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."



Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Little Red wolf tales 2

1. I think it should refer to the background of the age. The little red cap that written by Grimm brothers, here, the little red cap standard for the children in the age of Victoria, they was told to be obey the instructions of their parents and their elderships. In the beginning of the story, the mother do not mention that danger wild animals, but she did warn against straying off the path, if the little cap follow what her mother told, then they would be not dangerous. But little cap did not follow it, and then she and her grandmother suffer from the disaster because of her disobey what her mother told to her. I think in the beginning of the story did not mention the danger wild animals, it’s to emphases the coming disasters, then to educate children should obey what their parents and their elderships instruction.
2.There are many editions of little red that wrote in different time, and has its own stress in these editions. The first French edition of little red riding hood was written in 1679 written by Charles Perrault, most people felt this edition of little red contains the meaning of gender and sexual symbolism. We can easily find what little red and wolf did in the story: the wolf asked little red “come get into bed with me”, and then little red took off her clothes and got into bed.” And also, there’s another one can show the gender and sexual symbolism, that is: when little red asked the wolf: what big arms you have? The wolf answered: “all the better to hug you with, my dear!” and later, the wolf ate the little red.
And also, the “wolf”, we all knows that there are various kinds of wolves, it not only refers to the animals, but also refers to those who looks charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.
Meanwhile, before this edition of little red published, Charles Perrault, the manuscript of little red has some watercolor pictures attached. It portrays that little red get in bed with wolf, and also the wolf was lying above the little red. And also has described that little red recline against the pillow, and touched the big nose of wolf warmth. In the first edition that written by Perrault, there has a drawing focus on the flush of little red in her face, it is more emphases the sexual symbolism. When we combine with the story and the pictures in the book, we can easily learn the gender and sexual symbolism.
And I think the most important one is we should know the background of the story and can easily learn the moral of the story.
3.From the Aesop's Fables here, Wolf can be describe as coony , tricky, deceptive, do not want to be bondage…for human beings, we can view from the behave of the wolf, and learn much more things from the wolf. And what happened to wolf and the minds of the wolf could refers to those things that happened in the human beings, for there are so many people like wolf existed in the world, it teach us the what kind of people it will have in the world just like the wolf, it teach us how to see through the deceits, and how to deal with the bad things happen to you. I think the wolf is a good teaching material to the human beings in all kinds of aspect; therefore, the wolf often plays a bystander who interacts with seeming innocents that misbehave.

1 comment:

Nataliya Omelchenko said...

I like the way you described the wolf as a combination of human characters and what the Aesop’s fables really stood for and what their meaning really is. I to agree with you completely on the point you have explained, and support you 100%.