From Aesop's Fables

The Wolf and the Lamb

Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside,
when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning todrink a little lower down. "There's my supper," thought he, "if only I can find some excuse to seize it." Then he called out to the Lamb, "How dare you muddle the water from which I am drinking?"

"Nay, master, nay," said Lambikin; "if the water be muddy up
there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to
me."

"Well, then," said the Wolf, "why did you call me bad names
this time last year?"

"That cannot be," said the Lamb; "I am only six months old."

"I don't care," snarled the Wolf; "if it was not you it was
your father;" and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb
and
.WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA
.ate her all up. But before she died she gasped out
."Any excuse will serve a tyrant."

The Wolf and the Crane
A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, whensuddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he couldnot swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat, and ranup and down groaning and groaning and seeking for something torelieve the pain. He tried to induce every one he met to removethe bone. "I would give anything," said he, "if you would take itout." At last the Crane agreed to try, and told the Wolf to lieon his side and open his jaws as wide as he could. Then the Craneput its long neck down the Wolf's throat, and with its beakloosened the bone, till at last it got it out. "Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?" said theCrane. The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: "Be content.You have put your head inside a Wolf's mouth and taken it outagain in safety; that ought to be reward enough for you." Gratitude and greed go not together.

The Wolf and the Kid
A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking downsaw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he began to revile andattack his enemy. "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do youhere near honest folks' houses? How dare you make an appearancewhere your vile deeds are known?" "Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf. "It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

The Dog and the Wolf
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened tomeet a House-dog who was passing by. "Ah, Cousin," said the Dog."I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruinof you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your foodregularly given to you?" "I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could onlyget a place." "I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come withme to my master and you shall share my work." So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part ofthe Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how thathad come about. "Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the placewhere the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; itchafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it." "Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, MasterDog." Better starve free than be a fat slave.

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing tothe vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it foundthe skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so itput it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep.The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf waswearing, began to follow the Wolf in the Sheep's clothing; so,leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, andfor some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoyinghearty meals. Appearances are deceptive.

The Shepherd's Boy
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep atthe foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonelyfor him all day, so he thought upon a plan by which he could get alittle company and some excitement. He rushed down towards thevillage calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and the villagers came out tomeet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerabletime. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards hetried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help.But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from theforest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course criedout "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than before. But this time thevillagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy wasagain deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help. Sothe Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock, and when the boycomplained, the wise man of the village said: "A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."

The Nurse and the Wolf
"Be quiet now," said an old Nurse to a child sitting on herlap. "If you make that noise again I will throw you to the Wolf." Now it chanced that a Wolf was passing close under the windowas this was said. So he crouched down by the side of the houseand waited. "I am in good luck to-day," thought he. "It is sureto cry soon, and a daintier morsel I haven't had for many a longday." So he waited, and he waited, and he waited, till at lastthe child began to cry, and the Wolf came forward before thewindow, and looked up to the Nurse, wagging his tail. But all theNurse did was to shut down the window and call for help, and thedogs of the house came rushing out. "Ah," said the Wolf as hegalloped away, "Enemies promises were made to be broken."



Monday, March 24, 2008

1. It seems odd that the grandmother warns against straying off the path lest the wine bottle is broken, yet no mention is made of the danger wild animals pose. Why?

One reason that the riding hood was not warned of the dangerous wild animals may be for the most practical reason: the author would have no story to tell. If she had been wary of the wild animals that may scheme to eat her, she would have strictly followed the path, gone straight to her grandmother’s house and all would be well.

Another reason could be that the mother was unaware of her daughter’s daftness and over estimated her common sense. Sending a young girl on a journey through the woods alone is not the best idea unless you have confidence in their ability to avoid trouble. Also, with the strong emphasis that the author’s place in staying on path, warning riding hood of other obstacles may compromised the main goal.


2. Scholars argue that Little Red contains gender and sexual symbolism. Find elements and discuss; you might begin with an analysis of colors, animals, and the character's actions.

The color red has many meanings. It can symbolize blood, fury, fortune, love, vibrancy, health, youth and sensuality. In the story of little Red riding hood, the color red is portrayed in its youthful yet sexual context.

In a literal sense, red being the color of blood and vitality can indicate the wolf’s animal instincts to eat the little girl, and the flash of color that attracts much attention in the dreary dark setting of the woods she walks through. Red is also known to be closely related to sex. In that context, little red can be seen as the virgin who has been led of the path of abstinence and becomes tainted. When her mother warns her to stay on the path to her grandmother’s house, this can be interpreted as staying on the righteous path of abstinence and not allowing men to deceive little red. Clearly, the wild animals including the wolf are the sexual predators out to seduce the young girl. The linked picture furthers this suggestion because little red is seen in the bed with the deceitful wolf. Her hooded cape no longer on, it is a possible indication of the forceful taking of her virginity and childhood.



3. Looking at Aesop's Fables here, the wolf often plays a bystander who interacts with seeming innocents that misbehave. What is your impression?

I agree that the wolf often plays a bystander taking a less physically active role and instead using words to trick or influence the innocent characters. I believe that this trait comes from the sly and scheming attributes often associated with wolves in fairytales. It is possible that this often reflects Aesop’s Fables because his themes involve not allowing oneself to be wooed by deception, or give in to impudence and greed. In the case of “The Wolf and the Kid”, the child is taught a lesson by the wolf who, although does not pounce or scare the child, uses words to alert him of his cowardice. In many of the fables, it is the wolf who delivers the main message or theme of the fable either warning or teaching the reader a lesson through actions.

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