Fables Across the World

“‎They are angry with me, because I know what I am." Said the little eagle. "How do you know that they are angry with you?" "Because, they despise me for wanting to soar, they only want me to peck at the dirt, looking for ants, with them. But I can't do that. I don't have chicken feet, I have eagle wings." "And what is so wrong with having eagle wings and no chicken feet?" Asked the old owl. "I'm not sure, that's what I'm trying to find out." "They hate you because you know that you are an eagle and they want you to think you are a chicken so that you will peck at the ground looking for ants and worms, so that you will never know that you are an eagle and always think yourself a chicken. Let them hate you, they will always be chickens, and you will always be an eagle. You must fly. You must soar." Said the old owl.” -- C. JoyBell C.
What do we learn from fables? Well, it turns out that we learn a lot! As authors Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss write in their book, 40 Fun Fables: Tales That Trick, Tickle and Teach, "By reading fables we can learn some of the great truths that have been passed down through the ages." Fables can also help us clearly see human foibles and shortcomings that might not be as easy to recognize if the characters are human. As a result, readers gain a better understanding of their immediate surroundings, as well as the people, behaviors, and situations they may encounter. When we see the consequences of poor decisions in a fable, we can develop a better understanding of how to handle challenging circumstances and possibly apply those lessons in our lives. In our class, we will grow from all these benefits and more, because as we study international fables, we may learn that we aren’t actually as different as we thought from those that live halfway around the world!
 
Ages 11-13 (Grades 6/7)
Instructor: Eve Bonney
Fridays, 11 AM-12 PM ET
5 classes
May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2021
 
**Purchase with TTK Diploma package for reduced tuition.