In the beginning of the semester when we irst read The Sparrows Gifts from Japanese Tales, we observed that animals can function as agents of karma that is, they can furnish rewards or mete out punishment according to a system of cosmic justice. Is that observation valid when it comes to snakes? Discuss how snakes mean dif erent things in at least three narrative contexts. For this question, what is most important is that you demonstrate your familiarity with the broad symbolic range of snakes.