Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared with you "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen.
Today, I'll be sharing with you four (yes, that's right, four!) of Aesop's Fables. The ones I'll be sharing are "The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller," "The Father and His Son," "The Boy Hunting Locusts" and "The Cock and the Jewel." I'm sharing four stories with you this week because of how short Aesop's Fables tend to be.
At the end of each, I'll share some of my thoughts. Enjoy!
The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
Aesop's Fables
A Charcoal-Burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened. The Fuller replied, "The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal."
Like will draw like.
I had to look up what a fuller was to understand this fable. According to vocabulary.com, the definition of a fuller is "a workman who fulls (cleans and thickens) freshly woven cloth for a living."
With that crucial piece of information, now I can easily agree with the Fuller in the fable. If his job is to clean/whiten cloth, then living with a Charcoal-Burner would not help him in business. It would probably only hinder his business.
Opposites attract, but apparently, so do people with similarities.
The Father and His Son
Aesop's Fables
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you be broken as easily as these sticks."
For starters, the definition of faggot in the context of this fable is "a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel"; not the more offensive use of the word. I was a little thrown by it before I looked up the definition.
Other than that, I like the meaning behind this story. The age old story of you're stronger together. And, who hasn't fought with their siblings? The father certainly found a creative solution to his and his sons' problem. I liked it.
The Boy Hunting Locusts
Aesop's Fables
A boy was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodly number, when he saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reached out his hand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said: "If you had but touched me, my friend, you would have lost me, and all your locusts, too!"
For what purpose the boy was hunting locusts, we don't know, but I imagine it as something similar to kids catching fireflies and keeping them in jars. While it's super cool, it's better/nicer to let them go and not keep them. Admire them from afar and not behind a cage, or glass. This is a similar argument you can hear regarding zoos.
I love zoos myself, but I also feel conflicted about them. The same thing goes for waterparks, aquariums, etc. I love to see the animals, but I also hate to think that they're trapped and not allowed to live out in the open to their heart's content.
Now, there is some gray area here. Some animals are rescued and rehabilitated and can't be released back into the wild because of injuries or other circumstances. I feel less conflicted for the animals in these cases because they obviously can't go back out into the wild, but it's still unfortunate for them.
Just imagine being locked in your house/home, but not being allowed to go anywhere else. it's just sad to think about.
Anyway, back on topic, the boy reaches for the scorpion, thinking it's another locust. Luckily for the boy, the scorpion warns him, basically saying, "You touch me, you die!" The, the boy would no longer have his locusts or his life. What's more important?
The Cock and the Jewel
Aesop's Fables
A Cock, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious stone and exclaimed: "If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in they first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world."
This one's pretty cut and dry. A chicken has no need for jewels and would rather have food to feed this family/hens. A human I'm sure would feel the opposite if put in the same situation. I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of this fable was, other than to get the perspective of a chicken... Maybe it was a commentary on how food is more important than material goods? I'm not sure.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
