to take the man home, the emperor returned to see the hermit and he want to ask him once again of this questions. The answer from the Hermit is so wise and relized him that that there is only one important time and that is

Now when he with the Hermit , help him to dig the ground to help the old man and spent dressing his wound,  The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.  The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?  The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for  that alone is the pursuit of life."

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