Posts
Fable
The word fable is
derived from French Fable, borrowed from the Latin word fabula, which means “a
story,” and a derivative of the word fari, which means “to speak”. The oldest
and most well-known collection of fables in Western literature is undoubtedly
Aesop’s Fables.
Aesop was believed to have been a slave in Greece around the
year 550 BC, and his fables are known worldwide. Aesopian fables put emphasis
on the social communications of human beings, and hence the morals he draws
deal with realities of life. In this excerpt, Aesop gives a moral lesson that
flatterers must not be trusted.
Fable in literature, it is described as a didactic lesson given
through some sort of animal story. In prose and verse, a fable is described
through plants, animals, forces, of nature, and inanimate objects by giving
them human attributes wherein they demonstrate a moral lesson at the end.
Characteristics of a Fable: Fables
are defined by four central essential elements.
Symbolism: Characters in fables are stand-ins for humans, and their misadventures are meant to symbolize human behavior.
Anthropomorphization: In fables, animals and even inanimate objects (like the wind,
or the sun) are the main characters of the story and are given human qualities.
Some animals have specific traits associated with them. For example, an owl is
wise, a fox is cunning, and a lion is brave.
Lessons: Every fable has a moral lesson at the end that arises from the
story. For example: “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Humor: Fables often have a humorous tone when showing the foolishness of human nature.
Importance of Fables:
Fables are timeless literary devices because of their ability to
deliver moral messages in a simple way that can be understood and enjoyed by
readers of all ages. In fact, the fable is one of the oldest and most lasting
methods of both written and oral storytelling. They can be found in the
literature of almost all countries and languages, and are a fundamental part of
the folklore of must cultures. Morals and lessons that would normally be difficult
for children or even adults to understand are easily communicated through the
fictional examples that fables provide, which makes them an extremely valuable
way to of teaching through storytelling.
Features of a Fable:
- A fable is intended to provide a moral story.
- Fables often use animals as the main characters. They are presented with anthropomorphic characteristics, such as the ability to speak and to reason.
- Fables personify the animal characters.
- The purpose of writing fables is to convey a moral lesson and message. Fables also give readers a chance to laugh at the follies of human beings, and they can be employed for the objective of satire and criticism. They are very helpful in teaching children good lessons based on examples. However, in literature, fables are used for didactic purposes at a much broader level.
Example of a Fable: Read
the following story:
An ugly, warty frog sat on his lily pad enjoying the sunshine.
Another frog hopped along and said, “wow, you are hideous! There is no way you
will ever find a mate!” Just then, a beautiful princess came to the pond,
scooped up the ugly frog, and planted a big kiss on his warty nose. He
instantly turned into a tall, handsome prince, and walked off hand in hand with
the princess as the other frog watched with his mouth wide in
astonishment. Never judge a book by its cover.
This short story constitutes a fable for two key reasons: first,
its main characters are anthropomorphic frogs (frogs that have been
given human qualities); they have been given the ability to speak for the
story. Second, the story ends with a lesson— “never judge a book by its
cover”—which is relayed to the audience when the ugly frog turns into a prince.
Parable
A parable (pronounced PAIR-uh-bull) is a short story used to
illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. Middle English parable comes from Old
French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή
- parabolḗ, means “comparison”,
“an illustration”, or “an analogy. It is like a succinct narrative, or a
universal truth that uses symbolism, simile, and metaphor, to demonstrate the
moral lesson intended to be taught.
Like a fable, a parable is a short story that has a moral or
teaches a lesson. However, parables are different from fables because they
employ humans as the main characters, whereas fables feature animals, objects,
etc., so that the reader or listener feels able to relate. The most well-known
parables in verse and prose are spoken specifically in religious texts, such as
the Upanishad, the Bible and the Quran.
The Importance of Parables:
As human beings, we respond more strongly to stories than to
arguments and theories. Our brains seem to be hard-wired to think in terms of
narratives, and parables usually affect us more deeply than simple principles
stated out loud. For example, if you were told the story of the Boy Who Cried
Wolf as a child, you probably remember it pretty well – that story has a
profound impact on many children because of its simplicity and the grim fate of
its main character. If an adult simply told you not to lie, you may not have
understood why, but the story makes the lesson as clear as can be.
Examples of Parable:
The Good Samaritan: A man traveling along
the road is beaten and left for dead. A priest and Levite pass him, doing
nothing, but then a Samaritan comes and helps the man. Samaritans and Jews were
generally enemies at the time, and thus this parable is meant to illustrate the
importance of showing compassion to everyone, even a sworn enemy.
The Prodigal Son: A father has two sons,
the younger of which asks for his inheritance before the father dies and ends
up wasting all of his money. He returns home, and when he returns the father is
so glad he holds a large feast as a celebration. The older brother is upset,
but the father explains that what was lost is now found and should be
celebrated, no matter what has happened in between.
Difference Between
Parable, Fable, and Allegory:
The definition of parable is very similar to that of fable and
that of allegory in different ways. Both parable examples and fables are used
to teach a lesson via a short story; however, parables use humans as the
characters, whereas the main characters in fables are animals, plants, forces
of nature, and other inanimate objects.
Allegories
usually use human characters, just like parable. However, allegories are not
necessarily created in order to be didactic. Instead, in an allegory the
characters, setting, and/or images stand in as symbols for other people and
things. An allegory may teach a lesson (sometimes a much more complicated one
than that in an example of a parable), but it’s function is symbolic rather
than didactic.
Fairy Tale
Fairy tales are short stories that involve fantasy elements
and characters—like gnomes, fairies, witches, etc— who use magical powers to
accomplish good and/ or evil. Fairy tales and fables share many of the same
elements, particularly their uses of animals with human abilities. In fact, the
lines between these two types of stories are sometimes blurred. The main
difference between them is that fairy tales don’t necessarily teach a lesson,
while all fables do.
******
Detail Tamil explanation of this topic is given in this below video:
Click the image and get the video
0 comments:
Post a Comment
If you need summary for any topic. Just send it in comment.
Don't Forgot to follow me in Our Youtube Channel : Saipedia