Fables and Allegories
Introduction to Animal Farm
Part II
The Ant and the Grasshopper:
a Fable
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a
Grasshopper was hopping about,
chirping and singing to its heart's
content. An Ant passed by, carrying
along with great toil an ear of corn he
was taking to the nest.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
"Why not come and chat with me," said
the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and
moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to store up food for the
winter," said the Ant, "and I recommend
you to do the same."
The Ant and the Grasshopper
“Why bother about winter?” said the
Grasshopper. “We have got plenty of
food at present.” But the Ant went on
its way and continued its toil.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
When the winter came the Grasshopper
found itself dying of hunger, while it saw
the ants distributing, every day, corn
and grain from the stores they had
collected in the summer.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Then the Grasshopper knew...
It is best to prepare for the days of
necessity.
A fable usually…
• is very short
• features nonhuman characters who
have been personified to an extreme
– such as animals, plants, inanimate objects,
mythical creatures or forces of nature
• ends with a short moral lesson
Aesop
Probably the most well
known writer of fables
is Aesop, who lived in
Ancient Greece.
He wrote “The Ant and
the Grasshopper ” and
lots of other fables still
popular today.
Quotations from Aesop
• Don’t cry over spilt milk.
• Don’t count your chickens before
they’ve hatched.
• Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
• Appearances are often deceiving.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• Slow and steady wins the race.
Allegory
An allegory is an artwork in which every
part has at least two meanings:
– the literal meaning
– and a symbolic meaning
Many fables are also allegories.
The Ant and the Grasshopper:
an Allegory, too!
Literal Meaning
The Ant
Corn
The Grasshopper
Summer
Winter
Symbolic Meaning
= Hardworking People
= Work / Preparation
= Short-sighted People
= Opportunity Time
= Hard Times
Modern Fables
Two modern writers of fables are James
Thurber, who wrote “The Tiger Who
Understood People,” and George
Orwell, who wrote Animal Farm.
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is both
a fable (with animals!)
and an allegory
(of the 1917 Russian Revolution).