Extra Reading Diary: Aesop's Fables (English)

I read the second part of the Aesop's Fables unit for my Extra Reading Diary. My favorite story was Cats and Weasels because it was a very interesting contrast between a lot of the stories I'm familiar with. They offered an example of how back in this time the typical fable of the cat and mouse is actually the weasel and mouse. I thought that was a cool alternative to the Tom and Jerry story we're familiar with. They also discussed cats too, but that specific comparison made it stick out to me.

A man and his Weasel, who hunted the mice

Aesop's Fables (English)

Reading Diary A: Aesop's Fables (English)

This week I decided to read Aesop's Fables in the English version. I had previously read the Classical/Biblical versions, so it was interesting to see the contrast. The biggest thing I noticed was the form itself, with the earlier ones I read being structured as a story while the English versions were poems. I personally enjoyed the stories more just because I have trouble following poetry all that well. My favorite stories from the book came from Lions and focused on the experiences of Lions with man and other animals. It talked about the Lion and Man and their disagreements, as well as how the Lion cunningly separated the Bulls so that he could hunt them one by one, but my favorite individual poem was about the Lion and a Mouse. The Mouse wakes up the Lion while he's sleeping, but the Lion decides to let the Mouse live. Later, when the Lion is caught in a trap, the Mouse comes and rescues him to pay back the kindness. I enjoyed this because I'm a big fan of circular kindness like this.

The Mouse rescuing the Lion from a trap

Aesop's Fables (English)