The book I chose to read is Aesop's Fables, I chose this book because I've heard many fables but I've never read the book to hear more of these tales. It is debated as to whether Aesop was a real person; ccording to Herodotus, he was a slave who lived in Samos in the 6th cent. B.C. and eventually was freed by his master. Other accounts associate him with many wild adventures and connect him with such rulers as Solon and Croesus. It is known that these fables have been read by such influential people as Alexander the Great; Aristotle collected these fables; and they have been used in numerous plays (I.E. Aristophanes), but what is the big deal about these fables?.
Well, the big thing is they teach morale's. Something that is often lacking in today's society. For example, there is a story about a Cock that is searching for food-If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world." .
Instead of the finder's keeper's mentality, the cock leaves the jewel and looks for food firstly because a jewel does him no good and secondly because it isn't the cock's.
Another story-An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, "The dew." The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger." The morale; be happy with what you have and don't lust for what others possess. .
Perhaps my favorite fable is about the boy who cried wolf A SHEPHERD-BOY, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought out the villagers three or four times by crying out, "Wolf! Wolf!" and when his neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their pains. The Wolf, however, did truly come at last.
