FABLES

Fables are short animal stories with a specific lesson, usually stated at the beginning or the end. While many of these stories seem very simple, they are about important values, or cautions about certain types of behaviour. Some fables, in fact, are sacred in nature (like myths). The Jataka tales, for  example, are from India, and they tell of how the Buddha changed into certain animals in order to teach lessons to humans. Another set of famous fables is from Aesop, a Greek slave who lived 2500 years ago; these stories were made to telll people about the values and faults of people.

Many of the lessons in fables are so famous that they have become part of everyday speech. Here is a sample of some idioms that you have probably heard:

·        little friends may prove great friends

·        birds of a feather flock together

·        united we stand, divided we fall

·        honesty is the best policy

·        every truth has two sides

·        look before you leap

Have you ever heard of any of these phrases? Can you think of an experience in your life where one of these lessons could apply?

STORY MAPS

All stories have the same basic characteristics. These are listed below. Think about the story you heard today, and fill in the story map below:

Setting: the time and place the story takes place

Characters: the persons, animals, gods, in the story

Problem: the difficulty faced by the main character

Solution: the way the main character solved their problem

Plot/Events: the parts in the story that lead to the solution of the problem