Themes of myths, fables, and folktales

Read the following fable by Aesop.The Donkey and the GrasshoppersOne day a donkey was out wandering in a field when he came upon a family of grasshoppers singing in the grass. The donkey stopped in his tracks. The grasshoppers' singing was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. "I wish I could make such lovely music," he thought.He asked the grasshoppers, "Why do you have such beautiful voices? Is it because of the food you eat?"The grasshoppers liked to make jokes. They replied, "Every morning we drink the dew from the grass. It is the dew that makes us sing so well."The donkey believed the grasshoppers and began to drink dew that very day. The donkey ate nothing else, and he grew thinner and hungrier as the days went by. Yet he was still unable to sing as well as the grasshoppers.What is the main theme or lesson of the fable? Think about your own needs instead of trying to be like someone else. If you eat lots of good food, you will have a long and healthy life. Read the following fable by Aesop.TheTortoiseandtheHareThere was once a hare who boasted about how quickly he could run. He was always teasing the tortoise because the tortoise moved so much slower."You say you are very quick," said the tortoise. "How about a race to prove it?"The rabbit agreed, and the two set out at the same time. The hare was soon far ahead of the tortoise. "Surely I have enough time to rest by this rock," the hare thought. "That slow turtle will never catch up." So he rested and soon fell asleep.The tortoise continued moving, slowly making his way to the finish line. The hare woke up with a start and began to run toward the finish line, but it was too late. He found the tortoise waiting there for him. The slow tortoise had beaten the speedy hare.What is the main theme or lesson of the fable? If you believe you can do something, it is more likely to happen. Hard work is more important than talent. Don't give up, even when things seem impossible. Read the following fable by Aesop.WhytheBatFliesatNightOnce upon a time, there was a war between the animals of the air and the animals of the land. The eagle would hunt and eat the rabbit. The owl was never safe from the fox.The bat had wings like the flying animals, but it had teeth like the land animals. Unsure which side to join, the bat joined whichever side was winning. When the air animals were ahead, the bat fought along with the air animals. When the land animals won a battle, the bat joined them.After many years, both sides decided to end the war. There was peace across the earth. But the animals could not forget what the bat had done. Both the air animals and the land animals felt tricked by the bat. They decided to drive the bat away.And that is why the bat hides away during the day and goes out only at night.What is the main theme or lesson of the fable? People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one. People shouldn't go to war to settle their differences. Read the following fable by Aesop.TheBoyWhoCriedWolfThere once was a young shepherd who looked after the village sheep. Sitting out in the field with nothing to do, he grew bored. For fun, he decided to trick the people of the village. "Help! Wolf!" he cried. "A wolf is chasing the sheep!"The villagers came rushing to see what was wrong, but the shepherd only laughed. "I fooled you," he said. "There is no wolf."Two days in a row, the shepherd boy cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" Then he laughed when the villagers came running.On the third day, the shepherd was watching the sheep on a hill, and a hungry wolf appeared. The wolf began to chase the sheep. "Help! Wolf!" the boy cried.This time the villagers did not believe him, and no one came. The wolf chased the sheep away, and the boy sat and cried.Later, the villagers discovered that all the sheep were really gone.What is the main theme or lesson of the fable? The shepherd felt bad that the wolf chased away the sheep. If you lie, people will not believe you even when you tell the truth,