Level I : The First Progymnasmaton: Fable
Lesson One

Brief History of the Fable
 
A fable is a short tale that usually features animals as characters. Sometimes, however, "gods," men or even objects wind up as characters in fables.   A fable always conveys a moral lesson, and usually features a proverb that sums up the story's moral and advice.  Fables were, and continue to be, useful in teaching us right and wise behavior from wrong and foolish behavior. Although the fable is an ancient genre, and was first transmitted orally from person to person, written fables were seen on papyri as early as 1500 B.C in Egypt.
The most famous fables were created by Aesop (E'sop), a Greek slave who lived around 600 B.C. The philosopher, Socrates, was so impressed with Aesop's fables, he spent the last hours of his life turning the fables into poems. Another famous thinker, Aristotle, whose influence is still felt today, instructed his own students to re-write and amplify Aesop's fables so that they would become persuasive speakers.

Aesop's fables have been translated into over 250 languages, and have influenced such American thinkers and leaders as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

First Progymnasmaton
 
At this level, you are going to take several of Aesop's fables and "amplify" or expand them. In other words, in each of the lessons in this course, you will put one of Aesop's fables into your own words, adding figures of description and tools of amplification you will learn about in class.
In Lesson One, we will use the tool of amplification known as  Ethopoeia (prounounced: e-tho-po'-ia). Ethopoeia is the description of a person's character, his natural tendencies, manners and affections (what he likes).
Examples of Ethopoeia
 
Martin the Cobbler
 
"In a little town in Russia there lived a cobbler, Martin Avedeitch by name. He has a tiny room in a basement, the one window of which looked out on to the street. Through it one could see only the feet of those who passed by, but Martin recognized the people by their boots. He had lived long in the place and had many acquaintaces. There was hardly a pair of boots in the neighborhood that had not been once or twice through his hands, so he often saw his own handiwork through the window. Some he had re-soled, some patched, some stitched up, and to some he had even put fresh uppers. He had plenty to do, for he worked well, used good material, did not charge much, and could be relied on. If he could do a job by the day required, he undertook it; if not, he told the truth and gave no false promises. So he was well known and never short of work.". [From "Where Love is, God is", by Leo Tolstoy]
 
 
Ethopoeia is not always a favorable description of a character. Read the following passage, in which the ethopoeia of a character is negative.
 
Ebenezer Scrooge
 
"Nobody ever stopped in the street to say, with gladsome looks, "My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?" No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such place, of Scrooge. Even the blindmen's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, "No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!" (From "The Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens)
 
Questions to Ponder
 
What three characteristics did you notice about Martin? First, he is frugal. He runs his business simply, without spending a lot of money on frivolous things. How do we know this? The narrator tells us Martin operates his business out of a tiny room in a basement, and there is only one window. Despite this, Martin manages to buy "good material" for his customers, yet doesn't charge much. Second, Martin is dedicated to his work. He spends so much time on his craft, in fact, that Martin has "memorized" the shoes of all his customers.  The only time he seems to look out the window, in fact, is to see how his handiwork is holding up. Finally, Martin is trusted. He has a good reputation that has spread through the town. Everyone in town has done business with Martin, some people more than once, and he was never short of work.

What three characteristics did you notice about Scrooge? The first characteristic you probably noticed is that he is selfish. We know he is selfish with his money, because no beggars would ask him for money (probably because Scrooge has turned them down time and time again.) He is probably selfish with his time, too, since men and women seem to realize he isnít going to take time out of his schedule to give directions or help out in any way. We can see he is unfriendly. He is so unfriendly, in fact, children wonít even ask him what time it is. Since he has shown himself to be unfriendly, his neighbors donít care to know how he is doing either. He is cruel. How do we know this? Dogs do not even like Scrooge, and dogs like everybody, right? Scrooge is obviously the kind of man who has kicked a dog or two in his lifetime.
 
How is the descriptive language in the Tolstoy example different from the descriptive language used in the Dickens example?
 
The Assignment
 
Read "The Wolf and the Crane" by Aesop. Re-write this fable in your own words, but amplify it by applying ethopoeia to either the wolf or the crane in this story. In other words, use the tool of amplification, ethopoeia, to describe the character of either the wolf or the crane. Remember, ethopoeia can be used to describe a character in a positive or negative way.  The first step is to decide which character to amplify and to come up with three of his character traits to describe through ethopoeia. Once you have made that prewriting decision, notify your instructor, Mrs. Fain. She will assign a due date for the first draft and guide the student in developing the prewriting ideas by asking thought-provoking questions, making suggestions, providing further examples, correcting grammar and responding to student questions. You may consult with her daily as you prepare that draft, which is not to exceed 300 words. Once you submit your first draft, Mrs. Fain will guide you through revising until you create a fable worthy of an A.
 
The Wolf and the Crane
 
A wolf who had a bone stuck in his throat hired a crane, for a large sum, to put her head into his mouth and draw out the bone. When the crane had extracted the bone and demanded the promised payment, the wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: "Why, you have surely already had a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf."

Application: In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains.
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