Jessica R.

Tecson
ENG 25

“The Lion and the Mouse”

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon
him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose. Roused from
his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and
finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's
net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice
and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him,
she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can
help a Lion."

A kindness is never wasted.

 “The Wind and the Sun”

There was once an argument between the wind and the sun about who was stronger than the other.
They argued for a long time but neither of them emerged the winner. It wasn’t too long before they
spotted a man walking on the road. Looking at the man wearing a coat, an idea struck them
both.They challenged each other that the one who succeeded in removing the coat from the man’s
back was the strongest.

The wind volunteered to try first. It began to blow hard, raising gusts of air and making it harder for
the man to take a step further.But the man clutched his coat tight around him and resumed walking
with great difficulty.The wind continued blowing harder and harder, but the man held on to his coat
tighter and tighter. And continued his journey forward. Finally, the wind was exhausted and gave
up. His efforts had been futile.

It was now the turn of the sun. He looked at the man and began to gently shine upon the path the
man was walking on.The man looked up at the sky – surprised at the change in weather.The sun did
not spend much energy, neither did he apply any effort. He just continued shining upon the man’s
head gently.

Soon the man was huffing and puffing and sweating profusely.Unable to bear the rising heat, the
man finally took off his coat and headed to a nearby tree to rest for a while under its shade.

Moral: Sometimes gentle persuasion is mightier than the strongest force.

 “The Fox & the Grapes”

A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the
branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he
gazed longingly at them.

The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he
missed it by a long way. So, he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall
short once more. Again and again, he tried, but in vain.

Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust."What a fool I am," he said. "Here I am wearing
myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for."And off he walked very, very
scornfully.

There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach.
A. What is the theme of each table?
1. The lion and the mouse
- The moral of the Lion and the Mouse fable is that an act of kindness is never wasted.
2. The Wind and the Sun
- The moral of the Wind and the Sun fable is sometimes gentle persuasion is mightier
than the strongest force.
3. The Fox and the Grapes
- The moral of the fox and the grapes fable that it is easier to despise what you cannot get.

B. How can we apply each theme to our real-life situation in this present times?

 The lion and the mousedefinitely showus the act of kindness specially in this time of
pandemic.In many ways, the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the extent to
which we rely on others. We all know we need to extend our hands to the people
who badly needs. It’s not about how big the amount you can help but the effort and
that you exert in helping others is the most important thing.
 The wind and the sun give us a hint not to pressure everything or not to overuse
ourselves because even how hard we try sometimes gentle persuasion is mightier
than the strongest force.Before you can get what, you want, you must know exactly
what it is you desire. The more defined your end-goal is, the easier it will be to argue
your case or achieve something. This area of persuasion is often the one that takes
the most time and planning. You should narrow down your expectations to the
options that best fit you while thinking about how flexible you are willing to be
when all is said and done.
 The Fox and the Grapes is an example of “ You often hate something that you can’t
have. Because it reminds us on our insecurity in life because some have all the
things in life and others does not . So the only thing we can do is accept it and
challenge ourselves because someday “ that something that we can’t have “ we will
have it in God’s perfect time.