Brief introduction about Aesop, an ancient poet

1. Aesop
and his Fables
Written by Lin Donn
Illustrated by Phillip Martin

2. Aesop was an ancient
Greek storyteller who
lived around 550 BCE. He
was also a slave. He lived
in ancient Rome, in the
home of a wealthy Roman
family.
Legend says … Aesop’s Roman master was so
delighted with Aesop’s fables that he granted
Aesop his freedom!
Aesop’s Fables

3. Influence
Aesop was apparently so talented at recounting fables that
memorable examples became attached to his name, regardless
of their origin or date. Thanks to later writers who collected them,
these fables have become an integral part of the heritage of
Western literature and folklore.

4. There are no records to
prove that Aesop ever
wrote anything down.
Fortunately, after his
death, people did write
down every fable they
could remember.
Over the centuries, Aesop's fables have been
rewritten and illustrated and translated into
nearly every language in the world.
Aesop’s Fables

5. Today, we still enjoy these
wonderful stories created
over 2,500 years ago!
Each is a very short story,
and each has a moral.
Like this one …
Aesop’s Fables

6. One day, a fox fell down
a well. He tried to climb
out, but the well was
too deep.
A goat wandered by. He
peered down curiously.
“What are you doing in
a well?” asked the goat.
The Fox and the Goat

7. “I’m warning you, goat,”
snarled the fox. “This is
my water! Go away.”
“You can’t keep all the
water for yourself,” the
goat snorted. The goat
jumped in the well.
The Fox and the Goat

8. The fox jumped on the
goat’s back and leaped
out of the well. He ran
off without a care for the
goat who was stuck in
the well.
The Moral of This Story
is: Don’t always believe
what you hear from
someone in trouble.
The Fox and the Goat

9. Aesop’s Fables
Click here to
read, watch
and listen to
more of
Aesop’s
Fables!

11.  Discuss the conflict and resolution
in Aesop's Fables.

12.  Aesop's Fables are very short stories that usually
feature talking animals or personified items of nature
(such as the sun or wind) and end with a pithy bit of
wisdom called a moral. Although they are often just a
few sentences in length, they usually follow the
standard story arc of longer works of fiction. The story
is often introduced with the inciting incident that sets
up a problem for one of the characters. This could be
a relational issue or a survival issue. The rising action
is usually quite limited. The character might try just
one or perhaps a few ideas to solve his dilemma. The
solution will then present itself, either through the
character's own cunning or through another
character's suggestion. The problem will then be
resolved—but in many cases, not to the character's
satisfaction

13.  There is usually not more than a single
sentence of falling action, if even that. The
moral is then stated perfunctorily,
providing the statement of the theme.

14.  As an example, consider the fable of "The Crow and the
Pitcher." The fable begins with the problem the crow faces:
Little water is available to drink except a small amount in the
bottom of a tall pitcher. This is the conflict: The thirsty crow
must figure out how to get the water from the pitcher. The
problem is described in two sentences. Next, the crow figures
out that he can make the water come to him by dropping
pebbles into the container. In this fable, the crow's solution is
described, but the tale doesn't even recount the refreshing
drink. The resolution is barely touched upon but is left for the
reader to consider.

15.  In "The Fox and the Goat," a fox finds himself trapped in a
well. That is the conflict. Along comes a goat. The fox
encourages the goat to join him, then leaps off the goat's
back, leaving the goat in the same predicament. The fox runs
away with a rude taunt, and the goat's dilemma is left
unsolved.
 A typical pattern for Aesop's fables is that the conflict or
problem is clearly and succinctly defined. The resolution,
however, may be hinted at or not fully developed. The moral,
neatly appended at the end, makes up for any weakness of
the resolution as readers or listeners are left with a
meaningful lesson to ponder.