Aesop's Fables
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A Wolf was having trouble getting at a herd of sheep because of how well the shepherd and his dogs watched them.
But one day the Wolf found the skin of a sheep that had already been killed. He put it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep.
The lamb who was the child of the dead sheep - the one whose skin the Wolf was wearing - began to follow the Wolf wearing her mother's skin.
Leading the Lamb away, he soon made a meal of her, and for quite some time he succeeded in deceiving the other sheep too and making hearty meals of them.
The Fox and The Leopard
Also The Leopard and The Fox
The Fox and the Leopard argued about who was the more beautiful of the two.
The Leopard showed off the beautiful spots that decorated his coat. But the Fox, interrupting him, said: "No, I'm the more beautiful, because my beauty is of the mind."
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Also The Ant and the Cricket
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, struggling to drag an ear of corn to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?"
"I am helping to save food for the winter," said the Ant, "and suggest you do the same."
"Why worry about winter?" said the Grasshopper; “We have plenty of food right now."
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from what they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
The Hawk and the Nightingale
A Nightingale, perched on an oak, was spotted by a Hawk, who swooped down and snatched him.
The Nightingale begged the Hawk to let him go, insisting he wasn't big enough to satisfy the hunger of a Hawk, who ought to pursue bigger birds.
The Hawk said, "I'd be crazy to release a bird I've already caught in favor of birds I don't even yet see."
The Fox and the Goat
One day, a Fox fell into a deep well and couldn't climb out.
A thirsty Goat soon came to the same well, and seeing the Fox, called down to ask whether the water was good.
Pretending to be happy (and not in despair), the Fox lavishly praised the water, saying how absolutely delicious it tasted, and encouraging the Goat to come down and join him in the well.
The Goat, thinking only of his thirst, stupidly jumped down.
As he drank, the Fox informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested a scheme for their common escape.
“If,” said the Fox, “you put your forefeet up on the wall and bend your head down, I will run up your back like a ramp and escape, and then I will help you out afterwards.”
The Goat agreed and so the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the Goat’s horns, he safely reached the mouth of the well...and took off as fast as he could!
When the Goat complained of the Fox breaking his promise, the Fox turned around and cried out, “You old Goat! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down without making sure there was a way back up. Only a foolish fellow exposes himself to dangers from which he has no means of escape!”
Activities :
1. Having read all these fables try to think of their individual piece of moral .
2.Having agreed about the moral of the fables try to give a definition of 'fable'
3.What parts of a fable can you notice ?
Source : -coming after homework
